Re-Assembly Required - Part 4
October 2, 2022Pastor Patrick finished this series, working on how to reconcile with spouse, friends, and the like; how to re-assemble broken relationships. A video of the message is here. Our Conversation Starter for this week is here.
Most of the families of the Torah (Adam/Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and all their relatives) were dysfunctional families. Some reconciled, some did not. Let's look at one family that did, mostly: Joseph's family.
At the beginning of the Joseph story, everyone is messing up. Joseph tattled on his brothers to his father. Joseph told of dreams that made him "the big guy." Jacob loved Joseph most of all his sons, and sadly, showed it. The ultimate "showing" was the gift of the many-colored coat. So, not unexpectedly, Joseph brothers hated him. (Genesis 37:1-4)
At this point, there is no hope of reconciling. They're not even talking to each other. In Gen 37:4, the word often translated as "friendly" (in "no friendly words") really means peaceful, and you would recognize it - l'shalom). Communication has broken down. Without speaking a single word to Joseph, the brothers conspire to "get rid of him."
Joseph doesn't help matters any by sharing dreams that clearly put him above the rest of the family (Genesis 37:5-10). Now Dad was mad, too.
Fast forward from here to Egypt where Joseph rises to the #2 man of the country, saves everyone from famine, including his own family, and, reconciles with Dad and his brothers. But, even the reconcilitation side of this story is not without its issues. For example, Dad would not let Benjamin go to Egypt for food. Benjamin was his new favored son! When the other sons got to Egypt, Joseph recognized them but acted like a stranger and spoke to them harshly. (Genesis 42:1-7)
Joseph embarks on a series of tests of the brothers to see if they had indeed repented. And they came through with flying colors, eventually (it was a long series of tests). But, all's well that ends well.
This all leads to a powerful moment in the Torah that can be likened to the infamous shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept." See Genesis 43:30, 45:1-2, and 45:15. Note that Joseph wept upon and embraced ALL his brothers in 45:15.
Clearly, family reconciliation generates some powerful emotions. But even if love cannot be fully restored, reconciling is far better than alientation. Prager.
Near the end of the story, Joseph speaks a line that has become famous through the ages, "I am Joseph, your brother" (Genesis 45:4). It's a cry of reconciliation, in effect, we are one again! Pope John XXIII greeted Jewish leaders at the Vatican in 1960 with, "I am Joseph, your brother." And indeed, his given name was Joseph Roncalli. Those Jewish leaders immediately recognized the meaningfulness of the moment.
And whom does Joseph ultimately credit? God.
Not all our stories turn out as well Joseph's. The message here is that most all relationships are messy and can end up at odds. But with God's help, each of us can take steps to make peace, be friendly (l'shalom), and even repair the relationship.
Bonus
What do you suppose were the last two subjects God/Moses addressed as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land?
See the last two chapters of Numbers (35-36)... Numbers ends the narrative that ran from Creation through the journey in the wilderness. BTW, the title for the Book of Numbers in Hebrew means "In the Wilderness." The next and final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, is entirely Moses' account of what we've already read about in Exodus. The narrative of getting into the Promised Land continues in the Book of Joshua.
In Numbers 35, the topic of Cities of Refuge is addressed. This is all about the taking of human life, intentional and unintentional. How to handle those who take a human life, accidentally or not, is the key. The message is "life is precious and paramount." How a society deals with killing humans tells you all you need to know about how much that society values life.
In Numbers 36, the issue of women's rights is approached. This began the march to what we refer to today as women's rights, starting here with women's (Zelophehad's Daughters) rights to inherit property. This was unheard of in the Ancient Near East (ANE). Approaching issues evolutionarily rather than revolutionarily is a key Torah tactic.
So, what were the two big issues just as they were about to enter the Promised Land? The sanctity of human life and women's rights!