Why Does Yakov Fall on Yosef S Shoulder and Recite Shema

Real Power and Illusory Power Vayigash 5769 Shmuel Herzfeld

This week I met a wonderful person named Houda Ezra Nonoo. I should say, Ambassador Houda Ezra Nonoo. She is the country of Bahrain’s Ambassador the United States. She is also her country’s first Jewish Ambassador.

Now I know that Jews are well connected politically, but a Jew representing a Muslim country! How is it that an island in the middle of the Persian Gulf, nestled between Saudi Arabia and Iran, picked a Jew—one of only 36 on the island--as its representative?

She told me that five years ago she started a human rights group in Bahrain, focusing on women’s issues and domestic rights. All the while, she continued her full-time job running her family business. Then the King, His Majesty, approached her out of the blue one day and asked her to represent him.

She is not Jewish in name only; she is a committed Jew and a proud Jew. And so there we have an incredible story, a Jewish Ambassador from Bahrain.

This story is amazing, but it is no more amazing than the political success that certain Jews currently have at the moment. We have an outgoing President with a Jewish Chief of Staff being replaced by an incoming President with a Jewish Chief of Staff. Not to mention, we also have an outgoing Vice-President who had a Jewish chief of Staff, and we have an incoming Vice-President with a Jewish Chief of Staff.

What, if anything, does all of this political power mean?

Our parshah tells the story of Joseph’s rise to political power in a foreign country as an isolated Hebrews surrounded by Egyptians. He rises to become second only to Pharaoh.

But before focusing on possible lessons from Joseph’s rise to power, let’s take a look at another scene in the narrative of the portion. Lets first look at the reunion scene that takes place in Vayigash between Jacob and Joseph.

Can you imagine not seeing or speaking to your son whom you love more than anything in the world for twenty-two years? It is unimaginable to me, but that was the ordeal of Jacob. He had not heard from Joseph for twenty two long years, and then finally he heard Joseph was alive.

The Torah tells us, “Vayeesor Yosef merkavto vayaal likrat Yisrael aviv goshnah vayerah alav vayipol al tzavarav vayevk al tzvarav od. Joseph personally harnessed his chariot and went up to greet his father in Goshen. When Joseph saw him, Joseph fell upon Jacob’s neck and cried a great deal.”

1 Joseph’s reaction is understandable. It is natural to embrace someone and weep after not seeing them for such a long period of time. But what was Jacob doing this whole time?

Rashi teaches that Jacob did not fall on the neck of Joseph weeping and he did not kiss him. Instead, hayah koreh keriat shema, he was reciting Shema.

The chief rabbi of Petach Tikvah in the 1950’s Rabbi Reuven Katz asks in his Dudaei Revuen: Why is it that Jacob chose this exact moment to recite Shema? Couldn’t Jacob have recited Shema before or after his reunion with Joseph? Doesn’t Jacob’s reaction seem distant and cold?

Let us answer this question by focusing on what Jacob knows about Joseph since the moment he learned Joseph is alive.

He knows that Joseph has great political power. Joseph instructs his brothers to tell his father the following statement (45:10). “So says your son Joseph: Samani elokim leadon le-khol mitzrayim. God has placed me as the Master over all of Egypt. Come down to me. Do not delay. And you will dwell in the land of Goshen. And you will be close to me--you and your sons and grandchildren and everything that belongs to you. And I will support you there, for this famine will last another five years and I am concerned that you and your household and everything that belongs to you will be impoverished.”

Joseph overstates his political power. He really wasn’t the master over all of Egypt-- Pharaoh was. However, Joseph did have great political power. At a time where there was a great famine in the land of Egypt, Joseph was able to send donkeys and wagons filled with the best products of Egypt to his father. And Joseph was able to secure the land of Goshen, a very fertile land, for his family to dwell in. Joseph was able to arrange for his brothers to immediately be appointed by Pharaoh as sarei mikneh al asher li (47:6), supervising officers over all my cattle.”

And this was just what was evident on their initial trip down to Egypt. Later on we learn that while all of the Egyptian people had to give ownership of their land over to Pharaoh, the brothers of Joseph were given an achuzah baaretz, ownership of the land, be-meitav haaretz be-eretz ramses, the best of the land in the city of Ramses.

Later on when there is no food in the entire land of Egypt (lechem ein bekhol haaretz), all the children of Jacob had plenty of food in the land of Goshen (lechem lefi hataf).

