There’s no need to search for door hardware here; we don’t have it. We’re all about Torah and our Messiah Yeshua. Here’s my commentary for the parashah of Miketz. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is Miketz, or, “at the end of.” It covers Genesis chapters 41:1 through 44:17, and the underlying theme I found running throughout today’s reading is honesty. Honesty is a unique quality in this way: everyone claims to possess it, and yet few truly practice it.
Honesty has been a problem since the fall of man. What causes us to abandon honesty and turn toward deception? At its most basic level, it is fear. And fear is the opposite of faith.
Adam tells The L-RD he hid himself after eating the forbidden fruit because, “I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” He was afraid, so he hid. And really, that’s the reason for most deception, isn’t it? Perhaps we lie because we fear judgment. Perhaps we lie out of ego, to make ourselves look better than we are because we fear rejection if we’re truthful. Perhaps we lie because we hold a grudge against someone and fear the L-RD’s vengeance won’t happen because we can’t see it.
Whatever our motivations, honesty is one of the first qualities of the L-RD to flee from us when we allow sin to take control of our lives and decision-making, rather than the Ruach haKodesh. Honesty is one of the qualities of God, one of the qualities of our Messiah Yeshua, and one of the expectations the L-RD requires of us if we want to obey his mitzvoth.
The desire for honesty is so deeply ingrained, and the lack of honesty so obvious in fallen human nature, even the world at large can recognize it. Most of us over thirty will probably recognize this chorus:
But if you search for truthfulness
You might just as well be blind
It always seems to be so hard to give
Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you.
Even though popular culture recognizes the need for honesty, their view of what honesty is, is skewed by their own fallenness. For example, in the Jim Carrey movie, Liar Liar, Carrey plays a lawyer who has made dishonesty a way of life; when his son makes a birthday wish that forces his dad to tell only the truth, the adventures that follow are not an exercise in genuine honesty, but an excuse for rudeness.
Does popular culture have it right? Is honesty nothing more than abandoning good manners and a regard for the feelings of others to say whatever pops into your head? Or is it something more?
Of course it’s something more! Honesty is not just a matter of what we say or don’t say to others. It is a pattern of living one’s life, and can even be a protection.
Psalm 27:11 says:
Teach me how to live, O L-RD. Lead me along the path of honesty, for my enemies are waiting for me to fall.
So honesty is a path for our lives to follow; either we remain on it and within the will of the L-RD, or we veer off of it and stray outside the will of the L-RD. By staying on the path of honesty, we ultimately become a living testimony to the L-RD and his character, and we protect our own reputations.
But does living an honest life always reap rewards immediately and obviously? Unfortunately, no. As we saw in last week’s reading, Yosef lived his life honestly even when no one was around to “catch him.” Instead of sleeping with Potipher’s wife, he not only refused her, but he went out of his way to avoid having her catch him in a weak moment when he might give in.
That is honesty as a way of life! It is living the same way in the workplace, or at the mall, or on the Interstate, as you do in the synagogue on Shabbat.
Yet did Yosef’s honesty get rewarded? No. For a time, the dishonesty of Potipher’s wife landed Yosef in prison. Yet instead of complaining that his honesty wasn’t rewarded, Yosef, kept living it out and he was given authority over the other prisoners. Ultimately, in this week’s reading, it is Yosef’s continued honesty that earns his freedom and ultimately lands him in a position second only to Pharoah.
Why do I say it is Yosef’s honesty that lands him there, rather than his gift of interpreting dreams? Let’s think about it. Pharaoh had many advisors, and Yosef was not the first one he turned to. Yet none of his mystics or astrologers could give him an honest interpretation of his dreams.
Genesis 41:8
The next morning, as he thought about it, Pharaoh became very concerned as to what the dreams might mean. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them about his dreams, but not one of them could suggest what they meant.
After the cup-bearer remembers Yosef, Pharaoh sends for him, searching for an honest interpretation. Yet Yosef does not even claim credit for his gift himself:
Genesis 41:15-16
“I had a dream last night,” Pharaoh told him, “and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you.” “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God will tell you what it means and will set you at ease.”
Yosef tells Pharaoh the dreams mean there will be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of a famine so severe, it could mean the death of all who live in the region; also that Pharaoh dreamed it twice because God was saying it would begin soon, so preparations ought to be made right away.
It’s not a very nice message, is it? It’s a message of events extreme enough to spark a revolt of the people against its government. Yet Yosef does not tell Pharaoh what he thinks Pharaoh wants to hear, but offers him an honest interpretation.
Because of his wise and honest answer, an answer that allowed the L-RD to speak to Pharaoh through Yosef, Yosef is made second only in authority and power in Egypt to Pharaoh.
