Vayeishev

I was working on my campaign for a position on my school’s student government at the end of last school year.  I had come up with some really great ideas and I couldn’t wait to put them all together into my speech.  One of my classmates saw how successful I was being and approached me and asked me to help them brainstorm some ideas for their campaign.  Being the person I am, I jumped at the opportunity and began brainstorming catchy slogans and coming up with new ideas that my classmate could try to implement next school year.  After this brainstorming session my classmate and I went our separate ways.

A few weeks later when it was time to present our speeches to the student body and faculty, I wished my competitors good luck and I took my seat.  The classmate that I had helped early in the campaigning process was up first.  As they started giving their speech and mentioning the new ideas they wanted to implement, they included my idea, but didn’t give me any credit for it.  I was taken back.  Someone who seemed so kind had just used my idea without giving me credit for it. This left a bad feeling about my classmate.  This made me question whether helping people without being given any credit in this situation, was something I was okey with, because it seemed wrong. Have you ever been in a situation where you after helping someone they didn’t say thank you or give you credit for your help, and you left the situation feeling regretful and uncertain?

In this weeks Torah portion Vayeishev, Jacob settles in Hebron with his twelve sons. Jacob’s favorite son Joseph receives a precious multi colored coat that essentially symbolizes Jacob’s favoritism for Joseph.  Later on in the parsha, Joseph has two dreams that allow him to see the future.  This makes Joseph’s brother envy and hate him even more.  Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob’s sons, plot to kill Joseph, but Reuben another one of Jacob’s sons, suggests that they throw him into a pit instead, that way they can choose if they want to bring him back into the family later on after seeing their fathers reaction when they report Joseph’s absence.

While Joseph is in the pit, Judah, another one of Jacob’s sons, has Joseph sold to a group of passing Ishmaelites. After Judah fills the brothers in on the deal he had just made, the brothers dip Joseph’s special coat in the blood of a goat to show their father, leading him to believe that Joseph was dead.

Joseph is taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, the minister in charge of Pharaoh’s slaughterhouses.  Potiphar’s wife starts to desires Joseph.  When Joseph, rejects her advances, she has him thrown into prison.  In prison, Joseph meets Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker, both incarcerated for offending their royal master. Both the butler and baker have disturbing dreams, which Joseph interprets.  Joseph’s predictions become true, and when the butler is released the butler forgets all about Joseph and does nothing to repay him for his help.

I was surprised that after Joseph interpreted the butler’s dream, and it comes true that the butler forgets about Joseph and doesn’t find a way to repay him after his hard work.

On the other hand,maybe the butler doesn’t find a way to repay Joseph because the butler was not an honest man and he just used Joseph and had no intention of ever repaying him for his work.  Although it doesn’t make sense that the butler would not repay Joseph, because jail was supposed to turn people into honest men.

Maybe it was God all along, and He was the one that did not allow for the butler to repay Joseph because He wanted Joseph’s suffering in jail to take a toll on him and make him a better leader and person, so he could grow from the experience.

Sometimes in life when we don’t get our way or get treated fairly or receive credit that we deserve we feel upset and mistreated.  What we have to remember is that we shouldn’t do things for the credit.  We should do things because we want to and they mean something to us.

I hope all of us take away from this Dvar Torah, that sometimes in life it isn’t about the credit.  Things happen for a reason and God is always looking after us, to make sure we make the right choices and get what we deserve, even though it means not always being favored or treated nicely like Joseph was by his father.

Good Shabbos!

Mikayla Kimmel