In case Jacob had any doubts about Joseph’s political powers he might have also heard that Joseph now went by a new Egyptian name -- Tzafnat Paneach; he had an important title; he had his own chariot, special ring and coat from Pharaoh; and to top it all off a politically advantageous marriage with a prominent family.

So when Jacob finally sees Joseph, if he is not going to cry with joy, then we would at least expect him to say to him: “I am so proud of you. Look at what you accomplished.

2 Look at what you are doing for the Jewish people. Thank you so much.” But Jacob does not say that either. Instead he recites the Shema.

Jacob recites the Shema at that moment because he is a prophet. And as a prophet he knows that all that Joseph has done for his family will soon vanish. The political benefits and the political strength that Joseph has given his clan are chimerical.

Everything is great—the food, the land, the access to power, and the perks.

But of what value is it really? Jacob understands that it is all illusory. None of it is real and so it will all vanish in an instant. Once Joseph disappears from the scene, so does all the political power of his brethren. Vayakam melekh chadash, a new king will arise in Egypt, one who did not know Joseph. And the children will soon become slaves.

More than that: The very political infrastructure that Joseph created will one day be the same infrastructure that will enslave his descendants.

The very acts which seemed acts of strength when Joseph was around will become the symbols that enslave the Jewish people. Joseph had arranged for his brothers to live in the land of Ramses. This very city which was the symbol of their success will become the symbol of their slavery under Pharaoh.

The very success of the children of Israel—their growth and their wealth—which was enabled by Joseph, will become the reason for their enslavement. In Genesis we are excited that the Jews are multiplying, vayifru vayirbu meod. But Pharaoh is concerned about their tremendous growth. He tells his advisors, pen yirbeh, that perhaps the children of Israel will become too big and powerful and combine with an enemy of Egypt to overthrow them.

So instead of gushing with pride when he sees Joseph, Jacob recites the Shema.

The Shema is the prayer that reminds us of the key to our safety and strength in this world. Political power is nice, but true strength does not lie there. In Shema we declare: Veshinantam levanekhah vedibarta bam, you must teach the words of the Torah to your children and speak it to them.

While Joseph was taking pride in his political accomplishments and while he was lost in the emotional exuberance of the moment, Jacob was reminding him that his true responsibility was not to provide momentary political strength, but to provide lasting and eternal strength. Such strength can only be gained through the teaching of the Torah and its values. Teach them the Torah day and night; that is the source of our strength.

Throughout our history we Jews have always taken pride in our political success. We celebrated such success at the moment, only to be reminded later that such success is elusive. Worse than that, throughout Jewish history such success often created the very tools that were later used against the Jewish people.

3 Whether it be Joseph to Pharaoh, Mordechai to Achasverosh, the Hasmonean victory at Chanukah time, or more modern examples, like Jews fighting on behalf of German in World War I, such political strength lasts only a few generations.

While the success is there we take great pride in it. We should take communal pride in these remarkable achievements– and we should not for a second compare on any level the greatness and incredible benevolence of the United States with the evil rulers of the past-- but at the same time we can not forget for a moment that such political success while nice is certainly fleeting.

This is why Jacob says Shema. He understands that while political strength is important, the ultimate strength comes from knowing who we are; and who we are is a group of people committed to serving God and His Torah. This is why Jacob tells Joseph, veshinantam levanekhah—teach this message to your children.

And this is why before Jacob comes to Egypt he sends Judah ahead to meet Joseph with a specific mission. The verse says, “ve-et yehudah shalach lefanav el Yosef lehorot lefanav, and Judah he sent ahead to scout.” Rashi explains that Judah’s job was letaken lo beit Talmud she-misham tetzeh hora-ah, to set up a study center to teach Torah.

Jacob understood that despite Joseph’s strength and power, the only true protection the Jewish people have is to immerse ourselves in who we are and what we believe in – through Torah study and devotion to Hashem.

This past Friday I was given the honor of reciting an invocation at a ceremony for the members of the DC government as they were sworn into office. In light of this morning’s parshah, I would like to share with you the blessing that I recited with them.

“Master of the Universe, Ribbono Shel Olam, may you watch over and protect these public officials – councilmembers, members of the DC State Board of Education, Shadow U.S. Senator and Representative, and the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners – and may you guide their actions as they deliberate on important issues and look after the needs of young people, seniors, working residents, the poor, the needy, and indeed all of our residents in the District. And may you help them always to remember that their ultimate responsibility is an eternal one: to serve their Maker at every single moment of their lives with integrity and dignity and to teach this message to the next generation for generations and generations to come. So may it be your will.”