Monday, December 10, 2012
Parshat Miketz
2 Tevet 5773 / Dec. 14 – 15, 2012
Bereshit 41:1 – 44:17
2 Tevet 5773 / Dec. 14 – 15, 2012
Bereshit 41:1 – 44:17
A Lesson in
Caring
by Zvi Bellin, MHHQ
by Zvi Bellin, MHHQ
We all know the
story. Pharoah has two dreams – fat things are eaten by famished things and
they do not get any healthier. He calls together his magicians and dream
casters for advice. No one can give Pharoah a satisfying interpretation. One of
the king’s ministers recalls a prisoner that he once met who interpreted his
dream quite accurately and Yosef is brought before Pharoah to interpret the
royal dreams. Yosef listens to the dreams and promises an interpretation only
as far as G-d will reveal to him. From the dreams Yosef understands that 7
years of plenty are on their way. The abundance will be followed by a
treacherous famine, the likes of which have never been seen before. While this
seems like a complete interpretation, he adds, (41:33-36)
33 Now therefore let
Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up
the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. 35 And
let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up corn
under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 And the food
shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall
be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.'
Perhaps this
was part of the Divine insight that Yosef had about the dream, or maybe he was
just capitalizing on a chance to make a huge social status vault from prisoner
to Second-in-Command. I am unsure. What I do notice though is that Yosef
delivers terrible news to the King with a viable solution without skipping a
beat. When I think about how news is delivered to me in the U.S., it is often
just a dropped bomb with an attitude of, “Here you go. You are on your own.”
The world of media charges itself with delivering some version of the truth,
but seems unconcerned with the consequences of its message. Gay teens are
bullied. Unemployment is on the rise. War and unrest in many parts of the
world. Messages delivered, media retreats.
I do not expect
the media to have all the answers (or any answers). The folks in front of and
behind the camera are just as clueless as anyone else. I do think though that
the fissure between delivery of news and caring about the consequences is a
symptom of a society that does not act from a place of compassion. And our
generation has the potential to learn to create a more caring society by taking
this teaching into the personal sphere.
Think about
some times in your life when you had to deliver news that was not the greatest.
Did you adopt a just the facts attitude in your telling, or did you
consider how you might nurture the person as they are impacted by your news?
When I interned as a counselor in the Washington D.C. Medical Examiner’s
office, I had to guide families through a process of identifying their loved
ones who had died. I had to learn to pay attention to every word that was
uttered, body language, and breathing patterns. My goal was to bring some sense
of order to arguably the most chaotic time in someone’s life. This is
not feasible for every conversation, though it provides some context for being
a caring and compassionate informant.
When Pharoah
hears Yosef’s words he elevates him to be his prime advisor and changes his
name to Tsafnat Paneach (41:45). Scholars can only guess at the
meaning of this name. And one interpretation is given by Onkelus (c.35-120 CE) as “The Man to
Whom All Secrets are Illuminated.” Yosef did not simply bring awareness to the
coming disaster, but delivered the message with concern for its after-effects.
As Adam Sandler
reminds us, “Channukah is the Festival of Lights!” (Celebrated everywhere this
year from the evening of Dec. 20 to the 27th.) Metaphorically, we celebrate
this holiday to remember that even in the darkest times, there is always light.
The light of Channukah is hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. It’s
potential when no alternative is in sight. It’s presence in the midst of utter
confusion. This year, I want to challenge myself and our community to not just
bring awareness of what is happening in our communities, but to act, like
Yosef, as total Illuminators – increasing care and compassion.
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