This week’s Taste of Torah is taken from the book of Genesis, Chapter 44:18-47:27, which deals with the life of Joseph and his brothers…
Envision, for a moment, G-d forbid, a scenario where your own family harbored such deep resentment towards you that they actively sought to undermine your happiness and success during your formative years.
Despite the odds stacked against you, you rise to extraordinary heights of achievement and fulfillment. In stark contrast, your siblings find themselves in dire straits, grappling with poverty and despair. Now, you possess the resources to assist the very family that once treated you so unjustly.
Would you seek vengeance and repay their wrongs in kind? Let us reflect on how our forefather Joseph responded when he ultimately revealed his true identity to his brothers—those who had nearly taken his life and sold him into slavery over two decades prior.
Genesis 45:5-8 beautifully captures Joseph’s response in Genesis Chapter 45: 5-8, “Do not be upset with yourselves,” he reassures them. “It was not you who sent me here, but G-d. It has all been ordained from Above to save us, and the entire region, from famine…So now you can understand that it was not you who sent me here, but G-d.”
Indeed, while Joseph’s brothers were responsible for their bad actions before G-d, it is crucial to recognize that had they chosen differently, G-d would have found another way for Joseph to fulfill his purpose.
Joseph grasped an essential truth—that every occurrence in life, no matter how negative it may appear, is woven into G-d’s larger design.
Our lives gain depth and richness when we direct our energies toward our mission rather than nurturing bitterness from perceived slights by others. Their actions are theirs alone—between them and G-d.
By embracing this profound message—even if just partially—we can liberate ourselves from the shackles of unproductive negativity. Let us release the habit of tallying grievances and instead commit ourselves to a greater number of acts filled with goodness and kindness.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yonatan Hambourger
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