How Joseph Brought Healing to His Broken Family
A Tale of Three Experiments
1 hr 3 min
Miketz/Vayigash Class
- December 26, 2011
- |
- 30 Kislev 5772
Rabbi YY Jacobson
6039 views- 5Comment
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Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein in the loving memory of Alta Shula Swerdlov and in the merit of Yetta Alta Shula, "Aliya," Schottenstein
Class Summary:
How Joseph Brought Healing to His Broken Family- A Tale of Three Experiments
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Miketz/Vayigash Class
Rabbi YY Jacobson
- December 26, 2011
- |
- 30 Kislev 5772
- |
- 6039 views
Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein in the loving memory of Alta Shula Swerdlov and in the merit of Yetta Alta Shula, "Aliya," Schottenstein
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RobHodges -4 years ago
Dear Rabbi Jacobson,
Thank you very much for this talk. As a Christian I have been studying the topic of forgiveness in what we call the New Testament and the Old Testament. In particular the part that repentance does or should play in any act of forgiveness. I had studied the story of Joseph and realised its importance in this regard but had been puzzled by Joseph’s shenanigan. Why these elaborate games with his brothers? To what end etc? I had come to realise that for true forgiveness and reconciliation to occur there needed to be repentance or true repentance I should probably say. I knew that the process that Joseph took his brothers through was somehow linked to revealing whether or not they had changed and whether repentance had infiltrated their lives. Once this was established Joseph would be able to forgive and be reconciled with his brothers. Your teaching has brought such clarity to this and so many wonderful details in the story which now make sense. Thank you I found it very moving to listen to.
In the Christian church there is an idea which might be described as one-sided forgiveness. This is where you forgive a brother whether he repents or not. I do not feel this is the teaching of the New Testament. Indeed Jesus says in Luke chapter 17 that if a brother sins against you, rebuke him and if he repents forgive him. Some might even claim that the story of Joseph is an example of one sided forgiveness. But I do not think this is the case. The story seems an elaborate and clever method of revealing or establishing that the brothers were truly repentant.
Anyway, thank you. I will certainly listen to other classes you have given.
many thanks
RobHodges
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Anonymous -4 years ago
The Jewish people reject the new testament.
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Rivkah Ozersky -7 years ago
Dear Rabbi Jacobson,
Thank you for another great shiur.
I have a question about the origin of the visceral hate that the brothers had for their half brother Joseph. They grew up in a household where their father had four wives and one of them was obviously his chosen most loved one. And so were her sons: Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Rachel.
Is it a sacrilege to think that Yaakov should have a done better job of showing similar affection to his all his wives and even a much better job of being more discret and less effusive in his favoritism toward Joseph?
Is it possible that Yaakov Avinu didn't have an inkling of what could be the consequences of his unrestrained acts of favoritism to Rachel her children?
After all he is Yaakov Avinu.
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Svv -10 years ago
To Alternative biur:
You forgot to mention: the man is forced to marry her only if she wants it. The woman is not forced to marry him.
But the Jewish people chose to marry G-d, through the revelation of the Ein Sof (mountain) over their heads.
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Chana -11 years ago
Yosef recreating jealousy
Perhaps Yosef knowing that Yaacov would never agree to send Binyomin down, was also part of the recreation of jealousy. This could have aroused a strong sense of it, with the brothers seeing their father hold on to Binyomin rather than free Shimon from prison in Egypt. Only when the food ran out did Yaacov give in and allow Binyomin to be brought down to Egypt. The brothers seeing their father "ignore" the plight of a son of Leah (Shimon), to keep a son of Rachel (Binyomin) out of harms way, surely could have made the brothers angry had they not changed.
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M -12 years ago
Sorry
My dear esteemed Rabbi Jacobson,
Sorry, i don't buy any of this.
I didn't know that G-d did this forcing of the wedding. Looks like it will only become abusive. We had just gotten out of Egypt for crying out loud. Then He is going to sic Amalek upon us. not one, but two destructions of the Beit Hamikdash, the threats from Haman, the Holocaust, on and on. No, i am not in the mood for such a spouse. G-d of goodness and fairness, great, i want that relationship.
As to your second point about managing through marital crises, your joke is more accurate than your naive opinions. A wedding can have the best intentions, yet one spouse might turn toxic. You must divorce of die a lonely death. If you are lucky, you find another spouse, and hope the second time works. Too many wise elderly rabbis have no clue about a bad marriage. They know things about Heaven. They don't know things about Hell. There is no Hell on Earth like a bad marriage. Rabbis have a tendency to force a bad marriage to stay together. They take it personally as if their counseling skills fail. Their world revolves around them, not the aggrieved spouse or spouses.
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