Can you imagine a United States presidential nominee who hasn’t heard of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? Yet this week’s Torah portion tells us that only a few short years after Joseph dies, the new Egyptian monarch “did not know of Joseph,” and proceeded to enslave the Jewish people - Joseph’s children and grandchildren. Incredibly, the new pharaoh was blissfully unaware of the existence of the national hero who had single-handedly saved the entire region from starvation by famine!
The biblical commentator Kli Yakar puts an interesting spin on this verse. Certainly the new pharaoh dutifully attended his “Egyptian History 101” classes and was well versed in Joseph’s contributions to the Homeland. In fact, it is quite possible that Pharaoh was old enough to actually remember Joseph. Pharaoh’s “not knowing Joseph” has a much deeper meaning. It is what ultimately led to his downfall.
Joseph was the ultimate survivor. His ten brothers plotted against him and sold him into slavery; the moment he started seeing success in his capacity as an Egyptian butler, his master’s wife had him thrown into prison. But despite it all Joseph continued to rise, becoming the leader of the era’s global superpower.
He survived because he had a dream. His dream was that the stars, the sun, and the moon would bow down to him. And nothing could interfere with the realization of this goal.
We, Joseph’s nation, also have a dream. We have a vision of our nation living at peace in the Holy Land, with G‑d as our king and Moshiach as our leader. We dream of the day when the Holy Temple will once again stand in Jerusalem, “a House of Prayer for all nations.”
History is replete with kings and dictators who made the same mistake as Pharaoh. They failed to understand that we are the “People of the Dream,” and therefore the normal game rules do not apply to us. They thought – and think – that slavery, persecution, throwing babies into the Nile, gas chambers, suicide bombers, and nuclear weapons, can solve the “Jewish problem.” Yet, like a phoenix, we astound our enemies by rising from the ashes again and again.
Let us not make the same mistake as our enemies. Let us never forget who Joseph was, and that we are his heirs. We don’t play by the same rules because our existence is a result of our special relationship with G‑d. Let us focus more on the dream, and less on the game, and very soon it won’t be a dream any more!
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick