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Drash for Shabbat Vayigash By Barner Tiefenbrunn - December 14, 2007 With this week's Torah portion, we approach the end of the book of Genesis and the conclusion of the period populated by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Our Torah portion is devoted to the drama of confrontation, identification and reconciliation that takes place between Joseph and his bothers and between Joseph and his father, Jacob. Having fabricated an apparent theft by the youngest brother, Benjamin, Joseph (who has not yet revealed his true identity) confronts his brothers. Faced again with the opportunity to save or sacrifice the beloved youngest son, the brothers display contrition and concern for Benjamin-so unlike the jealousy and enmity that drove them to sell Joseph to slave traders many years earlier. Apparently moved by this display of fraternal solidarity, Joseph can no longer contain himself. He dismisses all the Egyptians from the royal chamber and reveals his true identity to his disbelieving brothers: "I am Joseph; is my father still well?" Joseph delivers an excited monologue to his dumbfounded brothers. It is only when he embraces Benjamin and then his brothers that "his brothers were able to talk to him." But the Torah does not tell us what they said! Joseph instructs his brothers to bring their father to Egypt and at the same time tells them to stop their bickering and not to offer any explanation of what took place. We can only surmise that they continued their quarreling which characterized their relationship. The brothers continued to rehash the past and Joseph only wanted to move on. He settled his family in the land of Goshen and then retired to the palace, a safe distance away in the capital, directing the programs that would ensure the future. Despite, or because of, whatever he may have endured and accomplished, Joseph lives in the present and works for the future. The brothers remain mired in the past, still fighting battles whose outcome has long been determined and whose relevance no longer matters. How hard it is to leave things behind and move on with the challenges of the present. How easy it is to become trapped by the past and continue to pursue the resolution of issues that no longer have any practical consequences. Our congregation is currently gathering ideas for the future, to determine our strategical plans for the congregation. We are all involved trying to accomplish them without wasting resources and energy as we are forging a vision of where we can go as a community. Letting go of the past is never easy, but the story of Joseph and his brothers teaches us that there is no other way to move into the future. Hopefully we can find the wisdom and determination to do just that. Ken Yehi Ratzon. Shabbat Shalom.
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