>> Torah portion

"I love it here. I tell my
children there isn't any
place I'd rather be."

-Fox Run resident

Gloria Stoliar

Parashat Vayigash: Genesis 44:18-
47:27; Ezekiel 37:15-37:28.

I

t seems that every major study that
comes out tells us that people are
more self-centered than ever before.
How does this mesh with the Jewish
tradition? The Torah portion this week,
Vayigash, tells about the reuniting of
Jacob and his beloved son,
Joseph. Here is the short
version:
Joseph's brothers went
up from Egypt, to the Land
of Israel and they told
Jacob, "Joseph is still alive;
yes, he is ruler over the
whole land of Egypt:' The
Torah then tells us that
Jacob's "heart went numb,
with disbelief."
The sons then recount
all that Joseph had said to
them, and when Jacob sees the wagons
that Joseph had sent to transport him,
Jacob is suddenly revived and declares,
"Enough!. My son Joseph is still alive! I
must go and see him before I die!"
His sons are in the middle of telling
him about their adventures in Egypt and
Jacob cuts them off. It is as if he is say-
ing, "Sorry, I don't want to hear anymore.
I have to go see Joseph!" It is at this point
that the Torah then tells us "so Israel set
out with all that was his, and he came to
Beersheva, where he offered sacrifices to
the God of his father, Isaac:'
Would Jewish people today model
Jacob's behavior and, upon hearing news
of a long-lost relative or any imperative
task, stop in their synagogue and pray?
This is one of those "Aha!" moments
in the Torah; a moment that awakens us
to the reality that our tradition would
want us to live. It can be so easy to get
caught up in ourselves that we forget
about others around us. We forget about
God.
Jacob just found out that his long-lost
son, who he thought was dead, is still
alive. Joseph has sent the ancient equiva-
lence of a stretch limousine to bring him
to Egypt, and Jacob stops in Beersheva

to offer a sacrifice to God! Why? What
is it that Jacob remembers in his rush to
see his son? In this moment, the Torah
teaches us a valuable lesson: It is not only
about me.
The sage Hillel understood very well
the dynamics of individual and
community. Some 2,000 years
ago, he said, "If I am not for
myself who will be? If I am only
for myself, what am I? If not
now, when?"
Most people today are very
good at fulfilling the first part of
Hillel's maxim. The second part,
"If I am only for myself, what
am I?" is what our patriarch
Jacob teaches us in the Torah
portion today. While I must be
my own best advocate, I must
never forget the obligations that I have
toward my congregation, the larger
Jewish community and the world as a
whole.
"If not now, when?" There is no time
like the present to think of the world in
a complete fashion — ourselves, others
and God.

y .

6

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who want to enjoy a warm, secure lifestyle. At our private

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campus, staff members know you and greet you by name. And

Robert Gamer is the rabbi at Congregation

your neighbors are friendly people who share your interests and

Beth Shalom in Oak Park.

values. We even offer on-site medical services, plus extended

Conversations
• What do you think the con-
versation was like between Jacob
and his sons on the journey down
to Egypt? Do you think Jacob
confronts his sons about their
treachery all those years ago?
• When Jacob offers a sacri-
fice in Beersheva, the Torah tells
us that he offered it to "the God
of his father, Isaac." Why not
"his ancestors" or "Abraham and
Isaac"?
• When Jacob sets out toward
Beersheva, the Torah uses his
name "Israel" instead of Jacob.
Why?

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December 20 • 2012

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