One of the overarching goals of the Torah is to refine people’s moral character. Many laws and narratives overtly focus on morality, and many others inveigh against the immorality and amorality of paganism. The biblical prophets place consistency between observance of God’s ritual and moral laws at the very heart of their message.
Old rivalries and hatreds can be overcome. We can win together. With all our differences, we can find common ground. The Torah points the way.
Convivencia is the term often used to describe the coexistence of Jews and Muslims (and
Christians) in the so-called Golden Age of Spain. Jews in Haifa have not yet produced figures
like Bahya ibn Pakudah, Judah Halevi, or Maimonides, nor have the Arabs of Haifa produced
figures like Averroes, but, withal, Jews and Arabs do get along pretty well in Haifa.
Joseph is blessed with unblemished righteousness. He is dignified; he has amazing organizational and managerial skills; he leads by setting an example of righteousness and efficiency. Judah leads by dint of his resilience, determination and courage. He learns from his mistakes. In times of crisis, Judah rises like a lion, fearless and strong.
Judaism seeks to bring us closer to God through proper thought and deed. Superstition seeks to circumvent God's power through the use of magical formulae or rituals. While Judaism demands intellectual and moral excellence and a direct relationship with God, superstition provides purported means of bypassing or manipulating God in order to ward off evil or to achieve some other desired goal.
Although current manifestations of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are ugly and painful, we must take the long view of things. This isn’t the first period of Jewish history where Jews faced viciousness and violence. But long experience has taught us to stay strong, stay confident, stay positive. The challenge to our generation is to stand tall as Jews, to stand strong on behalf of Israel.
Joseph set a model of maintaining pride, dignity and self-worth even in difficult conditions. It’s a model relevant to us today.
Over the past two centuries, analysis of literary tools, comparative linguistics, and the
discovery of a wealth of ancient texts and artifacts have contributed immensely to our
understanding the rich tapestry and complexity of biblical texts.
This article on Hanukkah draws on teachings of Daniel Kahneman, an Israeli-American author, psychologist and economist notable for his work on hedonic psychology, psychology of judgment and decision-making. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (shared with Vernon L. Smith). Since 1966, the tiny country of Israel has had 13 Nobel Prize Winners in various categories!!
The butler didn’t remember Joseph; that was bad. The butler forgot Joseph; that was very bad.