Parashat Miketz, Genesis 41:1-44:17, Rosh Chodesh Tevet, Shabbat Chanukah

For Joseph outside pressures begat inner resolve.

There's a phenomenon that comes to the fore at this time of year because of the emphasis on gift-giving. Ask children or, better yet, adolescents what they want and chances are it is what their friends want or already have. If you share the latest video game, you can relate to each other. If you wear the season's hottest boots, you are accepted into the group. It is no surprise that everyone wants to fit in with a group. We have ways of identifying people who are like us. It could be a particular colour, or an item of clothing. It could be the language we use. A few years ago there was a TV ad that mentioned a schmeer of cream cheese. The MOTs (members of the tribe) got it. So did New Yorkers. Sometimes we use signals to find others like us. "Oy!" works for MOTs, "eh?" for Canadians.

Such group identification can also be a matter of life or death. Think skin colour, looks, ritual garments, yellow star. Even language can make a difference. In the Bible we read that the Ephraimites, descendents of Joseph's son Ephraim, could not pronounce "sh." This was no big deal, until a conflict broke out with the folks from Gilead, who soundly defeated the Ephraimites. As the Ephraimites tried to make their way back home, their language gave them away:

The Gileadites held the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when the fugitive from Ephraim said, "Let me cross," the men of Gilead would ask him, "Are you an Ephraimite?"; if he said "No," they would say to him, "Then say shibboleth"; but he would say "sibboleth," not being able to pronounce it correctly. Thereupon they would seize him and slay him by the fords of the Jordan.

Judges 12:5-6

A more recent example comes from Vietnam-era prisoners of war. Those kept is solitary confinement communicated with each other by a tapping code. How did they identify other American POWs? One person would whistle or tap the simple ditty "Shave and a Haircut" leaving of the end. If he got the two-note or two-word response "two bits" he knew this was a fellow American and it was safe to communicate. This contact enabled these prisoners to survive years of confinement.

No such luck for our boy Joseph, who was wrongly imprisoned last week. The Egyptian prisoner who promised to remember him when released forgot Joseph. It takes years for the chief cupbearer to recall Joseph and he does so only because of a dream Pharaoh has that no one else can interpret. Because of an unseen Divine hand, when things are literally "the pits" for Joseph, they manage to get better. He has so many close shaves and yet emerges without a nick, and in the nick of time. A thirty year old Joseph is to be brought before Pharaoh in order to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. Naturally, he's got to look presentable, and so he undergoes a very quick makeover: He had his hair cut (va-yigalach) and changed his clothes, and he appeared before Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:14)

This little half verse presents information that is so mundane; one wonders why it is necessary. Of course he had his hair cut and his clothes changed! How else could he appear before Pharaoh? Duh!

There is little commentary on it. Onkelos translates va-yigalach into Aramaic as sapper, close to the modern Hebrew word for a haircut. Rashi, once again basing himself on midrash, saw fit to explain that the haircutting was necessary to honour Pharaoh. In reading ibn Ezra's one word comment, it becomes clear that the English translation above may not be the best. How was his hair cut? According to ibn Ezra, with a razor. The better translation for Genesis 41:14 would be: "He shaved and changed his clothes."

Why this concern for Joseph's hair? In commenting on the young Joseph, midrash Breishit Rabbah explains that his vanity is evident because he curls his hair. This week, it is another hairstyle, or lack thereof that becomes important. Perhaps Joseph’s motto for his amazing transformation should be "hair today, gone tomorrow." We all know that fashions in hairstyles change. Beards were big in the 60's, moustaches in the 70's, goatees very recently, and shaved heads are so popular today that you can even get special head shaving razors in the drugstore. Back in Joseph's day the members of his tribe ran around with beards and many of them had beards that were not rounded at the corners. Just look at frescoes, bas-reliefs and sculptures from the ancient Near East. Crew cuts were out; serious beards were in except for one not so tiny corner of the world: Egypt. These guys put their copper blades to good use. To be presentable and credible to Pharaoh, our boy Joe had to look like one of the king's homeboys.

