Va'era - 75 Years

It’s a Shabbat afternoon on the 13th Shevat, only two days before Tu Bishvat, the New Year for Trees. 

It is 3.00 pm

The sky is a nondescript grey and the ground visibly muddy. It has obviously been raining recently.

This sounds like an ordinary January day.

In Jewish synagogues around the world, the Parsha (Weekly Portion) of Beshalach which recalls the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds (Yam Suf) has been recited a few hours earlier.

Except, this isn't your "average Shabbat in January", it is a date that has ingrained itself into the annals of world history.

The date is 27th January 1945 - Auschwitz is being liberated.

The descendants of those Jews who crossed the Yam Suf, another group of slaves, are on the brink of leaving another Hellhole. This one, north-west of Egypt.

3,000 years after a different, more triumphant Exodus.

Lt.-Col. Anatoly Shapiro was a highly decorated Soviet Red Army officer and Ukrainian Jew who commanded the 1085^th ‘Tarnopol’ Rifle Regiment that liberated Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.

Shapiro was born in Konstantinograd, Russia on January 18, 1913. He studied engineering in high school before joining the Red Army in 1935. During the war, Shapiro was decorated for gallantry and wounded during the battle of Kursk.

On the morning of the 27 January, Shapiro and his men began their siege of Auschwitz and met heavy resistance.

After advancing across the Sola River, Shapiro gave the order to enter the camp. By then most of the prisoners had been sent on a death march toward Germany.

The soldiers found about 650 corpses inside the barracks and near them — mostly women who died of exhaustion or were shot by the SS the night before.

(https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/anatoly-shapiro)

In an interview decades later, Shapiro said:

"I had seen many innocent people killed. I had seen hanged people. But I was still unprepared for Auschwitz….The stench was overpowering. It was a women’s barracks, and there were frozen pools of blood, and dead bodies lay on the floor.

In a barracks with the sign Kinder, Shapiro and his men found only two children alive. They found more in the hospital who mistook him for a Nazi soldier there to take them to the gas chambers and screamed, “We are not Jews!” They were Jews. “This was the hardest sight of all,” Shapiro said.

Altogether, the Soviet troops found at least 1,200 emaciated survivors in Auschwitz and another 5,800 at Birkenau. They fed them but most could not eat because they were too malnourished. Ultimately, another soldier said the Red Army managed to save 2,819 inmates in Red Army Military Hospital 2962.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoly_Shapiro)

Genesis 12:1-4

(1) The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you And curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.” (4) Abram went forth as the LORD had commanded him, and Lot went with him.

Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

For many of the 7,000 ill and dying survivors, the native terrains and fathers' houses from which they had been forcibly removed were but a distant memory and the land that they would be shown, did not feature in their eye-lines - 

75 years ago.

The thought of this decimated nation being great again, let alone blessed was not at the forefront of their minds. 

Why had the monsters who beat them and murdered their parents not been cursed? 

Where were the blessings emanating from the earth's families?

Where indeed?

What is 75 years?

Is it just a number?

A notch on a walking stick? 

What does the number signify, that we should be marking it so thoughtfully this year?

Does the number mean any more than the one that preceded it?

At 75 years old, Abram had witnessed a great deal - maybe not as many startling developments that we have seen in our own lifetimes - but enough to tell him that this was the opportunity to take a step into the unknown - wherever that may have led him.

As he stood on the banks of a river in Haran, north of Israel, or maybe inside a quiet room in his home, he faced an uncertain future, where belief in Gd was paramount to the decision he was about to make, one which would affect the rest of his life.

Returning to our survivors on that day - did they feel the same way?

Did they know where they would end up - where life would lead them?

How they could depart from the place that had been their "home" - the death camp that was the only location that they could verify as being in existence.

Did they have anywhere else to return to?

In this week's parsha of Va'era, we read about the suffering of the Israelites under the cruel leadership of Pharaoh. The punishing, crushing, daily grind under sadistic Egyptian task masters.

How many died in those travails?

How many wondered whether they would ever feel the oxygen of being liberated - yet knowing, at the same time that, as bad as things were, at least they knew where they were.

Egypt was hell, but Egypt was home.

The English theologian and historian Thomas Fuller is credited as having been the first person to put to print the phrase (1650):

 "It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth" in his religious travelogue ‘A Pisgah Sight of Palestine and the Confines Thereof".

Back in Egypt, the situation for the Israelites was dire. Moshe and Aaron then turn up and introduce a new narrative into their suffering - the start of the Ten Plagues.

You would think that one of these would be enough to assure their freedom, but each time, Pharaoh refuses to change his mind. Egypt is smitten whilst the Israelites continue to suffer the torments of their slavery. 

