On Wednesday we opened our Tanakh and began the story of Yosef (Joseph). Like his father, Ya'akov, Yosef was kind of a brat as a kid. He has several dreams that imply that he will rule of the rest of his family, which he eagerly shares with older brothers (seems like a great plan, huh?). And as theater lovers will no doubt recall, his father gave him a special, beautiful coat, which I'm guessing didn't make him any less pretentious. His brothers, not exactly a model of appropriate behavior themselves, decide to kill their younger brother before compromising and selling him into slavery. The Tankh tells us that Yosef was taken as a slave to Egypt (fade out).
The next scene opens with one of Yosef's older brothers, Yehuda (Judah), who is particularly important to us since it's from him we are all descended (hence the word "Jewish", which comes from his name). We learn that one of Yehuda's sons marries a woman named Tamar and then dies. In that society being a widow meant that you had very few rights in society, so to rectify this there was a rule that the deceased's brother had to marry the widowed woman. As he should, Yehuda's second son marries Tamar, but rather than doing his part to provide her with children (who would still officially be considered her first husband's) he "spills his seed." This gives rise to an interesting verb in Hebrew, which I'll leave it to you to look up if you're curious about some of the racier parts of the Tanakh (the sons name is Onan). Hashem is unhappy with this behavior and he, too, dies. Yehuda, having lost two sons that were married to Tamar, isn't eager to marry his third son to her, so he tells her that the son is too young. Eventually, Tamar realizes that Yehuda isn't planning on fulfilling his obligation to her. She dresses up as a prostitute and sleeps with Yehuda, who leaves his staff with her as a promise of payment. When Yehuda sends payment Tamar has shed her disguise and no one can find her. A few months later Yehuda hears reports that Tamar is pregnant and orders her killed. At that point she pulls out his staff and Yehuda realizes the error of his ways, repents and admits that Tamar is in the right. Here, again, we see the concept of teshuva displayed. Yehuda doesn't behave well, but he's able to see the error of his ways and change. As the story of Yosef continues Yehuda takes on a prominent role representing the family and protecting the youngest brother.
The Tanakh then jumps back to the story of Yosef, who has been sold into slavery in Egypt. Like any good piece of literature, the story of Yosef is full of ups and downs. He's the favorite child, but then he's sold into slavery. He becomes the head slave, in charge of the whole estate, but then is falsely accused of attempting to rape the master's wife and is sent to prison. He is promoted to a high position among the prisoners, interprets dreams for important prisoners who promise to help him, but is then forgotten for two years. Finally, Pharaoh has a dream that no one can interpret and the ex-prisoner remembers Yosef. Yosef interprets the dream, which says there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and so impresses Pharaoh that he is appointed to organize Egypt's grain supply throughout these difficult years.
Throughout his travails Yosef does a couple of interesting things. First, he never takes any credit for his success, instead giving Hashem all the credit. We see here, again, the process of teshuva so many Jewish heroes undergo. He also refers to himself (and is referred to by others) as a Hebrew. The word Hebrew in the Hebrew language comes from the verb "to pass", "to cross" or "to traverse". You'd use it, for example, to say "I'm moving from one apartment to the other." Language is a carrier of culture (Inuit language has dozens of words for snow; Hebrew has many words for desert.). Here, in the Hebrew language, we see the connection to Am Yisrael's historical roots as nomads.
After summarizing Yosef's life to that point I asked the students if his story--going from a slave to jail to second most important man in Egypt--seemed reasonable. The majority of the students said "no" (a very fair answer, in my opinion). I then explained to them that around the time we think this story was taking place (around 1600 BCE) Egypt seems to have been under control of a foreign people called the Hyksos. The Hyksos were likely a semi-nomadic Semitic people (like the Hebrews). If so, the story of Yosef make much more sense. Perhaps the Hyksos leaders identified with Yosef. Perhaps they spoke a common language or shared common customs. Perhaps they even knew people in common. Perhaps the Hyksos arrived, took control, and eventually developed a myth about how they arrived that turned into the story of Yosef. Regardless, this is another example of how we can look at the wider context to try and understand what's going on in the Tanakh.
Eventually Yosef's family comes to Egypt and there's a drama-filled reunion (Yosef meets them without revealing himself, accuses them of being spies, asks about his father, and finally breaks down, it's really good, you should read it). During their interview before Yosef has revealed himself we see Yehuda (of earlier Tamar fame) take on a leadership role. He speaks on behalf of the family, and when Yosef threatens to imprison Benjamin, the youngest brother and Ya'akov's favorite (since he believes Yosef to be dead), Yehuda begs him not to and volunteers to take his place. Depending on your perspective we see here either further proof of Yehuda's maturation and the reason we Jews have his name or the rewriting of the text to reflect the viewpoint of the tribe of Yehuda, the only one to survive.
