Timeless Torah

The Biblical story of Joseph is replete with recurring themes. From cloaks of many colors to dreams, from lowly pits and dungeons to family reunions, this complex and serpentine tale captures our imagination for three fascinating Torah portions.

At first glance, there is nothing intrinsically ‘religious’ about the story. All along the journeys of Abraham or the Binding of Isaac, G-d plays an unmistakable role. Even in the dream of Jacob, it is Hashem who stands at the head of the ladder. Throughout Genesis, G-d moves in and out of the narrative as if He were the central character - which in fact, He is. But in the drama of Joseph, G-d is glaringly absent.

But it is a mistake to think thus. In its deeper structure, the story is very much a religious one. It contains, in almost perfect symmetry, the single, most basic religious message that man must learn. Everything that one does creates a reverberation, an echo that will resonate at some future point in history.
Let us first deal with the cloak of many hues. After the brothers strip Joseph of the garment they dip it into the blood of a slaughtered goat. Jacob, upon recognizing the distinctive cloth cries out, “Joseph is surely slain.” And so Jacob is deceived by a cloak.

But is this not an echo of an act which Jacob himself had performed? Did he then not fool his blind father, Isaac, by wrapping his arms in a garment? One made from the skin of a goat?

Of course, one will argue that Jacob's deception was necessary. A spiritual catastrophe would have ensued had Esau received the blessing. But the inescapable fact is that Jacob used the goat and clothing as tools of deceit. In doing so he created his own echo, one that inevitably would come back to haunt him.
Further echoes: The Torah says, “He took him and cast Joseph into the pit.” Who is this anonymous “he”? According to the Midrash, it is Shimon. Twenty two years later, one of the brothers is detained and thrown into a pit. Of course, it was Shimon.

The balance is unnerving. The brothers had accused Joseph of bearing tales to their father; now they are charged with being spies. Dreams force Joseph into the pit; dreams release him from prison.
On and on it goes. There are dozens of other examples, confirming that all actions create reactions. Up until this Biblical tale, one might have seen man as a pawn maneuvered by a Master Puppeteer. The Joseph story informs us that G-d allows man to captain his ship and chart his own destiny.

As they say, “The ball is in your court.” Can there be any more significant religious message than this?