Vayashev 5779

Be courageous and take note of injustice

Rabbi Lea Mühlstein 1 December 2018

Bat Mitzvah: Holly Bell

Listening to Holly’s wise D’var Torah about the importance of courage and the need to speak out, reminded me of my recent visit to the new National Museum of African American History in Washington DC. As Holly pointed out, it was 63 years ago today that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in an act of defiance that provided essential momentum for the American Civil Rights Movement. The section of the museum, which focuses on the civil rights movement, was, in my opinion, a real highlight, engaging the visitor in a convincing and educational manner.

The exhibition includes an interactive “Segregated Lunch Counter” designed to teach visitors about the methods and organisational approaches used by activists for protests during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The dramatic interactive installation includes multi-touch screens embedded into a modern interpretation of a Woolworth’s lunch counter, that is set in front of a 35-foot projection screen. As part of the overall exhibit, in a display case next to this media experience, is an actual stool from the Greensboro Woolworth’s Sit-In of 1960.

The interactive counter enables visitors to explore critical actions taken during the Civil Rights Movement to affect national laws and influence future events. Broken down into a literal menu of twelve smaller movements, the interactive covers marches, sit-ins, freedom rides, bus boycotts, school desegregation, urban rebellions, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, militancy, economic justice, gains and losses, and leadership.

To begin the interactive experience, visitors virtually step into the shoes of event organisers and participants by selecting one of the twelve movements. To test visitors’ level of willpower, determination, and courage to make difficult choices, they are asked to think about how they would respond if faced with these situations. Once they make a choice, visitors can see statistically where their choice aligns with past users of the experience.

I chose to learn more about the lunch counter sit-ins. The first few questions were easy to answer: would you be brave enough to walk up to the lunch counter, take a seat and ask to be served, even though you know that people like you will not be served? Yes, I think I would have enough courage. Would you be brave enough to just remain seated even once you were refused service? Yes, I would probably pluck up the courage for that as well. But then came the tricky question: how would you react when other people start abusing you – verbally and physically?

Would you be able to continue sitting peacefully until the end of the day? Would you fight back? Or would you eventually decide it was too much to endure and leave?

It is a hard question to ask oneself – of course, I wish that I were brave and courageous enough but I wanted to be realistic and so I decided to answer that in all likelihood I would

eventually decide to leave. Much to my surprise 68% of visitors had replied that they would be able to endure and just remain seated. On one hand, I was glad to see how many people felt so courageous and it is incredible to think that over 70,000 people took part in the sit-ins but at the same time we know from history that only very few people were actually able to endure the really bad abuse. We might all wish that we were so courageous, yet when it really comes to it, history teaches us that sadly too few people actually are.

In our Torah portion, it is Reuven who acts as a role model of courage. His actions stand in contrast to the way in which Joseph’s life is portrayed by the Bible. As Prof. Yael Tzohar from the Department of Bible at Bar-Ilan University points out: “One can almost visualise Joseph as a marionette at the end of the string, being dragged and manipulated through strange adventures.”

Joseph seems to drift through life from his days as a beloved lad in his father's house, through his sale to Egypt, his success in Potiphar's house, and then his being thrown in the dungeon, and finally his rise to the Egyptian throne.

But Tzohar also notes that while in the Biblical narrative God directs the world, human beings are not normally passive puppets; the individual's personality and deeds affect the course of events. Therefore we must ask, what part did Joseph play in his own adventures? What trait in his personality got him into trouble, embroiling him in such difficult, extreme situations?

Although a variety of answers have been given to this question, Tzohar brings out a certain aspect of Joseph's character that finds expression in the different stories: naivety and trust in people. He did not sense the intensity of hatred and jealousy felt towards him (by his brothers) nor did he believe that a person could lie and accuse someone falsely out of vengefulness as happens to him later in the story when he meets Potiphar's wife. In fact, the passage, which Holly read earlier can be understood better in the light of Joseph's innocence. When Joseph is sent by his father to find his brothers in the field, the text explicitly notes that Joseph could have told his father that he had not found them in Shechem, but he made great efforts to find them.

From the way he put his words to the person who found him in the fields, one can see Joseph's determination to carry out his mission and find his brothers: "I am looking for my brothers." Even though they were alone in the fields, he did not suspect them and had no qualms about approaching them. The Midrash stresses Joseph's positive feelings: "'When Joseph came up to his brothers' -- R. Eleazar said, he came praising them," and Rashi said, "He came with praise, rejoicing."

Based on this reading, Yael Tzohar concludes that Joseph was not simply a victim of circumstances beyond his control. His lack of awareness and insensitivity to the evil that can be in people were the main factors that got him into trouble.

Maybe our passage is actually trying to teach us an additional lesson about courage – in order to act courageously we must not lack awareness nor be insensitive to the evil. The character of young Joseph warns us of the danger of turning a blind eye to evil; the character of Reuven reminds us of the importance of courage, because in order to improve our world step by step, we must have both – those who highlight injustice and those who will lead with courage. May God grant us to have one or both of these qualities.

Ken Yehi Ratzon – May this be God’s will.