Miketz 2008 Shapiro

Then and Now

by Rabbi Zachary Shapiro
Temple Akiba of Culver City

25 years ago this Shabbat, Shabbat Miketz, I ascended the Bimah as a Bar Mitzvah. The big thing that year was having the party recorded on a Beta video tape. Every once in a while, I look at the footage of dancing with my parents, grandparents, and even my great-grandfather. It's a great memory to relive. And as I watch, I begin to ask, "Does this 38 year old Zach truly recognize the 13 year old Zach?"

Parashat Miketz paints a similar scenario. Joseph, the Prime Minister of Egypt, is most likely about 38 years old when he comes face to face with his past, as his estranged brothers have come from Canaan to procure food during the famine. The years of servitude, slavery, and imprisonment have certainly transformed Joseph from a boastful youth into a worldly thinker. But something happens when Joseph confronts his brothers. He no longer is the great power. Rather he reverts to the little boy who still can't communicate effectively with his brothers. The problem is that the 38 year old Joseph doesn't really recognize his younger self. Instead, he becomes his younger self.

Joseph's internal struggle is one of the most emotionally laden epics in our Torah. He wrestles with his soul. And we are reminded that despite our intellectual, physical, and spiritual growths, we can never make real progress until we face ourselves.

And perhaps it's the same for us. Our sacred careers are so focussed on helping those around us to move forward in their lives. But all too often we aren't able to do the same in our own lives. Over the next few days, when things may be a bit slower, it's a good time to take out the old photos and begin to recognize our younger selves. Who were we then? Who are we now? What were we challenged by years ago? Have we ever really faced those challenges, or have we simply avoided them? And what will it take to move forward?

May the lights of this season increase through the enlightenment of our self-awareness. And may the light that self-awareness bridge Heaven and Earth, and human to human.

Chag Chanukah Sameach!