Notice a pattern here? Wherever Yosef goes, his honesty and integrity earn him unparalleled trust. He was in second-in-command of everything in the house of Potipher, in jail, and now in the entire kingdom of Egypt.
Was this Yosef’s own doing? No, it was the L-RD blessing Yosef for following the path of honest living, even when doing so did not lead to immediate rewards and recognition.
And it is this new position of authority that allows Yosef to be reunited with his family, and allows the dreams the L-RD originally sent him about his brothers and mother and father bowing down to him to be fulfilled.
But as we get deeper into the parashah, some question Yosef’s honesty, as it relates to how he deals with his brothers. After all, some Torah scholars argue, if Yosef were truly honest, wouldn’t he have revealed himself to his family immediately, rather than playing mind games with them? Wouldn’t an honest man just say, “Hey guys, it’s me, Yosef!” right away?
Let’s consider this. At the time he reunites with his brothers, Yosef is nearing the end of his thirties. The Torah tells us Yosef was freed and put in charge of Egypt’s affairs at the age of thirty, right around the time the seven years of plenty began. So when the seven years of famine begin, Yosef would have been at least thirty seven, maybe going on thirty-eight.
Also, it might have taken a year or two for the famine to become bad enough that Israel’s family would consider going to Egypt to buy grain, so Yosef may have been close to forty by the time his brothers come before him to buy grain.
Think of how long he has been gone from their lives! Yosef was a young man of only seventeen the last time they had seen him. Now he is at the prime of his life, a man of forty. No wonder they didn’t recognize him on sight!
Although it isn’t mentioned in the text, I don’t believe Yosef was still carrying a grudge around some twenty-plus years after his betrayal by his brothers. The reason I say this is, I don’t think one could live as honestly before the L-RD and before others as did Yosef, and still be carrying around old grudges or desires for revenge. Yosef knew the L-RD had healed and changed him. So in the actions that follow, I don’t believe what we’re seeing here is some kind of revenge-taking by Yosef.
You see, early on, Yosef accuses his brothers of being spies. Most people write this off as part of some game, or even part of some payback plan by Yosef.
But remember, Yosef was there when his brothers responded to the rape of Dinah; he saw his older brothers deal dishonestly with Shechem and Hamor, setting them up to be helpless and then slaughtering their entire village. Was Yosef’s accusation a game, or was he checking to see if his brothers had changed as much as he had?
Genesis 42:8-12
Joseph’s brothers didn’t recognize him, but Joseph recognized them. And he remembered the dreams he had had many years before. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.” “No, my lord!” they exclaimed. “We have come to buy food. We are all brothers and honest men, sir! We are not spies!” “Yes, you are!” he insisted. “You have come to discover how vulnerable the famine has made us.”
By Yosef’s choice of words, I think his concern here is genuine. He has seen his brothers wipe out the village ruled by Shechem and Hamor, he saw them take advantage of such vulnerabilities, and he genuinely wants to see if they are still the same people, or if time has made them regret their actions.
I think the brothers’ choice of words is also revealing. The irony in their claim – We are honest men! – must have been obvious to Yosef. Did it also ring hollow in their own ears? They had deceived their own father for over twenty years, and throughout the Torah portion, there is no evidence they had ever come clean and admitted the truth to their father, Israel.
So, Yosef’s demands on them are tests, but they are not tests to play games with his brothers, or “mess with them,” as my office co-worker Julie put it. Yosef is genuinely testing his brothers to see if they have changed or not.
Think about the so-called “tricks” he plays on them. Returning their money to their bags? A good son would not want to charge his own family for food if he could give it to them for free, yet it also tests their honesty: will they admit they got their money back?
Demanding they bring Binyamin? I’m sure Yosef genuinely wanted to see his closest brother, but it also tested if they were willing to serve their father’s desires over their own.
Demanding one brother be kept prisoner in their absence? It tells Yosef whether they were still willing to abandon another brother to serve their own selfish needs, or if they would return for him, having learned from their earlier mistakes.
This week’s reading ends with a cliffhanger. Yosef still has not revealed himself to his brothers; but has he abandoned the path of honesty that the L-RD expects us to stay on? No.
As I pointed out last week, Yosef is not the Messiah, but he is a shadow of the Messiah Yeshua. Although Yosef had flaws and his own sins to struggle against, such as the pride and brashness so evident in his youth, to this point he has done well remaining on the path of honesty. It’s a path the L-RD would have all of us travel in our lives. Let’s pray:
“L-RD, we know how difficult the path of honesty can be. We know it is not always rewarded immediately. But we ask, L-RD, that you would drive out all fear, drive out all bitterness, drive out all hesitation, and enable us to live our lives fully on the path of honesty, veering off neither to the left nor to the right, by the power and grace given us by the Messiah, Yeshua. Let us be a people of honesty, a people called out by You to shine Your light into the darkness around us, so that your name may be glorified. Amen.”
