DECEMBER 9 • 2021 | 41
appreciating our blessings and finding
meaning even in the darkness.
The sages of the Talmud highlight an
episode from this week’s Torah portion,
Vayigash, to emphasize the importance
of constructing a positive narrative.
In the wake of famine, Jacob and his
family journey to Egypt where they join
Jacob’s son, Joseph, who has risen up the
ranks to become viceroy of Egypt and
is shepherding the country’s economy
through the years of famine. The episode
in question sees Joseph introducing Jacob
to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh asks him
about his life, Jacob responds: “Few and
bad were the days of the years of my life.”
(Bereishit 47:3)
The Talmudic sages are critical of
Jacob’s negativity. Of course, Jacob was
greater than we can begin to understand,
but let’s understand this: Jacob indeed
objectively had a very difficult existence.
He had to uproot his life and flee from
his vengeful brother, Esau. He lands up
in the household of Laban, who deceives
him and manipulates him in countless
ways. He gets married and has children,
but then on his return suffers the anguish
of losing his beloved wife, Rachel, the
abduction of his daughter and the
complete disappearance of his dear son,
Joseph. His entire life is a study in trauma,
so you could say he is entirely justified in
reflecting on those experiences with an
element of sadness.
Yet our sages say that even under
such circumstances, we need to find a
way to maintain a positive outlook. This
does not mean repressing the pain and
difficulty we’ve endured — it’s important
that we let it out, relay it and not bottle
it up. But maintaining a positive outlook
means seeing the big picture, counting
our blessings, appreciating our lives in a
holistic sense — not allowing negativity to
overwhelm the narrative. Obviously, the
sages of the Talmud make this point not to
be critical of Jacob, but rather to teach us
how to live.
The counterexample is that of King
David, who also endured many trials and
tribulations — he was pursued by King
Saul and later by his own son, Avshalom,
who attempted to overthrow him. He also
lost a child at birth. And yet, despite these
unimaginably difficult circumstances,
King David writes: “How can I repay God
for all of His kindness to me?” (Psalms
116:12) Granted, it’s an incredible level —
to maintain that poise and positivity, that
serenity and tranquility, and that sense
of simple appreciation for the gift of life.
Nevertheless, it’s something we can strive
for, something we can choose to do if we
meditate deeply enough on it.
But the power of narrative goes beyond
positivity and negativity. Storytelling has
the capacity to transform our lives, to
make everything we do meaningful; it can
tell us who we are and why we are here.
And this is the true power of the Torah.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A JEW
The Torah tells the story of what it means
to be a human being, what it means to be
a Jew, what it means to live with purpose.
Through the narrative of the Torah, we
can infuse every moment of every day
with meaning and inspiration. What does
this mean?
The Torah tells us that the world we
live in is not a random accumulation
of molecules that came about in an ad
hoc and haphazard way. It tells us there
is structure and intentionality to reality,
that an all-knowing, all-loving Creator
created everything with purpose. That
there is a grand design to the world and
grand meaning to our existence.
God created each of us with a purpose.
He created us for the purpose of doing
good, doing mitzvot, making the world
a better place. Living in accordance with
our higher calling means living a life that
is ethical and upright, a life filled with
compassion and kindness, a Godly life
in which everything we do — even the
most mundane undertaking — is infused
with sanctity and significance. This is the
life set out by the Torah.
Our sages coined the phrase: “leshaim
shamayim” — “for the sake of heaven” —
and state that everything we do should
be guided by this ideal: We should eat
in order to have the energy to do good
deeds; sleep in order to refresh our
minds and bodies so that we are able to
go out and earn an honest living, support
our families, pay for a Torah education
for our children and give charity; use our
God-given mental faculties for learning
Torah; and our God-given soul for
pouring out our hearts in prayer.
The idea of the narrative also frames
Jewish identity. What does it mean to be
a Jew? The Torah tells the story of who
we are, where we come from and why
we are here. The story of how, through
God’s miracles, we came into existence
as a nation and that He gave us His
Torah at Mount Sinai and brought us
into the land of Israel, and that He gave
us a Divine mission to live in accordance
with His will and to spread His light in
the world. It’s a narrative that defines
us both as individuals and as the Jewish
people. All of Jewish history, with all
of its tragedies and triumphs, has been
part of this Divine mission and destiny.
And so this narrative gives meaning to
the experiences of Jewish history and
meaning to the project of continuing
to ensure a vibrant Jewish future for
generations to come.
The Torah itself is a framework for
understanding the mission and meaning
of our lives. Why is the mitzvah of
learning Torah so important? Why is it
referred to by our sages as the gateway to
all the other mitzvot? Why is it that our
sages declare that the merit of learning
Torah is equal to the merit of all the
mitzvot combined? It could be because,
through the mitzvah of learning Torah,
we understand the story of our lives and
the context and the meaning of all the
mitzvot. When we learn Torah, we learn
to understand our world, our society
and ourselves. When we learn Torah, we
learn to see the world through a Divine
lens, through the eyes of God Himself.
The Mishna says: “Turn it [Torah] over
and over for everything is in it.” (Pirkei
Avot 5:26) The Midrash says God used the
Torah as the blueprint for the creation
of the world. This means that every
aspect of creation is contained within the
framework of the Torah; that the Torah
gives us the framing narrative for how
to understand and relate to the world,
and how to locate ourselves within the
context of creation.
That is the power of learning Torah.
That is the incredible gift we have —
the vocabulary, the philosophy, the
conceptual framework that tells the
story of our lives. The Torah — God’s
blueprint for life — lends direction, gui-
dance and purpose to our existence.
Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, who has a PhD. in
Human Rights Law, is the chief rabbi of South Africa.
This article first appeared on aish.com.