From a plot perspective one of the main points behind the Yosef story is that it brings Am Yisrael down to Egypt. After Yosef's death we are told "A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef." This is bad news for the Jews. Fortunately for Am Yisrael we were blessed with a leader who was up to the task: Moshe Rabbenu (Moses).
Moshe was an unwilling hero, always telling Hashem he didn't think he was the right man for the job. And in the beginning, he merely caused Pharaoh to give the Hebrews more work, which you can imagine didn't endear Moshe to them. We then briefly spoke about the plauges. Some of them, like turning the Nile into blood, were likely even more powerful demonstrations to the Egyptians than they seem to us today. This river, the center of the Egyptian world, was what gave everything life. Moshe then turns it into the embodiment of death. Also, in a polytheistic society such as Egypt, the Nile was considered a god, so its transformation also symbolizes the victory of the Hebrew God, Hashem, over the Egyptian god.
I also explained that for people who understand the Tanakh as being in accordance with the modern understanding of science there are a plethora of explanations for the plagues. For example, a volcano eruption several hundred miles away could have spewed ash into the air, causing the plague of darkness. I even showed them a video of locusts and told them that a bit more than a year ago there actually was a swarm of locusts in Egypt (and right around Pesach/Passover!). Do you think the plagues could have actually happened? Does it matter? Why do you think Moshe was chosen to lead the Hebrews out of slavery? As far as we know from the text he'd barely even met another Hebrew! Why do you think we get our name from Yehuda? Do you think he and/or Yosef do teshuva?
We then talked about Am Yisrael's eventual exodus from Egypt, an event mentioned over and over in the Tanakh and throughout Jewish tradition (e.g. in the Friday night kiddush). After we leave Egypt, cross the Sea of Reeds (and see the Egyptian army drowned) and celebrate we do the most Jewish thing possible: start complaining. On the one hand, what chutzpah! How many miracles do we have to see/be a part of before we believe HaShem will take care of us? On the other hand, this strikes me as an accurate reflection of reality. How often do we forget the positives and focus on the negatives? How often does a feeling of togetherness (which we see really strongly in Israel during war time, such as this summer, for example), immediately give way to the same every day problems and complaints?
The next major event we discussed was Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah, which, according to the Tanakh, occurred before all the people (in stark contrast to other religions' revelation, which generally only happens to a chosen prophet or leader). In fact, Jewish tradition says that all Jews, past or present, convert or native-born, were at Sinai for the giving of the Torah. These events--Ytziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) and Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah)--are the seminal events in our collective memory. We recount them over and over. At Pesach (Passover) we are told specifically that we must recite this story. What does this say about us that this is the story we tell about ourselves? What stories/events are part of your family's collective memory? What does that say about you? About your values?
The next scene opens with one of Yosef's older brothers, Yehuda (Judah), who is particularly important to us since it's from him we are all descended (hence the word "Jewish", which comes from his name). We learn that one of Yehuda's sons marries a woman named Tamar and then dies. In that society being a widow meant that you had very few rights in society, so to rectify this there was a rule that the deceased's brother had to marry the widowed woman. As he should, Yehuda's second son marries Tamar, but rather than doing his part to provide her with children (who would still officially be considered her first husband's) he "spills his seed." This gives rise to an interesting verb in Hebrew, which I'll leave it to you to look up if you're curious about some of the racier parts of the Tanakh (the sons name is Onan). Hashem is unhappy with this behavior and he, too, dies. Yehuda, having lost two sons that were married to Tamar, isn't eager to marry his third son to her, so he tells her that the son is too young. Eventually, Tamar realizes that Yehuda isn't planning on fulfilling his obligation to her. She dresses up as a prostitute and sleeps with Yehuda, who leaves his staff with her as a promise of payment. When Yehuda sends payment Tamar has shed her disguise and no one can find her. A few months later Yehuda hears reports that Tamar is pregnant and orders her killed. At that point she pulls out his staff and Yehuda realizes the error of his ways, repents and admits that Tamar is in the right. Here, again, we see the concept of teshuva displayed. Yehuda doesn't behave well, but he's able to see the error of his ways and change. As the story of Yosef continues Yehuda takes on a prominent role representing the family and protecting the youngest brother.
