spirit
torah portion
Maintaining An Identity
A
Parshat Vayechi:
nd when the days of mourn-
ing for Jacob were over, Joseph
spoke to the house of Pharaoh
saying, “My father made me swear,
and he declared: I am dying. In my
grave that I have dug for myself in the
land of Canaan, there shall you bury
me …” [Genesis 50:4-5].
Why does the Grand Vizier
his body will become part of
of Egypt make such a request
the earth to which he feels
to Pharaoh to bury his father
most deeply connected.
in his family’s ancestral home-
Jacob wisely understands
land? Why is he forced to
that Pharaoh expects Joseph
traverse through the hierarchy
to completely identify with
of gatekeepers through whom
Egypt, to bring up genera-
only junior staff and guests
tions of faithful and com-
must pass? For that matter,
mitted Egyptians in return
Rabbi Shlomo
why does the Torah even go
for all that his adopted
Riskin
to the trouble of reporting
country has given to him.
the process by which Joseph
But this is impossible for
makes this petition?
Jacob, and the patriarch
Rabbi Ovadia Seforno (16th-
hopes that it would also
century Italy) explains that in this
be impossible for his children and
particular instance, court etiquette
grandchildren.
prevented Joseph from making his
They might contribute to Egyptian
request personally of Pharaoh because society and the economy, but they
he was dressed in mourning clothes.
could never truly become Egyptians.
In contrast, Rabbi David Pardo
Jacob understands that his burial in
(18th-century Italy, Sarajevo and
Canaan would be the greatest test of
Joseph’s career and would define the
Jerusalem), maintains that a care-
character of his descendants forever.
ful reading of the verse indicates a
Hence, he makes his sons solemnly
change in Joseph’s status. His sud-
swear not to bury him in Egypt.
den loss of access could well be a
Joseph understands an even
warning of new palace tremors that
deeper truth: Neither he nor his
would eventually erupt into the
progeny will ever ultimately identify
enslavement of his descendants.
Joseph seems to have been demoted. with Egypt. If he, his brothers, his
children and grandchildren were to
I would like to suggest another
make the choice to live as Jews, with
explanation. Perhaps the manner in
their own concepts of life and death,
which Joseph must arrange to have
they would never be accepted and
his request brought before Pharaoh
would likely be persecuted.
is to emphasize the delicate nature
The realization upon Jacob’s death
of this particular petition itself. In
of the transient and illusory nature
other words, it serves as a moment
of truth for Joseph as well as for Jews of their good fortune comes upon
them inexorably and imperceptibly,
of every generation.
as in the blink of an eye. Such is the
Joseph has reached the top of the
ultimate fate of the Jewish people in
social ladder in Egypt. He speaks
every exile. The roller-coaster expe-
Egyptian, dresses as an Egyptian,
rience in Egypt, foretelling future
is referred to by an Egyptian name
exiles, teaches that we have just one
and is married to a native Egyptian.
From slave to prime minister, Joseph true national home, Israel, where we
can fully live the ideals of the Torah
has certainly lived out the great
and serve as a model nation for all
Egyptian dream. Now, however, he
the peoples of the earth.•
is forced to face the precariousness
and vulnerability of his position.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of Ohr Torah
Ordinarily a person wants to be
Stone and chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.
buried in his own homeland, where
Genesis 47:28-50:26;
I Kings 2:1-12.
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December 28 • 2017
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