Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss' Sermon Dec 30, 2005

Freedom is the Guide to Jewish History

Last week, in the Torah, the trajectory of Jewish history turned on a dime, or perhaps, a shekel. But first, a little background is required to set up the moment. Joseph, the dreamer, who had the naiveté or perhaps the chutzpah, relates to his brothers and father of the dreams he had dreamed, the foretelling of his eventual sovereignty over them. That they, like sheaves of wheat, like the sun, the moon and stars in the sky, would bow down to him. And his brothers hate him in their hearts, the Torah tells us. Soon after, his brothers are pasturing the flock down near Shechem. Jacob, their father, calls upon Joseph, instructing him to go down to Shechem to see how his brothers are faring. To this, Joseph, doesn’t simply reply, “OK,” but instead with a response that seems to recognize the significance of the moment. He says to his father, “Hineni,” “Behold, here I am, ready to become.” This was not to be a normal day. And so he approached Shechem but his brothers were nowhere to be found. Then the Torah teaches, Vayimtzaehu ish, “A man came upon him and asked, Ma t’vakesh, for what are you searching?” “It is my brothers whom I desire, Joseph says.” The man tells him, “They have gone down to Dothan. You will find them there.” And thus the trajectory of Jewish history turned on a shekel. For had Joseph not been directed by this man and his question to find his brothers,

1. He would not have been sold into slavery.
2. He would not then have become a slave to Potiphar, the chief steward of Pharaoh.
3. He would not have then been seduced by Potiphar’s wife, causing him to be thrown into Pharaoh’s dungeons.
4. Then, he would not have correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharoah’s Chief cupbearer and Chief baker, who related to Joseph their dreams they had dreamt while in jail.
5. When the Pharaoh’s dream interpreters could not discern the meaning of Pharoah’s dreams, the cupbearer would not then have known to suggest that Joseph might be able to interpret the dreams.
6. Without that, Joseph would not have become the Vizier of Egypt, insuring that Egypt would store plenty of grain during the seven years of plenty to survive the subsequent seven years of famine.
7. His brothers and father would then not have come to Egypt for grain, thus leading Israel to make its home in Goshen, thus leading Israel to become enslaved in Egypt, thus leading to the birth of Moses, his departure and subsequent return, thus leading to the freeing of the Israelites thus leading to the dream of the Jewish people – the dream which Israel from then, through the ages until now as we are about to enter into the 7th year of the 21st century, has never ceased to seek to interpret. That dream is a dream implanted in the memory of every Jew – standing at Mt. Sinai, that once we were slaves and now we are free. And because we were slaves, insuring the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, creative, sexual, literary and artistic freedom of all human beings is the trajectory by which we are to judge our progress. How are we doing so far?

Tonight is of course Shabbat. But it’s also the second to last day of 2005. And let us not forget that it is the 6th night of Chanukah, as well as Rosh Chodesh, the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Tevet. This nexus of events remind us of Sabbath rest and a year’s conclusion as well as the ancient Temple’s rededication and the promise of a new month’s renewal. All four of these themes, delivered to us within this nexus falling upon December 30, 2005 do not hold much significance for the areas in our lives in which we are enslaved. If we are enslaved by our ever-pressing errands, chores and responsibilities, there really is no true and lasting rest. If we are enslaved by habit, resolutions are dead on arrival. If we are enslaved by yesterday’s desecrations of self, inflicted by ourselves or by others, rededication cannot take place. And if we are enslaved by limited and stifling expectations of ourselves and others, renewal is as frozen as a rootless vine.

The direction, the trajectory of the Jewish story is one that teaches, no, demands that we never allow our view of ourselves, as well as our view of others, to become hopeless. We are forever hopeful not because we, the Jewish people, have ever been blindly optimistic. But because we have never ceased to dream. Because the direction of Jewish history has always turned towards the greatest dream of the Jewish people - freedom. The kind of freedom that is forever in search of the most beautiful versions of ourselves. We, like Joseph, in search of his brothers, remain “in search” as well. The stranger, an angel, God, somewhere, someone is asking us, Ma t’vakesh? For what are you searching? In the new year of 2006, I hope and pray for all of us that much more than last year, our hearts will be pierced by the peace of Shabbat, the resolve of hope promised by a new year, the rededication of Chanukah to the sanctity of our bodies and the renewal of Rosh Chodesh, inspiring us ever and always to remember that time waxes and wanes with the waves of our lives. For what are you searching? I pray that this year, guided by freedom, we will find it.