The Tanakh then jumps back to the story of Yosef, who has been sold into slavery in Egypt. Like any good piece of literature, the story of Yosef is full of ups and downs. He's the favorite child, but then he's sold into slavery. He becomes the head slave, in charge of the whole estate, but then is falsely accused of attempting to rape the master's wife and is sent to prison. He is promoted to a high position among the prisoners, interprets dreams for important prisoners who promise to help him, but is then forgotten for two years. Finally, Pharaoh has a dream that no one can interpret and the ex-prisoner remembers Yosef. Yosef interprets the dream, which says there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and so impresses Pharaoh that he is appointed to organize Egypt's grain supply throughout these difficult years.
Throughout his travails Yosef does a couple of interesting things. First, he never takes any credit for his success, instead giving Hashem all the credit. We see here, again, the process of teshuva so many Jewish heroes undergo. He also refers to himself (and is referred to by others) as a Hebrew. The word Hebrew in the Hebrew language comes from the verb "to pass", "to cross" or "to traverse". You'd use it, for example, to say "I'm moving from one apartment to the other." Language is a carrier of culture (Inuit language has dozens of words for snow; Hebrew has many words for desert.). Here, in the Hebrew language, we see the connection to Am Yisrael's historical roots as nomads.
After summarizing Yosef's life to that point I asked the students if his story--going from a slave to jail to second most important man in Egypt--seemed reasonable. The majority of the students said "no" (a very fair answer, in my opinion). I then explained to them that around the time we think this story was taking place (around 1600 BCE) Egypt seems to have been under control of a foreign people called the Hyksos. The Hyksos were likely a semi-nomadic Semitic people (like the Hebrews). If so, the story of Yosef make much more sense. Perhaps the Hyksos leaders identified with Yosef. Perhaps they spoke a common language or shared common customs. Perhaps they even knew people in common. Perhaps the Hyksos arrived, took control, and eventually developed a myth about how they arrived that turned into the story of Yosef. Regardless, this is another example of how we can look at the wider context to try and understand what's going on in the Tanakh.
Eventually Yosef's family comes to Egypt and there's a drama-filled reunion (Yosef meets them without revealing himself, accuses them of being spies, asks about his father, and finally breaks down, it's really good, you should read it). During their interview before Yosef has revealed himself we see Yehuda (of earlier Tamar fame) take on a leadership role. He speaks on behalf of the family, and when Yosef threatens to imprison Benjamin, the youngest brother and Ya'akov's favorite (since he believes Yosef to be dead), Yehuda begs him not to and volunteers to take his place. Depending on your perspective we see here either further proof of Yehuda's maturation and the reason we Jews have his name or the rewriting of the text to reflect the viewpoint of the tribe of Yehuda, the only one to survive.
From a plot perspective one of the main points behind the Yosef story is that it brings Am Yisrael down to Egypt. After Yosef's death we are told "A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef." This is bad news for the Jews. Fortunately for Am Yisrael we were blessed with a leader who was up to the task: Moshe Rabbenu (Moses).
Moshe was an unwilling hero, always telling Hashem he didn't think he was the right man for the job. And in the beginning, he merely caused Pharaoh to give the Hebrews more work, which you can imagine didn't endear Moshe to them. We then briefly spoke about the plauges. Some of them, like turning the Nile into blood, were likely even more powerful demonstrations to the Egyptians than they seem to us today. This river, the center of the Egyptian world, was what gave everything life. Moshe then turns it into the embodiment of death. Also, in a polytheistic society such as Egypt, the Nile was considered a god, so its transformation also symbolizes the victory of the Hebrew God, Hashem, over the Egyptian god.
I also explained that for people who understand the Tanakh as being in accordance with the modern understanding of science there are a plethora of explanations for the plagues. For example, a volcano eruption several hundred miles away could have spewed ash into the air, causing the plague of darkness. I even showed them a video of locusts and told them that a bit more than a year ago there actually was a swarm of locusts in Egypt (and right around Pesach/Passover!). Do you think the plagues could have actually happened? Does it matter? Why do you think Moshe was chosen to lead the Hebrews out of slavery? As far as we know from the text he'd barely even met another Hebrew! Why do you think we get our name from Yehuda? Do you think he and/or Yosef do teshuva?
