Miqqez: It is not too late to renew and fulfill the promises of old

By Rabbi Arik W. Ascherman on December 30, 2005 - כ"ט כסלו תשס"ו

This week’s parasha picks up two years after last week’s parasha. When Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer is freed from prison, he forgot his promise to Yosef to intercede on Yosef’s behalf with Paraoh. However, he remembers when Pharaoh has his famous dreams which nobody else can decipher. Joseph is brought from prison and explains that there will be 7 good years followed by 7 bad years. Yosef puts together a plan to store grain during the 7 good years. He does save the nation, but does it in a way that turns forces all the people to lose their land in the next week’s parasha. (Today also we have those who may have “saved” the economy, but could have done so in ways not so harmful to the poorest and weakest Israelis.) The parasha concludes with Yosef’s testing of/taking revenge on his brothers when they come to buy grain.

Commentators debate whether the chief cupbearer really forgot Yosef entirely, whether he remembered Yosef, but chose not to intercede, or whether he originally chose not to intercede and eventually forgot altogether. We as a people have made promises to God, to ourselves and to others. We have a Covenant with God to uphold moral standards. In Israel’s Declaration of Independence we commit ourselves to upholding the prophet’s vision of social justice and equality, and the standards of international law.

We too all too often appear to have forgotten our promises. Like the cupbearer, there are traumatic experiences from our past we wish to forget or cause us to look out primarily for ourselves or to take out on others what we have suffered. Perhaps the cupbearer was afraid to remind Pharaoh again of Pharaoh’s anger. There are many explanations and it is not always clear whether we have truly forgotten, whether we originally chose not to act on what we knew to be true and eventually forgot altogether, or whether in our hearts we remember to this day the promises we have failed to keep.

However, there is hope. Pharaoh’s cupbearer eventually does remember Yosef. At the end of this week’s parasha a changed Yehuda steps up to take responsibility and make up for the sins of the past. Next week we will meet a changed Yehuda, a changed Yosef and a changed Yaakov. It is not too late to renew and fulfill the promises of old.

May these Khanukah lights renew our commitment to the light of justice, human rights and all the promises we must yet fulfill

Rabbis for Human Rights recommends that you read these articles in Bereshit / Genesis

Vayhi: Transgressions and unnecessary violence in securing the land are unacceptable - January 5th, 2007
VaYyiggash: Spiritual liberty and freedom from greed and cruelty - December 29th, 2006
Toledot: Fearing our fellow man and fearing God - November 24th, 2006
Hayye Sara: Needs common to all humanity - November 17th, 2006
Vayyera: Examples of justice and right in this world - November 10th, 2006
Lekh-Lekha: Living up to the moral heritage that Avraham and Sarah have bequeathed us - November 4th, 2006
Noah: The Nature of Evil - October 27th, 2006
Bereshit: The ideal of Creation which is our responsibility to maintain - October 19th, 2006
Miqqez: It is not too late to renew and fulfill the promises of old - December 30th, 2005
Vayyeshev: What Are You Looking For? - December 22nd, 2005
Vayyeze: The Image of God in all - December 8th, 2005
Noah: Knowing how to protest and to effect change - November 4th, 2005
Vayyishlah: Pride and Innocence - December 5th, 2000

Rabbis for Human Rights recommends that you read these articles in Miqqez

Miqqez: Recognition & Rejection - December 7th, 2007
Miqqez: It is not too late to renew and fulfill the promises of old - December 30th, 2005

Categories: Bereshit / Genesis, Miqqez
Tags: Bo, human rights, palestinians, rest, settlers