Whilst Europe was being liberated post D-Day, the Nazis were accelerating the slaughter - right until the night before Auschwitz was captured.

Yet - yet, chinks of light, albeit of a minuscule quantity are starting to break through the darkness (although that's the 9th plague and we read about it next week!). 

It is the darkest hour and 75 years ago, as our people stood (if they could) and gazed weakly at the Soviet liberators, they must have known that, at least now, they had the option to make that move. Even in their darkest hour.

Just like the Israelites - even when all hope seemed to vanish, the survivors refused to capitulate. 

Like Abram, our ancestor, they manoeuvred their bodies, reconnected with their souls and  did everything they could to start afresh in the lands that they would travel to – returning to Germany, coming to the UK as ‘The Boys’ or taking the boat to America to start their lives anew.

For many, the fledgling state of Israel, not yet formed, not yet an entity but doing what it could to bring them in by the thousands – was the only option they would consider and another Exodus awaited them -  in 1947 and the famous boat’s enforced return to Germany being a key factor in the events leading to the United Nations’ partition vote in November of that year.

Genesis 12:1-2

(1) The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.

And 75 years later, here we are. In our native locations, whether in Israel or the UK, America or dare I say it, Germany. We have become a great nation again. We have been blessed, we are known throughout the world and there are some who do bless us.

75 years after the gates of Auschwitz were pried open.

In Gematria, the number 75 is represented by the letters ע and ה

Together, they form the acronym עה which represents the phrase עליו השלום  "may peace be upon him" the blessing we use when remembering someone who has passed away.

On this anniversary, let us remember the people we lost in Auschwitz and the entire Six Million souls and may peace be upon them – עליהם השלום

After 75 years, we have a duty to remember them, through our actions and the contributions we will continue to make, both within the Nation of Israel and to our Gentile neighbours - to further the commandment that Gd gave to Abram three millennia ago. Let them bless us and bring to fruition Gd’s promise to him.

May Gd also give us the strength, the chizuk to grow from strength the strength and remind us that our future and past and inexorably linked, both with the subsequent 75 earthly trips around the sun and many, many more in the future.

Shabbat Shalom.

Vayechi - The Power of Joseph and The Leadership of Jacob

I am going to use three well known quotes in this sermon: 

1. Shakespeare (c. 1596-1599): "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" (Henry IV Part II Act 3)
2. French National Convention (1793 - attributed to Voltaire but not supported by evidence) "Ils doivent envisager qu’une grande responsabilité est la suite inséparable d’un grand pouvoir." - roughly translated as " They must consider that great responsibility follows inseparably from great power."
3. Lord Acton (1887) "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

A number of events have taken place around the world since we met last Shabbat, not least the targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, under the direct orders of President Trump.

I am not going to comment on the rights or wrongs of this action, but the tragic downing of a Ukrainian airline which killed 176 people by Iran, along with deaths of dozens of mourners at his funeral highlight the repercussions of terminating the life of a thoroughly evil human being.

As my quotes highlighted, power is a very delicate tool - which can be used and misused in equal measure - to highly beneficial or intensely destructive ends.

This week's pasha details both the final days of Jacob and of his favourite son, Joseph.

As Jacob lies dying, the Torah tells us:

Genesis 49:1-2

(1) And Jacob called his sons and said, “Come together that I may tell you what is to befall you in days to come. (2) Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father:

Rashi on Genesis 49:1:1

ואגידה לכם THAT I MAY TELL YOU — He wished to reveal to them the end of Israel’s exile but the Shechinah departed from him and he began to speak of other things (Genesis Rabbah 98:2).

Jacob has gathered all his sons together and is about to use his power to reveal how their history will pan out. What will happen when Mashiach comes, but his Divine gift is removed from him and instead, he uses his abilities to bless them, to set them on their way - to lay out a route that they may follow.

Although some of the blessings seem like curses....

Genesis 49:3-4

(3) Reuben, you are my first-born, my might and first fruit of my vigour, Exceeding in rank And exceeding in honour. (4) Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer...

Genesis 49:5-7

(5) Simeon and Levi are a pair; Their weapons are tools of lawlessness. (6) Let not my person be included in their council, let not my being be counted in their assembly. For when angry they slay men, and when pleased they maim oxen. (7) Cursed be their anger so fierce, And their wrath so relentless. I will divide them in Jacob, Scatter them in Israel.

Rabbi Sacks in this week's Covenant and Conversation writes:

"the fact that he is blessing all twelve together in the same room before at the same time...we have not yet seen this before. There is no record of Abraham blessing either Ishmael or Isaac. Isaac blesses Esau and Jacob separately. 