Perhaps there's more to it. Pharaoh is not only king, he is also a god; Pharaoh's court is more than a court, it is a temple. To come before an Egyptian god meant that a person had to be in a state of ritual purity. This was certainly true of their priests and, frankly, it is not that different from the expectations of the Levitical priests:

Take the Levites from among the Israelites and cleanse them. This is what you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle on them water of purification, and let them go over their whole body with a razor (ta'ar), and wash their clothes; thus they shall be cleansed.

Numbers 8:6-7

It sounds similar to what Joseph had to do, only our priests were not going before Pharaoh; this was the part of the priestly ordination. (Though I wonder if they used an actual razor or an item more akin to a strigil, a Roman tool for scraping off sweat and oil.)

Nonetheless, others have made the connection between the priestly purification and Joseph's preparation for his meeting with Pharaoh. Lisbeth S. Fried in an article called "Why did Joseph Shave?" quotes from the victory stele of King Piye (late 8th century BCE) to show that to be brought before Pharaoh, one not only had to be clean but ritually pure, the definition of which is quite interesting:

Now the kings and counts of Lower Egypt who came to see his majesty's beauty, their legs were the legs of women. They could not enter the palace because they were uncircumcised and eaters of fish, which was an abomination in the palace. But king Namart entered the palace because he was pure and did not eat fish. The three stood there while the one entered.

As quoted by Lisbeth S. Fried "Why did Joseph Shave?" 

in Biblical Archeology Review, July/Aug 2007, pp. 40-41

Fried maintains that Joseph shaved because he was coming into the presence of a deity. He was entering into the house of an Egyptian god.

This is both intriguing and troubling. Joseph is doing God's will, even Pharaoh says so, but is he getting too caught up in his environment? It is obvious that Pharaoh favours him. He is given Egyptian clothes, an Egyptian wife –the daughter of a priest, no less – he is even given an Egyptian name: Zaphenath-paneah. We've had name changes before with Abraham and Jacob. Those came after encounters with God. Here, the name change comes from an Egyptian deity.

If we follow the principle of Occam's razor that the simplest solution is the best, we can reiterate that Joseph is doing God's will. But in doing God's will, Joseph is in a precarious position. He is so outwardly Egyptian even his own brothers don't recognize him.

On the other hand, he makes sure that when his family comes down to Egypt they are settled in an area where they can maintain their identity: You will dwell in the region of Goshen, where you will be near me — you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that is yours. (Genesis 45:10) In fact, it is all part of an elaborate plan he can implement because he is truly an insider in the pharaonic government:

Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell the news to Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they have always been breeders of livestock, and they have brought with them their flocks and herds and all that is theirs.' So when Pharaoh summons you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' you shall answer, 'Your servants have been breeders of livestock from the start until now, both we and our fathers' — so that you may stay in the region of Goshen. For all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians."

Genesis 46:31-34

Our celebration of Chanukah illumines Joseph's plight; parashat Miketz is always read on Shabbat Chanukah. How ironic that this, the story of our entry into Egypt aided by a Hebrew with an Egyptian name, Egyptian garb and Egyptian power, is read at the time of year when we rejoice in our victory over a power that lured so many of ancestors into assimilation.

What can Joseph teach us about Chanukah? Joseph grew adept at surviving in the pharaonic world, but he was not of it. To a certain extent, it was probably a balancing act for him, as it was for Court Jews in other times and places. Interestingly, what Joseph learned in Egypt was that all he had came from God. He never recognized this in Canaan; he never stopped acknowledging it in Egypt. It was only when confronted with the challenges of life in Egypt that he fulfilled his destiny of ensuring Jewish survival and continuity. For Joseph outside pressures begat inner resolve. Two events from very different times, the story of Joseph and that of the Maccabees each teaches us that the greatest challenge to our continuity is not what the outside world has to offer but how we react to it.

