Teresa Parker,

D’Var Torah for December 3, HUC

This week’s Torah portion contains the story of Jacob and his sons, who “Vayeshev,” have settled in the land of Canaan. The portion continues the Genesis family narrative with all the tensions possible within families:

parents showing unfair favoritism, hostility between siblings, children lying to their parents,, parents telling half-truths to the children, death of loved ones, deception and trickery, and family members not taking responsibility for the safety and welfare of other family members.

The stories introduce us to Joseph and are recognizable to many of us –

§ Joseph and his fancy coat, a gift from the doting father,

§ Joseph’s dreams and his unwise sharing (many say bragging) of the dreams to his brothers;

§ the brothers staging Joseph’s death which leads to Joseph being sold as a slave in Egypt where he is thrown into prison after being falsely accused of rape;

§ the story of Tamar and Judah (Joseph’s older brother),

§ and ending with Joseph finding favor in the eyes of the Pharaoh by interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams.

All of these accounts are full of hidden messages, and the commentators and authors of midrash have filled volumes with ideas from these narratives, but I want to look at three short verses in the story where Jacob sends Joseph to check up on the brothers and the flocks.

And a man (ISH) found him [Joseph], and behold, [Joseph] was blundering in the field; the man (HA ISH) asked him, saying, “What do you seek?” And he said, “My brothers do I seek; tell me, please, where they are pasturing.” The man said: “They have journeyed on from here, for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Let's look at two ideas from these verses. One, the man who helped Joseph. And Two, Joseph's journey.

Joseph had reached the pasture land where his brothers and the flocks were ‘scheduled’ to be, but they weren’t there. He was wandering from area to area, when a man found him. And the man knew exactly where the brothers and flocks were. We know nothing of the man, no name, no identity, only that he was in this open field and knew where Joseph’s brothers had gone.

Just a coincidence?

Who was this answer man? A local farmer or a messenger of God? Was he a human being or possibly an angel?

RambaN states “Joseph was straying from the road, not knowing where to go…” In Tanchuma it is stated the man “discovered” Joseph rather than “saw” him indicating the man intended to encounter Joseph. Sforno goes on to interpret “What do you seek?” as having the underlying meaning that Joseph was not following a single, straight path. I think we can assume the commentators agree that Joseph was lost, in need of help, maybe a little direction or encouragement, to get him back on track.

Rashi says the “man – ISH" is the same angel who spoke to Daniel. I read from Daniel 9.21:

While I (Daniel) was still speaking in prayer, (HA ISH) the man Gavri’el, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, approached close to me in swift flight….And he made me understand, and talked with me, and said O Daniel, I am now coming forth to give thee skill and understanding.

The man, or the Angel Gabriel, helped both Daniel and Joseph. He helped Joseph get back on track by giving directions to find the brothers. As we know, that by finding his brothers Joseph put himself in danger and was ultimately sold into slavery. RambaN would say that this too had a purpose – to find favor in the court of the Pharaoh which would allow Joseph to save the Jews during the time of famine.

So the second idea – Joseph's journey.

Joseph could have given up and returned home to his father with no report on the brothers and flocks – Jacob wouldn’t have been too angry. After all, Joseph was only a lad of 17 years and the favorite son. Joseph could have returned home and given a fabricated report – he was known to tell tales against the brothers. But he didn't do either.

Did Joseph have freedom to choose or were his actions pre-determined by God? The verses containing the encounter with the man do not answer the questions about pre-destination or angels. Commentators offer varied opinions. It is our privilege to engage with the text to form our own answers.

Do Jews believe in pre-destination, the doctrine that states all events are predetermined by God; that God controls the course of history and directs it to its final culmination?

The Biblical conception of God is a continuous unfolding of divine providence or pre-destination guiding people along the way. Joseph had to find his brothers and the flocks, so that he would be sold into slavery, so the Jews would have a place in Egypt.

Already in Talmudic times, Akiva had reconciled the principle of divine providence and the concept of man’s freedom of choice by saying in Avot 3:15:

“All is foreseen but freedom of choice is given; and the world is judged with goodness, …” As a person of faith I can better accept Akiva’s explanation than Ramban’s, who, when trying to explain why Joseph went to seek brothers who he knew hated him, commented: “man’s industry is worthless;” that one’s path is determined by God.

I wrestle with believing in the idea of an absolute pre-destination – that everything is determined in advance and no matter what we do, where we go or who we become, our path is laid out for us. I do not believe there is only one course of action for each of our lifetimes– I have personally made many changes in my personal, professional, and religious lives, each leading me down a different path.

I do think that some things, people, or places that we encounter are not easily understood I that moment. Sometimes it can take years to become aware of the impact of earlier incidents or experiences. I do think we need to leave ourselves open for the encounter, for the words or advice of strangers, to expose ourselves to new ideas or patterns of life.

In our Biblical story, Joseph had worked as a slave and then as an advisor to the Pharaoh for X number of years when we hear him tell his brothers that being sold into slavey was part of God's plan. Joseph isn't saying that he didn't have any control over his life, only that things happen for a reason.

Joseph may not have remembered there was a man who found him blundering in the field, and asked ‘what are you seeking?,’ and gave him directions to the ‘correct’ destination. My question is, what can we make of Joseph being willing to take the advice of a stranger? His willingness to try a different path? Is this a pattern for our lives?

I know that at this moment in time, after the recent bombings, there is discomfort in talking about trusting in strangers, trying different paths. It is instinctive to circle the wagons and protect ourselves from the unknown. In spite of the obvious need for caution, it is still important to leave ourselves open for encounters. Slowly, slowly.

And back to my first issue – the man -- do angels have a place within Judaism? I read in The Book of Legends, Sefer HaAggadah, that the following teaching is written in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Hagigah:

Ministering Angels are those who perform some divinely appointed mission, and they most often appear as human beings. They go on to say that human beings are like ministering angels in three ways:

1. They walk erect like angels

2. They can use the sacred tongue like angels

3. Humans have understanding like the ministering angels.

There could be some sitting here in this room, or walking the streets of Jerusalem, or Boston, Mexico City, Barcelona…...

We don’t know when or where someone might be there to help us find where we are going or what we are seeking, to help put us back on track, to give us a little extra courage to keep going. I am trying to keep myself open to all possibilities, willing to try new things, think in new ways, and experiment with new learning and teaching styles.

I don’t know that a ministering angel has been assigned to watch over me, so in the meantime, I will work toward the personal goal of walking erect, using the sacred tongue to strengthen my resolve, and to direct my energies to a better understanding of my world.

I know there is a purpose for my existence, even though I don't believe that everything I do is pre-determined. So I will try to develop an understanding of my place in the world and the people with whom I share this space, and offer a helping hand to others while I continue on my path.

May God be with us and we go on our way.