Shabbat Shalom.
My Miketz Commentary
Monday, December 29th, 2008
There’s no need to search for door hardware here; we don’t have it. We’re all about Torah and our Messiah Yeshua. Here’s my commentary for the parashah of Miketz. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
Our parashah for today is Miketz, or, “at the end of.” It covers Genesis chapters 41:1 through 44:17, and the underlying theme I found running throughout today’s reading is honesty. Honesty is a unique quality in this way: everyone claims to possess it, and yet few truly practice it.
Honesty has been a problem since the fall of man. What causes us to abandon honesty and turn toward deception? At its most basic level, it is fear. And fear is the opposite of faith.
Adam tells The L-RD he hid himself after eating the forbidden fruit because, “I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” He was afraid, so he hid. And really, that’s the reason for most deception, isn’t it? Perhaps we lie because we fear judgment. Perhaps we lie out of ego, to make ourselves look better than we are because we fear rejection if we’re truthful. Perhaps we lie because we hold a grudge against someone and fear the L-RD’s vengeance won’t happen because we can’t see it.
Whatever our motivations, honesty is one of the first qualities of the L-RD to flee from us when we allow sin to take control of our lives and decision-making, rather than the Ruach haKodesh. Honesty is one of the qualities of God, one of the qualities of our Messiah Yeshua, and one of the expectations the L-RD requires of us if we want to obey his mitzvoth.
The desire for honesty is so deeply ingrained, and the lack of honesty so obvious in fallen human nature, even the world at large can recognize it. Most of us over thirty will probably recognize this chorus:
But if you search for truthfulness
You might just as well be blind
It always seems to be so hard to give
Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you.
Even though popular culture recognizes the need for honesty, their view of what honesty is, is skewed by their own fallenness. For example, in the Jim Carrey movie, Liar Liar, Carrey plays a lawyer who has made dishonesty a way of life; when his son makes a birthday wish that forces his dad to tell only the truth, the adventures that follow are not an exercise in genuine honesty, but an excuse for rudeness.
Does popular culture have it right? Is honesty nothing more than abandoning good manners and a regard for the feelings of others to say whatever pops into your head? Or is it something more?
Of course it’s something more! Honesty is not just a matter of what we say or don’t say to others. It is a pattern of living one’s life, and can even be a protection.
So honesty is a path for our lives to follow; either we remain on it and within the will of the L-RD, or we veer off of it and stray outside the will of the L-RD. By staying on the path of honesty, we ultimately become a living testimony to the L-RD and his character, and we protect our own reputations.
But does living an honest life always reap rewards immediately and obviously? Unfortunately, no. As we saw in last week’s reading, Yosef lived his life honestly even when no one was around to “catch him.” Instead of sleeping with Potipher’s wife, he not only refused her, but he went out of his way to avoid having her catch him in a weak moment when he might give in.
That is honesty as a way of life! It is living the same way in the workplace, or at the mall, or on the Interstate, as you do in the synagogue on Shabbat.
Yet did Yosef’s honesty get rewarded? No. For a time, the dishonesty of Potipher’s wife landed Yosef in prison. Yet instead of complaining that his honesty wasn’t rewarded, Yosef, kept living it out and he was given authority over the other prisoners. Ultimately, in this week’s reading, it is Yosef’s continued honesty that earns his freedom and ultimately lands him in a position second only to Pharoah.
Why do I say it is Yosef’s honesty that lands him there, rather than his gift of interpreting dreams? Let’s think about it. Pharaoh had many advisors, and Yosef was not the first one he turned to. Yet none of his mystics or astrologers could give him an honest interpretation of his dreams.
After the cup-bearer remembers Yosef, Pharaoh sends for him, searching for an honest interpretation. Yet Yosef does not even claim credit for his gift himself:
Yosef tells Pharaoh the dreams mean there will be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of a famine so severe, it could mean the death of all who live in the region; also that Pharaoh dreamed it twice because God was saying it would begin soon, so preparations ought to be made right away.
It’s not a very nice message, is it? It’s a message of events extreme enough to spark a revolt of the people against its government. Yet Yosef does not tell Pharaoh what he thinks Pharaoh wants to hear, but offers him an honest interpretation.
Because of his wise and honest answer, an answer that allowed the L-RD to speak to Pharaoh through Yosef, Yosef is made second only in authority and power in Egypt to Pharaoh.
