Having survived the difficult challenges posed by Esau and Laban, Jacob looked forward to more peaceful times. But intense resentment and hatred among his sons shattered those hopes, and led to the sale of his favorite son, Joseph, as a slave in Egypt.
How could the brothers sell Joseph, and even consider killing him? Is it possible that they were motivated by petty jealousy over a colorful coat? What connection is there between the story of Joseph and the holiday that always falls out this time of the year - Chanukah?
The root of the disagreement among the brothers was, in fact, ideological. There were two schools of thought in the family, one championed by Joseph, the other by Judah. Joseph stressed the purpose of the Jewish people as a light to the nations. In order to fulfill this goal, we must intermingle with the nations of the world and teach them the monotheistic faith of Judaism. Judah, on the other hand, was concerned about negative influences from integrating with non-Jewish cultures. He emphasized the separate sanctity of the Jewish people, "a people who dwell alone." Judah feared that Joseph's outlook of openness would endanger the future of the Jewish people. But how to get rid of him?
Simon and Levy, who had already fought against assimilation when they decimated the city of Shechem for kidnapping Dina, planned to simply kill Joseph. Judah objected, "What profit is there if we kill our brother?" The true danger is not Joseph, but his school of thought. Let us put his theories to the test. We will sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and let him assimilate among the nations. Then we will see where his ideas lead to.
These two schools of thought are symbolized in the contrast between the Tabernacle (Mishkan") of Shilo, located in Joseph's inheritance, and the Temple in Jerusalem, in Judah's portion. In Shilo, offerings could be eaten outside the walls, as long as the city was in sight. The Temple sacrifices, on the other hand, could only be eaten within the Temple walls. Why this difference?
For Joseph, the goal was to publicly demonstrate the sanctity of Israel and educate the nations. Thus, the holiness of the Shilo Tabernacle spread beyond its walls. The Temple in Jerusalem, however, followed the view of Judah. It is necessary to build walls and limit the dissemination of Torah, in order to protect the sanctity of the Jewish people.
Chanukah commemorates a similar struggle, the conflict between those seeking integration with the rest of the world, and those striving to preserve the distinct sanctity of the Jewish people. The Hellenistic Jews demanded adoption of Greek customs, the prevalent culture of the day. They claimed to be following Joseph's path of openness. Their slogan was, "Write on the ox horn that you have no share in the God of Israel." (Vayikra Rabba 13:50 Why an ox horn? This is an allusion to Joseph, who was compared to a powerful ox (see Deuteronomy 33:17). They called for the people to continue in Joseph's path of openness and assimilation.
Yet they ignored Joseph's underlying goal, to educate the nations. The Hellenists "broke down the walls of my towers." They breached the walls protecting Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, and allowed the idolatrous nations to defile the holy Temple.
The Hasmonean priests, cohanim from the tribe of Levy, naturally followed the path of Judah and Levy, that of separation. As cohanim, they benefited from the special sanctity of priesthood separating them from the rest of the Jewish people. The ultimate victory for the Hasmoneans was discovering the ritually clean jar of oil, with the seal of the High Priest intact. This jar was a metaphor for the inner sanctity of Israel, undefiled by non-Jewish contact.
In the future, the nations will recognize the necessity for the separating walls of the House of Jacob. The nations will accept upon themselves the mitzvot of the Torah, while the entire Jewish people will be elevated to the level of cohanim. What is now the sanctity of priesthood in Israel will become the sanctity of the Jewish people among the nations.
[Based on Shmu'ot HaRiyah 10, 5630 (1929)]
How could the brothers sell Joseph, and even consider killing him? Is it possible that they were motivated by petty jealousy over a colorful coat? What connection is there between the story of Joseph and the holiday that always falls out this time of the year - Chanukah?
The root of the disagreement among the brothers was, in fact, ideological. There were two schools of thought in the family, one championed by Joseph, the other by Judah. Joseph stressed the purpose of the Jewish people as a light to the nations. In order to fulfill this goal, we must intermingle with the nations of the world and teach them the monotheistic faith of Judaism. Judah, on the other hand, was concerned about negative influences from integrating with non-Jewish cultures. He emphasized the separate sanctity of the Jewish people, "a people who dwell alone." Judah feared that Joseph's outlook of openness would endanger the future of the Jewish people. But how to get rid of him?
Simon and Levy, who had already fought against assimilation when they decimated the city of Shechem for kidnapping Dina, planned to simply kill Joseph. Judah objected, "What profit is there if we kill our brother?" The true danger is not Joseph, but his school of thought. Let us put his theories to the test. We will sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and let him assimilate among the nations. Then we will see where his ideas lead to.
These two schools of thought are symbolized in the contrast between the Tabernacle (Mishkan") of Shilo, located in Joseph's inheritance, and the Temple in Jerusalem, in Judah's portion. In Shilo, offerings could be eaten outside the walls, as long as the city was in sight. The Temple sacrifices, on the other hand, could only be eaten within the Temple walls. Why this difference?
For Joseph, the goal was to publicly demonstrate the sanctity of Israel and educate the nations. Thus, the holiness of the Shilo Tabernacle spread beyond its walls. The Temple in Jerusalem, however, followed the view of Judah. It is necessary to build walls and limit the dissemination of Torah, in order to protect the sanctity of the Jewish people.
Chanukah commemorates a similar struggle, the conflict between those seeking integration with the rest of the world, and those striving to preserve the distinct sanctity of the Jewish people. The Hellenistic Jews demanded adoption of Greek customs, the prevalent culture of the day. They claimed to be following Joseph's path of openness. Their slogan was, "Write on the ox horn that you have no share in the God of Israel." (Vayikra Rabba 13:50 Why an ox horn? This is an allusion to Joseph, who was compared to a powerful ox (see Deuteronomy 33:17). They called for the people to continue in Joseph's path of openness and assimilation.
Yet they ignored Joseph's underlying goal, to educate the nations. The Hellenists "broke down the walls of my towers." They breached the walls protecting Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, and allowed the idolatrous nations to defile the holy Temple.
The Hasmonean priests, cohanim from the tribe of Levy, naturally followed the path of Judah and Levy, that of separation. As cohanim, they benefited from the special sanctity of priesthood separating them from the rest of the Jewish people. The ultimate victory for the Hasmoneans was discovering the ritually clean jar of oil, with the seal of the High Priest intact. This jar was a metaphor for the inner sanctity of Israel, undefiled by non-Jewish contact.
In the future, the nations will recognize the necessity for the separating walls of the House of Jacob. The nations will accept upon themselves the mitzvot of the Torah, while the entire Jewish people will be elevated to the level of cohanim. What is now the sanctity of priesthood in Israel will become the sanctity of the Jewish people among the nations.
[Based on Shmu'ot HaRiyah 10, 5630 (1929)]