Shabbat
Portion Va yigash : Brothers or Not (same for sisters?)
- פרטים
- קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
- פורסם בשלישי, 01 דצמבר 2020 18:28
- נכתב על ידי Super User
- כניסות: 473
Portion Va yigash : Brothers or Not (same for sisters?)
The Mesrash on this portion states that Judah threatened to kill Joseph (before he knew it was Joseph) if Benjamin was not returned to the clan.
Joseph was not afraid – and he merely took this as a sign that the brother who sold him into slavery had repented.
What kind of brothers are we talking about?
Sometimes I share in my Shabat Sermons a few words that I get from an American guy who prays with me in Jerusalem's Great Synagogue.
After Great Synagogue services he has a cup of coffee and then goes out on the street with a mike and amp to sing for donations.
He;s there on the street all day and he pays his bills from that – and even makes some donations to the elders with whom I study.
There is some respect in both directions.
However – out on the street – there are some others who prey on him - but he won't fight back.
Why do some people innately have to attack others?
WHY was it so hard for Joseph's brothers to just leave Joseph and his dreams alone?
And WHY?
this week why did a particular street person smash the guys amplifier to smithereens (as the guy told me)?
Joseph caused them – his brothers - no harm – but they couldn't get beyond PETTINESS .
Confronting Violence – in a week of sadness in Israel over tragedy of terror attacks…it's so hard…
So the guy I know had to sing without an amp in the cold Jerusalem winter
He told me this on Wednesday.
I put my hand in my pocket to pull out 100 shekels - but then he got excited saying
Three cops on motorcycles came over to me later and said "You are coming with us""
"And you know I have a thing for cops, so I asked them "Why – what did I do?
Did Benjamin even know that the 10 other brothers conspired against Joseph?
Did he ever find out? There was NO FACEBOOK in those days!
"We'll tell you why, they said. We're going to buy you a new amp."
He told me "I said, I just wanted to fix my old amp".
One of the cops said "We saw it all on FACEBOOK, someone took a video – so come with us now…" and they drove him to a store.
Others also came over after seeing it on FACEBOOK
How can we Fix ourselves and our brothers?
Joseph cried – and revealed himself to his shocked brothers.
But to the day Jacob died they still did not understand fully that Joseph FULLY believed the hand of the Almighty was in it all, just like he said.
Maybe some who saw it all on FACEBOOK believe it …
May we remember EVEN AFTER SHABBAT to try to be there for ALL our brothers and sisters.
Shabbat Shalom