Vayeshev 5775 - English

By Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky
Congregation B’nei Israel
San José, Costa Rica


The Importance of Jewish Education within the Family

Starting with this week’s parashah, we read for a month the story of Jacob and his children and, above all, the story of Joseph.  We remember the hatred his brothers felt for him, his dreams, when he was sold as a slave and taken to Egypt, his successes and his mishaps, how he became the second most powerful man in Egypt, all the way until we reach the story of how Israel’s sons settled down in the land of Egypt, which will be the prequel to the years they spent as slaves under the Pharaoh.

  

Many of our sages consider the years spent as slaves in Egypt as a divine punishment for the mistakes our people made.  Others, although they do not necessarily find this causredibly jealous of him.  Others think that the dreams of grandeur and young Joseph’s arrogance were the spark for his brothers’ hatred.  Many prefer to see it as a combination of these two causes. 

The Talmud holds a midrash that explains how the biggest issue was the way in which Jacob demonstrated his favoritism for Joseph and how he distinguished him from his other children. It says: “Look at the consequences of favoring one son above the others.  Due to a few grams of special fabric with which Jacob made Joseph’s coat, our people ended up as slaves in Egypt.” (Shabbat 10b)  The ornamented coat, Ketonem Pasim, which separated Joseph from his brothers, was the symbol of Jacob’s favoritism.  According to the midrash, the fact that Jacob preferred Joseph marks the beginning of a series of events that would lead to our slavery in Egypt and eventually the diaspora. 

Clearly, the midrash is trying to teach us a moral lesson: we must not have favorites among our children, we must love them all the same.  However, what I believe is the most interesting thing about this midrash is the importance it gives to family behavior.  If we read it carefully again, what it is saying is that the preference a father showed for one of his sons caused the harsh and bitter slavery of an entire people for hundreds of years.  This midrash might be exaggerating a little, but behind this exaggeration we can appreciate the value that Jewish tradition assigns to family. 

In modern liberal thought, many times the family will be considered a private area with little connection to what happens in our societies.  The responsibility of parents towards their children is considered unrelated to their responsibilities as citizens.  The midrash we just read indicates that in Judaism this does not apply.  In Jewish tradition, parents have an enormous responsibility towards the Jewish people in general.  The main part of Jewish education takes place at home, where the child begins to develop his or her personality and identity, and learns the most important values. 

In Judaism, individual actions are projected upon the collective actions of an entire people.  To paraphrase the midrash, a child educated in a home with little commitment to Judaism will not only have a weak Jewish identity, but it will also cause a great loss for the entire Jewish people.  On the contrary, a child educated in a home with a strong commitment to Jewish tradition, will not only have a steadier Jewish identity, but down the road, he or she will be able to make a more positive contribution to the people of Israel. 

Family is so important in Judaism, that according to the midrash, the preference of a father for one son over the others led the entire Hebrew people to bitter slavery.  I invite you all to reflect on this Shabbat about our homes and the Jewish education we provide for our children.  I urge you to think about how we can make a better contribution to our people, each of us within our means, but always trying to be the best possible versions of ourselves. 

¡Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky

Congregation B’nei Israel

San José, Costa Rica