Dear Friends,
Life is nuanced.
Some think it is black and white, either or, all or nothing. Especially in this polarized period of wider issues, such is a common perspective.
But, Torah this week comes to differ. Joseph has just spent two years in prison in Egypt, as a result of his rejecting the sexual advances of his master’s wife. Yet, those two years in prison were not all awful; God was with Joseph, and he was recognized as a seer and a leader of the prison population, and a teller of dreams. This came to his advantage after those two years, when Pharaoh was disturbed by his own dreams, and fortuitously Pharaoh’s cupbearer, who had been in jail with Joseph, recalled that there was “a Hebrew lad… who interpreted for us.” (Gen. 41:12)
In short, Joseph was summoned from jail, brought to Pharaoh, and successfully deciphered Pharaoh’s dreams, foreseeing seven years of good crops, and seven years of famine. Pharaoh then placed Joseph in charge of all the land of Egypt, which Joseph administered to Pharaoh’s benefit, and Joseph became tremendously successful and powerful.
All, because he rejected sexual advances and was imprisoned.
Life is nuanced. Our task is to see the nuances, and to accept the ebbs and flows, which occur all the time. We suffer through isolation curing Covid, yet we learn new computer skills. We are stuck in the house due to the pandemic, so we read books or repaint the family room. The car breaks down in Georgia, but we meet a wonderful mechanic who becomes a new friend.
Yes, it may be comfortable to see life as black and white, as either/or. It allows us to have a certain, clear position, and not to have to undergo the rigors of thinking or the potential humility of changing opinions or of being mistaken. Absolutes are easy. Yet, they rarely are in consonance with the reality of the world around us. That world is nuanced. Joseph reminds us of this every year at this season.
As we light the candles of Chanukah, let’s allow their glow and radiance to inspire new, novel and nuanced ways to use that light, to see the world. Happy Chanukah!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Life is nuanced.
Some think it is black and white, either or, all or nothing. Especially in this polarized period of wider issues, such is a common perspective.
But, Torah this week comes to differ. Joseph has just spent two years in prison in Egypt, as a result of his rejecting the sexual advances of his master’s wife. Yet, those two years in prison were not all awful; God was with Joseph, and he was recognized as a seer and a leader of the prison population, and a teller of dreams. This came to his advantage after those two years, when Pharaoh was disturbed by his own dreams, and fortuitously Pharaoh’s cupbearer, who had been in jail with Joseph, recalled that there was “a Hebrew lad… who interpreted for us.” (Gen. 41:12)
In short, Joseph was summoned from jail, brought to Pharaoh, and successfully deciphered Pharaoh’s dreams, foreseeing seven years of good crops, and seven years of famine. Pharaoh then placed Joseph in charge of all the land of Egypt, which Joseph administered to Pharaoh’s benefit, and Joseph became tremendously successful and powerful.
All, because he rejected sexual advances and was imprisoned.
Life is nuanced. Our task is to see the nuances, and to accept the ebbs and flows, which occur all the time. We suffer through isolation curing Covid, yet we learn new computer skills. We are stuck in the house due to the pandemic, so we read books or repaint the family room. The car breaks down in Georgia, but we meet a wonderful mechanic who becomes a new friend.
Yes, it may be comfortable to see life as black and white, as either/or. It allows us to have a certain, clear position, and not to have to undergo the rigors of thinking or the potential humility of changing opinions or of being mistaken. Absolutes are easy. Yet, they rarely are in consonance with the reality of the world around us. That world is nuanced. Joseph reminds us of this every year at this season.
As we light the candles of Chanukah, let’s allow their glow and radiance to inspire new, novel and nuanced ways to use that light, to see the world. Happy Chanukah!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
