 DECEMBER 24 • 2020 | 33

SPIRIT

I

n this week’s portion, we 
have a big reveal.
Joseph, moved by his 
brother Judah’s desire to 
serve as Joseph’s slave in 
place of Benjamin, orders 
his Egyptian entourage 
out of the room and 
tells his brothers who he 
really is.
They are speechless 
until he assures them he 
is not angry with them 
— rather, his being sold 
into slavery was part of a 
Divine plan that allowed 
him to be in a position to 
later save everyone from 
certain starvation.
Joseph’s first question to his 
brothers upon the reveal is, “Is 
my father still well?”
This question, frankly, poses 

quite a few challenges.
Joseph is the most powerful 
person in all of Egypt after 
Pharaoh. He has chariots, 
food aplenty and servants. 
By the time his brothers 
come to see him, Joseph 
has been in his position as 
Pharaoh’s No. 2 for about 
nine years and hasn’t seen 
his father in more than 20 
years.
If Joseph really cared 
about his father Jacob’s 
well-being, why didn’t he 
go home to visit once he 
attained such stature?
Why didn’t he send 
messengers to let his father 
know that he was alive and well?
Perhaps Joseph chose not to 
contact Jacob in order to cause 
his father pain — the result of 

continued resentment — as it 
was his father’s favoritism (and 
Joseph’s accompanying ego) that 
resulted in his brothers despis-
ing him and selling him into 
slavery.
The Torah states in Leviticus 
19:18, “You shall not take ven-
geance and shall not bear any 
grudge against the member of 
your people.
”
As Jews, are we really meant 
to never bear a grudge? Is there 
really no situation in which con-
tinued resentment is justified?
We learn in the Talmud that 
the prohibition against bearing 
grudges applies solely to mone-
tary matters (Babylonian Talmud 
Yoma 23a).
However, despite the lack 
of a more general prohibition 
against grudge holding, we 

should strive to reconcile with 
and forgive those who we feel 
have wronged us. The result of 
Joseph’s actions, or lack thereof, 
is that he spends significantly 
less time with his father (and 
family) than he otherwise could 
have.
Life is simply too short to 
punish those we love for their 
misdeeds by succumbing to 
persistent feelings of resent-
ment.
This Shabbat, recognize that 
while it is human nature to 
bear a grudge, doing so comes 
with significant tradeoffs. 
Acknowledge that the time we 
have in this world is far too 
precious and short to consume 
ourselves with resentment. 
Strive to forgive. 

This commentary originally appeared in 

the Jewish News on Dec. 5, 2013. Rabbi 

Horwitz is now head of the Alper JCC in 

Miami, Fla.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi Dan 

Horwitz

Parshat 

Vayegash: 

Genesis 

44:18-47:27; 

Ezekiel 

37:15-28.

The Power of Forgiveness

Israel formalizes ties with Bhutan, 
the nation seeking “gross national 
happiness.”

RON KAMPEAS JTA

Full Diplomatic Ties

I

srael and Bhutan, a 
small Buddhist majority 
Himalayan kingdom 
snuggled between India and 
China, have established full 
diplomatic ties.
Ron Malka, the Israeli 
ambassador to India, posted 
photos on Twitter Dec. 13 of 
the signing ceremony.
Bhutan and Israel already 
have cordial, informal 
ties. Bhutan has, over the 
last 20 years, emerged 
from centuries of cultural 

and diplomatic isolation, 
although it has long accepted 
development assistance from 
other countries, including 
agricultural training from 
Israel since 1982.
The constitutional 
monarchy is famous for 
a national policy that 
eschews materialism and 
instead seeks “gross national 
happiness.”
According to a press 
release from the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs, the 

establishment of diplomatic 
relations will create new 
avenues for cooperation 
between the two countries 
in water management, 
technology, human resource 
development, agricultural 
sciences and other areas of 
mutual benefit.
Ties between the two 
peoples through cultural 
exchanges and tourism 
would also be further 
enhanced, the press release 
said.

Israeli Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu said 
in a statement that the 
announcement was “the 
additional fruit of the peace 
agreements,” although it’s 
not clear how ties with the 
remote Buddhist nation 
are related to the flurry 
of agreements Israel has 
signed in recent months 
with Sunni Arab states, 
including the United Arab 
Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan 
and Morocco. 

CALEB SEE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The flag of the Kingdom of Bhutan. 

ERETZ

