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Drash for Shabbat Vayeshev By Mark Goldsmith-Holt - December 15, 2006 Justice grinds exceedingly slow, we learn from our parsha this week, and at times masquerades as injustice coming straight from the hands of God. Vayeshev teaches us that justice does not always come without pain, persistence- and that the "injustice" of God can come directly from those whom we would think would serve our interests best. In typical fashion, the Torah is amazingly contemporary this week. The Joseph story, of course, is all about insider treachery. Jealous brothers sell Joseph into slavery to remove him from the adoring eye of their father. Joseph enters into a long period of bondage, because of lies the brothers tell which preclude the father from rescuing him. The brothers show their true character through a series of tragic and disastrous escapades. Joseph perseveres and of course is the means of liberating his brothers from poverty and almost certain death from starvation in the end. In a very important respect, the recent elections left the gay community in America with a sense of disbelieving hope, entirely reminiscent of the Joseph story. Arizona became the first and only state in the nation to defeat a strong anti-gay marriage amendment. Of all places, our very conservative state had the decency and conviction to stand up against fraud and lies designed to keep us from rights which are enshrined within the Constitution, and which are already readily available to the straight community, should they wish them. We need that hope when faced with other revelations about the gay community's actions during the elections. Vayeshev is all about insider treachery, isn't it? What else could I as a gay man think about, as I ponder that the congressman who has led the charge against us in Congress has now been forced out of his closet, and shamefully so? Even worse, how do I feel, knowing that one of the most vitriolic homophobes in Congress, Senator Rick Santorum, has a chief of staff who is openly gay and has of course actively supported the senator's agenda? Further, mainstream media reports that most Republican congressional offices have openly gay staff members in highly responsible positions- to the point where GOP now stands for "Gay Old Party" in Washington circles….although insiders have known this for years. And what about the now discredited leader of 30 million American Christians, a gay or bi man (who knows???), who preached and worked against members of his own, unacknowledged community? There are times when it is difficult to be a Jew who both believes in his book and who tries to live his life by it. Vayeshev is presenting me with an enormous challenge. I can look at the victory in Arizona, much as I regard the power and splendor of Joseph at the end of his story. There is hope that our country will be joining Holland, South Africa (!!), Denmark and other nations in removing our second-class citizen status. On the other hand, the question in front of me is: how am I to reach out my hand to these gay brothers of mine who have worked against me and mine, in the way that Joseph extended his bountiful hands to his brethren? It's more than just symbolic: it is agonizingly well-documented that homophobic violence escalates when anti-gay rhetoric increases. Gay teens already have a very high suicide rate: how many kids in churches across the country were left in despair by the rantings of this power-hungry, closeted gay preacher? As a Jew, I am faced with the terrible words of Joseph when he revealed himself to his brothers as vizier of Egypt: "You meant this for evil, but the Almighty meant it for good." I never expect these men to ask forgiveness from the gay community for their crimes against us, their gay brothers and lesbian sisters. I hope, however, should I ever meet these people that I will find the godly character within me that Joseph displays after his trials. Most of all, I do want to say, with Joseph, that the Almighty has brought good for us in the midst of their treachery. Shabbat Shalom. |