Shabbat shalom and chag ha-urim sameach,
Rabbi Michal Shekel

Parashat Kedoshim, Leviticus 19:1-20:27

The gray haired elder is a fragile treasure, often not appreciated until he or she is gone.

I have noticed recently that it is impossible to simply run into the drugstore and just pick up an item. Last time I ran out of shampoo it took me half an hour to figure out what to buy. There is shampoo for long hair, short hair, curly hair, straight hair, frizzy hair, coloured hair, damaged hair and so on. Then there are conditioners that produce a number of different results. This is before you even get to the "product," the stuff you put on your clean hair to keep it shiny, curly, tangle free, blonder, darker, redder, softer, staying in place, looking like you just got out of bed, and so on. My grandparents just used soap on their hair and seemed to manage quite well.

They may have been the exception. Our concern with hair has a long history. Poets use it as a measure of beauty. Fairy tales have been written about golden locks, ebony black hair, and hair so long and strong, a suitor could use it to climb to your window. What conditioner does one use for that? Legend tells us that King David was known for the beauty of his red hair. Samson's uncut hair was the source of his strength. The Song of Songs, which we just read on Pesach, has numerous descriptions of the beauty of both lovers' hair: …His locks are curled and black as a raven. (Song 5:11), Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down from Gilead. (Song 6:5) Not quite how we'd word it today, but the sentiment comes through nonetheless.

For most of history we have tried some amazing concoctions to style and colour our hair; items that go beyond a simple flint knife to trim it. In places as diverse as ancient Greece and pre-revolutionary France, we have braced our hair with branches and wire cages. Some famous early Hollywood platinum blondes ended up wearing wigs because bleaching their locks caused their hair to fall out.

It seems the only time it was fashionable to let our hair alone was in the late 1960s. Interestingly, this month marks the fortieth anniversary of the Broadway debut of Hair.

Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair.

Hair, lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado

How times have changed! Those who once reveled in letting their hair grow wild and naturally, a la Samson, are now keeping the shampoo and colouring companies solvent.

Hair is one of the easiest ways to change how we look. Last fall, Time Magazine ran an article called The Gray Wars. "To dye or not to dye. That is the question in the latest feminist debate over aging and authenticity." In a poll looking at attitudes towards gray or white hair, a large majority viewed such hair as a disadvantage socially and politically. The only time it was viewed as an advantage, by 59% of those polled, was for candidates running for office. Even then it was viewed negatively on specific individuals. (Time Magazine, Sept. 10, 2007, pp. 71-3)

The Torah also weighs in on the issue of hair. Parashat Kedoshim instructs us: You shall not round off the side-growth on your head, or destroy the side-growth of your beard. (Leviticus 19:27) In early June we will read about Sotah, the woman accused of adultery whose hair is uncovered as part of the ceremony determining her innocence or guilt (Numbers 5:18), and in the same portion we will be told about the Nazirite, forbidden to cut his hair (Numbers 6:5).

If our Israelite ancestors had been asked about colouring hair, the Time Magazine poll would have had dramatically different results: Gray hair is a crown of glory. (Proverbs 16:31) This attitude is clearly reflected in this week's parasha: You shall rise before the aged... (Leviticus 19:32) Actually, the older translation of lifnei seiva takum, is much clearer: You shall rise before the hoary head. The word seiva is the same one found in Proverbs translated as gray hair.

A midrash teaches that Abraham was the first individual to show signs of aging:

Rabbi Yehudah ben Shimon said: Abraham asked for old age, pleading before the Eternal: "Sovereign of the Universe! When a man and his son enter a town, people don't know whom to honor! But if You crown the father with the appearance of old age, they will know whom to honour." The Holy One Who is Blessed said to him: "...You have asked well and it shall begin with you." From the beginning of Genesis until here, old age is not mentioned, but when Abraham arose the appearance of old age was granted to him: And Abraham was old, well stricken in age (Genesis 24:1).

