Vayeshev - Rabbi M Diamond

The Light of Remembering

Vayeshev ("Jacob dwelt...")
Genesis 37:1-40:23
Haftarah: Amos 2:6 - 3:8

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
Executive Vice President
Board of Rabbis of Southern California


The weekly Torah portion focuses on the first part of Joseph's life. As a young boy, Joseph's extravagant dreams attract the wrath of his brothers, who sell him into slavery in Egypt. There he is thrown into prison by his master for crimes he did not commit. Joseph's fellow inmates include the royal cupbearer and royal baker, imprisoned for offending the king of Egypt. They too have unusual dreams, and Joseph interprets them to mean that the cupbearer will be set free by Pharaoh, while the baker will be hanged for his alleged offense.

As the parashah draws to a close, we learn that Joseph's prediction is true and accurate. The chief baker is sentenced to death, while the chief cupbearer is restored to his royal post. Sadly, the cupbearer does not reward his friend Joseph for his successful dream interpretation. The Torah reading closes with a terse statement:

"Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him." (Gen. 40:23)

It is odd that the text relates that the cupbearer did not remember Joseph, and then informs us that he forgot him. A standard principle of Jewish Biblical exegesis holds that no word in the Torah is redundant. Why then does the Torah state that he failed to remember him and he forgot him?

Rabbinic commentators offer a variety of creative answers to this question. Rashi writes that the cupbearer did not remember Joseph on that day, and he forgot about him afterwards. Why did he forget about Joseph? Because the latter had naively put his trust in the cupbearer rather than God. Therefore Joseph was doomed to spend two more years in prison.

Ibn Ezra takes a different approach to the text. He comments that the cupbearer did not remember Joseph by name when he appeared before Pharaoh and was freed by the king. And the royal servant forgot about Joseph "in his heart." Unlike Rashi, Ibn Ezra places all the blame squarely upon the cupbearer's shoulders, rather than the protagonist of the narrative.

Yet a third view is expressed by Rabbi Azariah Figo in his 17th century commentary known as Bina L'ittim (literally, "Understanding for the Times"). The author writes that Joseph did not place his trust in the cupbearer, and did not count on him for anything. Rather, we must understand the subject and object of the final phrase of the verse ("he forgot him") differently. It was Joseph who forgot about the cupbearer, not the cupbearer who forgot about Joseph! The young man never expected anything from his "friend," so he soon forgot about the king's servant.

Let me add my own commentary to these commentaries. The cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but Joseph bears a share of the blame for this disappointment. Joseph's failure was not in placing his trust in the cupbearer. Instead, he failed to do more to strengthen and cement their friendship. Relationships depend on both parties to forge strong and sure bonds of fellowship, trust and responsibility. Joseph forgot the true meaning of building and sustaining a relationship, so the cupbearer did not remember him when Joseph needed it the most. It would take two more years until the cupbearer finally recalled his former prison-mate in Pharaoh's hour of need.

As we approach Hanukkah, our thoughts turn to favorite foods and customs of this joyous festival. Latkes, sufganiyot, dreidels, gelt and gifts are standard Hanukkah fare in most homes. I humbly suggest that we devote some time during the holiday season in thoughtful contemplation of our relationships with loved ones, friends and colleagues. When we light candles and recite the prayer of thanksgiving on the first night of Hanukkah (Sheheheyanu), let's give thanks for the relationships that imbue our lives with purpose and meaning. And let's reflect on what more we can do to strengthen and¿??