We then talked about Am Yisrael's eventual exodus from Egypt, an event mentioned over and over in the Tanakh and throughout Jewish tradition (e.g. in the Friday night kiddush). After we leave Egypt, cross the Sea of Reeds (and see the Egyptian army drowned) and celebrate we do the most Jewish thing possible: start complaining. On the one hand, what chutzpah! How many miracles do we have to see/be a part of before we believe HaShem will take care of us? On the other hand, this strikes me as an accurate reflection of reality. How often do we forget the positives and focus on the negatives? How often does a feeling of togetherness (which we see really strongly in Israel during war time, such as this summer, for example), immediately give way to the same every day problems and complaints?
The next major event we discussed was Matan Torah, the giving of the Torah, which, according to the Tanakh, occurred before all the people (in stark contrast to other religions' revelation, which generally only happens to a chosen prophet or leader). In fact, Jewish tradition says that all Jews, past or present, convert or native-born, were at Sinai for the giving of the Torah. These events--Ytziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) and Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah)--are the seminal events in our collective memory. We recount them over and over. At Pesach (Passover) we are told specifically that we must recite this story. What does this say about us that this is the story we tell about ourselves? What stories/events are part of your family's collective memory? What does that say about you? About your values?
For me it's hard to believe that we were all at Sinai. I think this is just a little of an over exaggeration which the Tanakh might do a bit. But the idea of it is really what matters. It shows that we are all connected. The connection of Judaism is what I really think they are trying to get across in this incident by saying we were all there. In my family we tend to talk about Purim a lot. It might just because it's a festive holiday where we all dress up but in a way it does show what my family is like. We value having fun with each other and spending time with one another. We try to keep relaxed and Purim is one of the holidays where we do that.
ReplyDeleteI find it incredibly interesting, and also rather discussion worthy, that the Tanakh is written like a piece of literature. It reads like any other book. While these are stories, they are often regarded as true pieces of text, and the well-written nature of the stories certainly makes me question that. It is, of course possible that it was written this way in order to attract a bigger audience. It certainly makes me want to continue reading. Whatever the purpose may be, it gives me that much more of an appreciation for the text.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how the heroes of the Tanakh often start out as 'horrible people', but then evolve to become the wonderful individuals we study. To me this teaches us that human beings can always evolve and mature, and we are never too old to become a little wiser. We are always growing and changing and the Tanakh illustrates that fact.
ReplyDeleteYou are not wrong when you call the Tanakh a fantastic peice of literature. The development of a character is very important in any story, and something my english class would look for. The fact that it appears in the Tanakh makes for a great story.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Joseph story, there are some good morals to learn there. But the biggest factor I find in the story is the message about brothers. Brothers will be brothers, have their ups and down (maybe a little extreme in the story) and are not supposed to be "perfect" humans. People are people and will do stupid, selfish things in their life.
I find the tanakh very interesting. I like the way that it is written just as a piece of literature. However, to me, it is so much more than that. It's stories, it's life lessons, it's teachings, all passed down from our ancestors. Personally, I dont believe that every single one of us were at Mount Sinai for the receiving of the Torah. However, I think it is very special and respectable that the tanakh includes all Jews, regardless or religious tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe Tanakh cannot stress enough how important the ability to change is. Time after time, we see our Jewish heroes starting off as jerks, and then going through some sort of change that makes them a great leader of the Jewish people. I think we really need to take this to heart and realize that we should always be willing to give people a second chance. I grew up in a household where we really stressed helping others. I think that being willing to give others second chances and believing that they can become better people goes along with that. Even if someone may have made a poor decision or just needs help in general, it is so important to reach out to others because you could be the thing in their life that leads to their Chuva.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the ideals that the Tanakh presents regarding how to live our everyday lives, it also offers the concept of growth and transformation from the view of humans. Throughout the stories in the Tanakh, the main characters and heroes usually start off with having negative qualities. However, what is recurring with these characters is that they undergo a transformation where they become renewed and eminent people in Jewish history. To me, this demonstrates the concept that each and everyone of us have the ability to change, develop, and grow into better people.
ReplyDeleteI personally like the way the Tanakh is written, like a story being taught to generation after generation since our ancestors at Sinai. I believe the Tanakh is divine and that it also has great life lessons in every story. If a man and a few people showed me a book and told me that God just gave it to them so I should follow their religion, I would say their crazy. It's not until the huge group of people (that were claimed to be at Sinai) were there to back the leader up and say we all saw it with our own eyes, that I would believe them. I don't think anyone else would just join a religion or culture without a sufficient evidence of proof.
ReplyDelete