Dear Friends,
Life teaches us that we simply have to own up to our mistakes. Our lives may depend on it.
Not everyone is good at it, and sometimes we see crowd mentalities undermine the will to forthrightness. For instance, recently, we’ve seen such behavior among those who are mistakenly denying the results of our national election. It will be difficult for some, if not many, to own up to the fallacy of their behavior. But their souls may need it.
A model of such candidness is found in this week’s Torah portion. We recall that Joseph’s brothers, irked and angered that their father, Jacob, had favored their younger brother and demonstrated it with giving him the coat of many colors, attacked Joseph and sold him into slavery. Moreover, they lied to their grieving father, telling Jacob that Joseph had been mauled by a wild beast. And to top it off, they persisted in their falsehood for years, never owning up to their mistruth and their mistake… until this week’s portion...
Having gone down to Egypt to procure food during the famine, the brothers unwittingly encountered Joseph, who now was vizier to Pharaoh, and responsible for food distribution. Joseph recognized his brethren and toyed with them, heaping indignity after indignity upon them until they fell before him, prostrate and repentant. That’s when Judah began his plea:
“Please, my lord, let your servant appeal to my lord, and do not be impatient with your servant, you who are the equal of Pharaoh.” (Genesis 44:18)
Eventually, Joseph could no longer contain himself before his brothers, who were pleading for their lives. He dismissed all the others in the chamber and revealed himself.
Why?
Ultimately, the power of telling the truth, of owning up to one’s mistakes and misdeeds, is dramatic. It not only can link estranged brethren, but it can repair the broken humanity in a suffering soul. Humility is therapeutic and curative. Such is why Yom Kippur has us repeat again and again the recitation of our sins. It endeavors to rebuild our spirits and our psyches.
Yes, owning up to our mistakes is vital. It may not be easy, but it is necessary for our souls.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Life teaches us that we simply have to own up to our mistakes. Our lives may depend on it.
Not everyone is good at it, and sometimes we see crowd mentalities undermine the will to forthrightness. For instance, recently, we’ve seen such behavior among those who are mistakenly denying the results of our national election. It will be difficult for some, if not many, to own up to the fallacy of their behavior. But their souls may need it.
A model of such candidness is found in this week’s Torah portion. We recall that Joseph’s brothers, irked and angered that their father, Jacob, had favored their younger brother and demonstrated it with giving him the coat of many colors, attacked Joseph and sold him into slavery. Moreover, they lied to their grieving father, telling Jacob that Joseph had been mauled by a wild beast. And to top it off, they persisted in their falsehood for years, never owning up to their mistruth and their mistake… until this week’s portion...
Having gone down to Egypt to procure food during the famine, the brothers unwittingly encountered Joseph, who now was vizier to Pharaoh, and responsible for food distribution. Joseph recognized his brethren and toyed with them, heaping indignity after indignity upon them until they fell before him, prostrate and repentant. That’s when Judah began his plea:
“Please, my lord, let your servant appeal to my lord, and do not be impatient with your servant, you who are the equal of Pharaoh.” (Genesis 44:18)
Eventually, Joseph could no longer contain himself before his brothers, who were pleading for their lives. He dismissed all the others in the chamber and revealed himself.
Why?
Ultimately, the power of telling the truth, of owning up to one’s mistakes and misdeeds, is dramatic. It not only can link estranged brethren, but it can repair the broken humanity in a suffering soul. Humility is therapeutic and curative. Such is why Yom Kippur has us repeat again and again the recitation of our sins. It endeavors to rebuild our spirits and our psyches.
Yes, owning up to our mistakes is vital. It may not be easy, but it is necessary for our souls.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