Genesis Rabbah 65:9, based on the Soncino translation

There are actually two parts to the verse in Kedoshim: You shall rise before the aged (seiva) and show deference to the old (zaken). This caused quite a discussion in the Talmud. What is the difference between the seiva, the gray haired individual, and the zaken, the elderly person?

Rabbi Yose the Galilean said: Zaken means only one who has acquired wisdom… Issi ben Yehuda said: You shall rise before the aged implies any aged person.

Talmud, Kiddushin, 32b

Two different qualities are at work here. Zaken implies wisdom and leadership. The Talmud relates this to God's instruction to Moses in Numbers 11:16: Gather for Me seventy of Israel's elders (ziknei) of whom you have experience as elders and officers of the people, and bring them to the Tent of Meeting… Seiva is anyone who falls into the senior citizen category.

While in most cultures there is respect for the life experience that goes with aging, our modern culture differs. One year after Hair debuted on Broadway, the term "ageism" was coined by gerontologist Robert Neil Butler. Today, the generation that told us not to trust anyone over thirty is still fighting to maintain its youth. Those of us who are fussing with the hair dye can learn something from those who stopped doing so long ago according to two articles in the American Sociological Review:

“The good news is that with age comes happiness,” said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. “Life gets better in one's perception as one ages.” …A certain amount of distress in old age is inevitable, including aches, pains and deaths of loved ones and friends. But older people generally have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Dr. Yang said.
…A separate University of Chicago study found that about 75 per cent of people aged 57 to 85 engage in one or more social activities at least every week. Those include socializing with neighbours, attending religious services, volunteering or going to group meetings. Those in their 80s were twice as likely as those in their 50s to do at least one of these activities.

The oldest Americans are also the happiest, research finds, Lindsay Tanner, Associated Press, April 18, 2008

How interesting that contentment is treasured more than that elusive emotion happiness. Interesting as well are the activities that help achieve contentment, the rituals and ethical behavior described in Kedoshim which are integral to socializing, volunteering and ritual activity.

There is much else we can learn from seiva. I believe it was Margaret Mead who said that the elderly, grandparents in particular, teach us history. Years ago I worked with advanced Alzheimer patients. I learned more in conversation with these individuals than from any book or documentary. Some sang the lullabies that comforted them as children. Others recounted the golden days of the Yiddish Theater in New York. When they shared their memories, you felt as though you were sitting next to them at the theater, watching The Yiddish King Lear while munching on a half sour pickle.

The seiva, the gray haired elder is a fragile treasure, often not appreciated until he or she is gone. This is something which strikes more deeply each year as we observe Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. I recently had the privilege of hearing a survivor recount her story to an adult Jewish Information Class that I am teaching. Many survivors volunteer their time to speak to groups of all ages and all faiths, making sure the Shoah (Holocaust) is not forgotten. Each story is unique, with personal details not found in books. The survivors who teach us now were children during the Holocaust. They are the last teachers of the greatest tragedy of our time. Learning from these individuals brings a new understanding to lifne seiva takum, You shall rise before the aged. (Note: The USC Shoah Foundation Institute under the guidance of Steven Spielberg has created a video archive preserving the accounts of survivors. Unfortunately, genocide is still a problem in the modern world and the institute continues its important work by collecting eyewitness accounts from a more recent tragedy: the Rwandan genocide.)

The best-seller is wrong. Kindergarten was not the place I learned everything I need to know. I am still learning on a daily basis from those with greater wisdom and more life experience; the record of their accomplishments deeply etched in their faces, surrounded by a beautiful halo of gray or white hair.

They shall bear fruit even in old age (b'seiva)
They shall be fresh and fragrant

Psalms 92:15

Shabbat shalom,
MS