Notice a pattern here? Wherever Yosef goes, his honesty and integrity earn him unparalleled trust. He was in second-in-command of everything in the house of Potipher, in jail, and now in the entire kingdom of Egypt.
Was this Yosef’s own doing? No, it was the L-RD blessing Yosef for following the path of honest living, even when doing so did not lead to immediate rewards and recognition.
And it is this new position of authority that allows Yosef to be reunited with his family, and allows the dreams the L-RD originally sent him about his brothers and mother and father bowing down to him to be fulfilled.
But as we get deeper into the parashah, some question Yosef’s honesty, as it relates to how he deals with his brothers. After all, some Torah scholars argue, if Yosef were truly honest, wouldn’t he have revealed himself to his family immediately, rather than playing mind games with them? Wouldn’t an honest man just say, “Hey guys, it’s me, Yosef!” right away?
Let’s consider this. At the time he reunites with his brothers, Yosef is nearing the end of his thirties. The Torah tells us Yosef was freed and put in charge of Egypt’s affairs at the age of thirty, right around the time the seven years of plenty began. So when the seven years of famine begin, Yosef would have been at least thirty seven, maybe going on thirty-eight.
Also, it might have taken a year or two for the famine to become bad enough that Israel’s family would consider going to Egypt to buy grain, so Yosef may have been close to forty by the time his brothers come before him to buy grain.
Think of how long he has been gone from their lives! Yosef was a young man of only seventeen the last time they had seen him. Now he is at the prime of his life, a man of forty. No wonder they didn’t recognize him on sight!
Although it isn’t mentioned in the text, I don’t believe Yosef was still carrying a grudge around some twenty-plus years after his betrayal by his brothers. The reason I say this is, I don’t think one could live as honestly before the L-RD and before others as did Yosef, and still be carrying around old grudges or desires for revenge. Yosef knew the L-RD had healed and changed him. So in the actions that follow, I don’t believe what we’re seeing here is some kind of revenge-taking by Yosef.
You see, early on, Yosef accuses his brothers of being spies. Most people write this off as part of some game, or even part of some payback plan by Yosef.
But remember, Yosef was there when his brothers responded to the rape of Dinah; he saw his older brothers deal dishonestly with Shechem and Hamor, setting them up to be helpless and then slaughtering their entire village. Was Yosef’s accusation a game, or was he checking to see if his brothers had changed as much as he had?
By Yosef’s choice of words, I think his concern here is genuine. He has seen his brothers wipe out the village ruled by Shechem and Hamor, he saw them take advantage of such vulnerabilities, and he genuinely wants to see if they are still the same people, or if time has made them regret their actions.
I think the brothers’ choice of words is also revealing. The irony in their claim – We are honest men! – must have been obvious to Yosef. Did it also ring hollow in their own ears? They had deceived their own father for over twenty years, and throughout the Torah portion, there is no evidence they had ever come clean and admitted the truth to their father, Israel.
So, Yosef’s demands on them are tests, but they are not tests to play games with his brothers, or “mess with them,” as my office co-worker Julie put it. Yosef is genuinely testing his brothers to see if they have changed or not.
Think about the so-called “tricks” he plays on them. Returning their money to their bags? A good son would not want to charge his own family for food if he could give it to them for free, yet it also tests their honesty: will they admit they got their money back?
Demanding they bring Binyamin? I’m sure Yosef genuinely wanted to see his closest brother, but it also tested if they were willing to serve their father’s desires over their own.
Demanding one brother be kept prisoner in their absence? It tells Yosef whether they were still willing to abandon another brother to serve their own selfish needs, or if they would return for him, having learned from their earlier mistakes.
This week’s reading ends with a cliffhanger. Yosef still has not revealed himself to his brothers; but has he abandoned the path of honesty that the L-RD expects us to stay on? No.
As I pointed out last week, Yosef is not the Messiah, but he is a shadow of the Messiah Yeshua. Although Yosef had flaws and his own sins to struggle against, such as the pride and brashness so evident in his youth, to this point he has done well remaining on the path of honesty. It’s a path the L-RD would have all of us travel in our lives. Let’s pray:
“L-RD, we know how difficult the path of honesty can be. We know it is not always rewarded immediately. But we ask, L-RD, that you would drive out all fear, drive out all bitterness, drive out all hesitation, and enable us to live our lives fully on the path of honesty, veering off neither to the left nor to the right, by the power and grace given us by the Messiah, Yeshua. Let us be a people of honesty, a people called out by You to shine Your light into the darkness around us, so that your name may be glorified. Amen.”
Shabbat Shalom.
Tags: door hardware, messiah Yeshua, Miketz, Torah commentary
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