In A Real Place

This week’s Torah portion is Vayigash, which means, and he approached. Joseph, viceroy of Egypt, had framed Benjamin, his youngest brother, in order to take him into custody and find out whether his brothers would abandon Benjamin, as they once abandoned him. As this portion opens, Judah, the fourth brother, who had promised their Father, Jacob, to return Benjamin unharmed, comes forward to plead for Benjamin’s freedom. His speech to the Viceroy Joseph, not knowing that Joseph is his brother, is said to be one of the most beautiful orations in the Torah. He says, toward the end: “Now please let your servant remain in place of the youth as a servant to my lord, and let the youth go up with his brothers (Gen 44:33),” offering himself as a slave so that Benjamin can go free. By sacrificing himself, Judah melts Joseph’s heart and Joseph then reveals himself to his brothers.
Judah, the fourth brother was the child of Leah and Jacob. When Leah gave birth to him, she said, “This time I will give thanks to God,’ therefore she called his name Judah.” This is significant because, in next week’s portion, Judah receives a blessing from his father, Jacob, appointing him the leader of the family, and also giving him a prophecy: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a scholar from among his descendants until Shiloh arrives.” This prophecy has come true. The leadership never departed from the tribe of Judah, for we are descended mainly through Leah and Jacob, from Judah, and some of us from Levi. Most of the other tribes were assimilated into the Assyrian Empire. And we, who call ourselves Jews today, are called Jews because of Judah, because we are mostly of Judah. When Leah said, now I will give thanks to God, she named us, those who give thanks. Judah is that same word we have spoken about: Toda, thank you; Modim, we give thanks; and Tov L’hodot, it is good to give thanks. What is a Jew? Who are we? We are those who give thanks, who express gratitude to God.
In saying who we are, it is also important to say who we are not. We are not a people who affirm the innate sinfulness of human beings. We are not taught to go through our days laden with guilt and fear; and so far removed from God by our transgressions that the divide is unbridgeable. We place ourselves, through gratitude, in a realistic place, Makom, in Hebrew. When we do something for someone else, usually that person thanks us, expressing their gratitude. In terms of interpersonal dynamics, by doing something nice for someone we put ourselves in a place of humility relative to that person. Our act of goodness allows the other person, likewise, to inhabit a new place, a place of humility, from which their gratitude can flow. This mutual lowering is actually a relaxation: allowing ourselves to be who we really are: not constantly struggling to prove that we are better than others, but inhabiting the place from which we can express our finest qualities and feel our connection to God and each other.
This place, Makom, is our true place, for Makom is another word for the Divine Presence. When we live from the place of Divinity, which is our true reality, we are naturally able to express many things: our gratitude for life, for all the gifts that we are given by God and the Universe; love and appreciation for each other, and our feeling of relief at finally being able to live in that thankful and prayerful place.
The Baal Shem Tov taught, as quoted in the teachings of Rabbi Elimelech, that “the highest levels of prayer are when prayers are directed at God to elevate the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, and to end the Shechinah’s exile, not because of our own suffering, but rather because of the suffering of the Divine Presence, which is exiled along with us. This transforms the prayer service into a prayer for the Shechinah rather than for ourselves.” In the same way, when we do something nice for someone, we heal the divide between earth and heaven.
In this New Year, there will be many opportunities to put ourselves into a real relation, a real place, Makom, with others. Every time we choose to be in that holy place, we not only feel better about ourselves, but we serve as a connection between earth and heaven. May we choose lovingly all year, and may we express great joy and gratitude for all the opportunities given us, to do so.