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