By: Willie Recht
Chief Development Officer
Mikeitz is one hard parsha, with a lot packed in; Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, becomes viceroy over Egypt, and implements his plan to save the region from famine. Joseph is harsh with his brothers who come to Egypt to buy food, and demands that Benjamin be brought to Egypt. When Benjamin eventually comes, he is framed and accused of theft. This is heavy stuff.
When I sat down to write this week’s Shabbat message, I looked at numerous interpretations, overviews, and commentaries. However, I kept returning to one focused on Joseph and the intense emotion he felt when he saw his brother Benjamin. So intense were his emotions that he had to leave the room to hide his tears. As part of that process, we are told “va-yirchatz panav” – that he washed his face. Rabbi Yosef Bechor Shor explains that he washed his face to remove the traces of the tears, ensuring his brothers wouldn’t know he was crying.
Like this week’s parsha, the past year has been a very full and heavy one for the Jewish people. We are on the 447th day of the war in Israel and levels of antisemitism here, and abroad, continue to rise to astounding and frightening new heights. It has been hard. Many of us, myself included, have felt the need to conceal our true emotions, perhaps to stand strong in the face of real pain or even curb our joy in a world full of so much destruction. How many of us, and how many times, have had to “run in the other room” and splash the proverbial water on our face? I know I have and let me tell you, it isn’t always helpful. Yes, there are benefits to standing strong at times, and there are even circumstances when our true emotions might not be helpful in a given situation, but what do we gain if we are constantly stuffing our feelings to “save face” for our bigger plans? How might situations turn out differently if we let ourselves feel how we feel, and express that to those we love? What harm would be done, or better yet, what good might come if we stayed in the room, skipped the water and emotional suppression, and tried to better experience and understand how we felt?
There are no easy answers to these questions. But as we light both the Shabbat candles and our Hanukkiah, I hope the extra light that shines tonight and through this week helps illuminate an opportunity for reflection; how have I felt this year? What can I move past? And, what do I want to carry forward into 2025?
Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat and a healthy and bright Hanukkah.
Please email Willie Recht at wrecht@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.