The mere fact that Jacob is able to gather his sons together is unprecedented and important. In the next chapter - the first of Exodus - the Israelites are, for the first time described as a people. It is hard to see how they could live together as a people if they could not live together as a family."

Jacob knows the crucial role he has a father of the nascent Jewish people. He understands the responsibilities that are inherent in his position. He knows that, even if he has harsh words to say to his eldest three sons - they will be righteous and wise enough to see these as constructive criticisms, borne out of paternal devotion and love. As they call it these days - "tough love". As Shakespeare wrote, for Jacob "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown", yet, "with great power comes great responsibility".

The result we see in the next book of the Torah leads us to the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah and ultimately, the preparation for entering the Land of Israel at the end of Devarim/Deuteronomy.

Although Gd removed the Shechinah (holy spirit/ability to prophesy) at the outset of his address, this did not impede his ability to "do the right thing" as a father and leader.

Examining Joseph's use of the power invested in his position, brings us to a different conclusion.

A few weeks ago, we read how Joseph, at the age of 30 has been placed in the highest position possible by Pharaoh.

Lord Sacks reminds us how:

"During the plentiful years, Joseph travels around the country, arranges for collection of grain from the farmers and ensures that it's all stored safely. As the drought takes over and deepens, the entire nation turns to him for food."

But slowly. his position of authority starts to fill his head with new, dangerous ideas.

When the Egyptians have used up all their money for buying grain, they come to Joseph asking for food, telling him that they will die without it. He tells them that he will sell it back to them in exchange for ownership of their livestock. They comply and bring their horses, donkeys, sheep and cattle.

The following year, he sells them grain in exchange for their land. The result being that within three short years, he has transferred ownership of all the money, livestock and private land to Pharaoh (excluding the lands of the Priests).

Genesis 47:21

And he removed the population town by town, from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.

The Torah is describing a situation whereby Pharaoh has total ownership of the people, their belongings and wealth. In other words, the Egyptian people themselves have become enslaved to Pharaoh.

בראשית מ״ז:י״ט

(יט) לָ֧מָּה נָמ֣וּת לְעֵינֶ֗יךָ גַּם־אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ גַּ֣ם אַדְמָתֵ֔נוּ קְנֵֽה־אֹתָ֥נוּ וְאֶת־אַדְמָתֵ֖נוּ בַּלָּ֑חֶם וְנִֽהְיֶ֞ה אֲנַ֤חְנוּ וְאַדְמָתֵ֙נוּ֙ עֲבָדִ֣ים לְפַרְעֹ֔ה וְתֶן־זֶ֗רַע וְנִֽחְיֶה֙ וְלֹ֣א נָמ֔וּת וְהָאֲדָמָ֖ה לֹ֥א תֵשָֽׁם׃

Genesis 47:19

Let us not perish before your eyes, both we and our land. Take us and our land in exchange for bread, and we with our land will be slaves to Pharaoh; provide the seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become a waste.”

בראשית מ״ז:כ״ה

(כה) וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ הֶחֱיִתָ֑נוּ נִמְצָא־חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְהָיִ֥ינוּ עֲבָדִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹֽה׃

Genesis 47:25

And they said, “You have saved our lives! We are grateful to my lord, and we shall be slaves to Pharaoh.”

Rabbi Sacks then writes:

"We tend to assume that the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt was a consequence of, and punishment for, the brothers selling Joseph as a slave. But Joseph himself turned the Egyptians into a nation of slaves. What is more, he created the highly centralised power that would eventually be used against his people".

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It is reasonable to suggest that Joseph's actions were designed with the most altruistic of purposes. Our Rabbis even refer to him as Yoseph HaTzadik (Joseph the Righteous One - the only one of our Biblical Patriarchs who is given this moniker as a result of his resisting the amorous advances of Mrs Potiphar and maintaining his monotheistic beliefs in a the idolatrous country that was Egypt)

Yet, despite his best intentions, he felt (and knew) that he had a role to play. 

Let's not forget that he was second-in-command to Pharaoh and therefore entrusted with devising policies that would ensure the best outcome for the country he now considered his home. Nevertheless, the result of these economic blueprints would have long lasting ramifications our ancestors.

As we later learn, at the start of the parsha/portion of Shemot (Exodus) a new Pharaoh arose, "who knew not Joseph". 

Joseph's power had indeed released the proverbial genie from the bottle.

Jacob and Joseph demonstrate how fickle the use of power can be, even when deployed with the best of intentions.

Jacob understood that he had a crucial role to play and even when limited by forces that were beyond his control, was able to view the landscape with a foresight that ensured the smooth transition of leadership to a new generation.

His son, however, maybe due to a very different experience of life, made very human and understandable mistakes which ultimately led to the enslavement of an entire population by an individual whose outlook on the world was vastly different to his.

