The cost of hiding who we are generally outweighs the benefit. I’d like to look at how this plays out in the story of Joseph, which we are concluding these weeks, and then as it relates to us as Jews today.
Last week’s parasha ended on a cliffhanger. You will recall that Joseph insists that Benjamin come down to Egypt, Jacob is terrified to let him go but agrees. Joseph frames Benjamin by placing a silver goblet in his sack. Judah says, We are guilty. We will all be your slaves.
And Joseph says, No, you will not all be my slaves. Only the one in whose sack the goblet was found will be my slave. As for the rest of you, עלו לשלום אל אביכם aloo l’shalom el avikhem. Go back in peace to your father.
On one level, Joseph is completely in control. We can interpret his actions as wreaking revenge on his brothers and his father, or as a test to see how much they have grown morally since they left him to die in a pit, or a little bit of both.
On a deeper level, Joseph is suffering in his own way and he is barely holding himself together. You may recall that earlier, when his brothers spoke apologetically among themselves, he turned away and cried, and then faced them again after he regained composure.
He is hiding from them. He is hiding from his family. He has a new name, a new look, an Egyptian wife - the Egyptians know he’s a Hebrew, though he doesn’t quite look like one. His hiding - mostly from his family - causes enormous emotional pain.
There are several reasons why Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, but I want to propose that his main emotional, psychological motivation is that he was tired of being isolated from his family.
In short, he was tired of hiding.
There are many reasons why we hide certain aspects of who we are, often having to do with danger. For whatever reasons, we feel that it is dangerous to be forthright about who we are. So we hide.
As we continue to respond to recent antisemitic attacks - vandalism, assault, stabbing, shooting - we are appropriately focusing on a whole range of issues including improving our physical security and the need to speak out regardless of where the antisemitic acts are coming from and what “type of Jew” is impacted.
I want to take a few moments to reflect on a disturbing trend that is emerging, and that is the growing fear among Jews of being too public in expressing their Jewishness.
TIGN at the No Hate No Fear Solidarity March in NYC
Last week’s parasha ended on a cliffhanger. You will recall that Joseph insists that Benjamin come down to Egypt, Jacob is terrified to let him go but agrees. Joseph frames Benjamin by placing a silver goblet in his sack. Judah says, We are guilty. We will all be your slaves.
And Joseph says, No, you will not all be my slaves. Only the one in whose sack the goblet was found will be my slave. As for the rest of you, עלו לשלום אל אביכם aloo l’shalom el avikhem. Go back in peace to your father.
On one level, Joseph is completely in control. We can interpret his actions as wreaking revenge on his brothers and his father, or as a test to see how much they have grown morally since they left him to die in a pit, or a little bit of both.
On a deeper level, Joseph is suffering in his own way and he is barely holding himself together. You may recall that earlier, when his brothers spoke apologetically among themselves, he turned away and cried, and then faced them again after he regained composure.
He is hiding from them. He is hiding from his family. He has a new name, a new look, an Egyptian wife - the Egyptians know he’s a Hebrew, though he doesn’t quite look like one. His hiding - mostly from his family - causes enormous emotional pain.
There are several reasons why Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, but I want to propose that his main emotional, psychological motivation is that he was tired of being isolated from his family.
In short, he was tired of hiding.
There are many reasons why we hide certain aspects of who we are, often having to do with danger. For whatever reasons, we feel that it is dangerous to be forthright about who we are. So we hide.
As we continue to respond to recent antisemitic attacks - vandalism, assault, stabbing, shooting - we are appropriately focusing on a whole range of issues including improving our physical security and the need to speak out regardless of where the antisemitic acts are coming from and what “type of Jew” is impacted.
I want to take a few moments to reflect on a disturbing trend that is emerging, and that is the growing fear among Jews of being too public in expressing their Jewishness.