This resulted in the destruction of his entire army in the raging waters of the Sea of Reeds many years later, along with the decimation of the country that he had pledged to save during the years of the drought (via the ten plagues).

With great power, comes great responsibility and it behoves us to remember how important this is when we are granted the ability to make a difference.

That we are still here today, after all these years, testifies to the fact that our ancestors followed Jacob's example, over Joseph's.

Shabbat Shalom.

Vayigash - 'Little Women' in The Court of Pharaoh

Last week, my wife and I went to the see the newest film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's semi auto-biographical novel, 'Little Women', which was simply wonderful. 

I have long been a huge fan of this story, perhaps because I can relate to the tale of four headstrong young ladies, which remind me of my own four daughters! The March girls don't have an easy time, growing up during the American Civil War, with a father who is absent for most of the time and who gets wounded in battle, but this is more than compensated for by the presence of their gentle and stoic 'Marmee'. 

Amongst the many events that take place, a few stand out in my mind, most notably, the rivalry between Amy, the youngest of the girls and her older sister Jo, an aspiring writer.

In one pivotal scene, Jo and Meg have been invited to the theatre by their neighbour, the handsome Laurie. Amy begs to come along but is refused from doing so by Jo, even though Meg (the oldest sister) would gladly relinquish her seat. Whilst the girls are out, Amy spitefully finds Jo's manuscript hidden in a drawer and gleefully sets it alight, burning the entire tome.

Jo only finds out about this the next morning when she searches for the said manuscript. The ensuing scenes demonstrate Jo's fury at her sister's actions as she refuses to speak with her.

As an only child, I was never privy to the vagaries of sibling rivalry. I was fortunate in that I didn't grow up needing to share my valuable possessions with others. As a father of a progressively increasing family, I found it challenging to understand the concept of siblings fighting over clothes and needing to mark their territory, both figuratively and physically. It was a concept that was simply alien to me.

At the same time, my one wish for as long as I can recall, was to be blessed with a sibling (preferably a brother).

With all of this in mind, I wonder how it must have felt to have been Joseph, now that he was reuniting with his brothers?

The Torah's recording of that moment is described vividly in this week's Parsha:

Genesis 45

(3) Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still well?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dumbfounded were they on account of him.

(4) Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come forward to me.” And when they came forward, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt.

Can you just imagine the scene?

How dumbfounded the brothers must have felt when Joseph revealed his identity to them?

What could they say?

Like Jo (his namesake), Joseph's anger towards his brothers (aka Amy) could have resulted in his not wishing to communicate with them again.

But here we are, with his brothers having fallen deeply into the bottomless pit of despair brought on by a drought in the region - he is giving them a lifeline, despite everything that has happened.

He continues:

Genesis 45

(5) Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me hither; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you.

Reading the story carefully, we note that Joseph is very quick to move on from shocking his brethren to ensuring that they know they are forgiven and that, as far as he is concerned, he would like to "move on".

Going back to 'Little Women', soon after the fight, Jo and Laurie go skating on the frozen lake near their home. Amy follows them and falls into the freezing water, only to be saved by Jo – who too provides her sister with a literal ‘lifeline’.

As Amy recuperates in bed, Jo blames herself for what has happened and realises that she could have been responsible for Amy's death. The burnt manuscript becomes but a memory.

Knowing myself, I would have probably rowed with my brother and hopefully made up, because he could have been the only person who would have truly understood the person that I am.

Modern and ancient history is replete with stories of sibling rivalry that has torn valuable foundations apart.

In music - can you imagine what musical gifts we could have received had Ray and Dave Davies not let their fraternal squabbles sink the wonderful Kinks?

What if Noel and Liam Gallagher, the talented brothers behind Oasis had not squabbled and destroyed the excellent group that they had formed together?

What about the rivalry that converted the harmonious melodies of the Everly Brothers into single voices? It took nearly thirty years for them to reunite, fortunately before Phil died in 2014. What a lost opportunity!

The book of Bereshit is replete with instances of sibling rivalry, some of which lead to reconciliations like that of Isaac and Ishmael and to a certain degree, Jacob and Esau - and those that cannot be repaired, like Cain and Abel.

And as we reach the end of the book, we realise that, like Jo and Amy, Joseph and his brothers are examples of how precious sibling relationships are.

In my case, it will always be a question of what if - but I'd like to believe that were I to have had a brother, I would still be close to him, through thick and thin.

As we look towards the Book of Shemot and marvel at the love between Moshe, Aharon and Miriam, we see that, at the heart of a truly great nation is a truly great relationship between siblings.

After all, this nuclear family was the beacon that Gd used to guide us through the desert into the land of Israel!

Shabbat Shalom.