"Empathy by Experience!"
Joseph recognizes his brothers when they come to Egypt,
to buy food but they do not recognize him.
He gives them grain and then
he demands that Benjamin,
(his full brother who didn’t make the journey with his other brothers)
be brought to Egypt.
The brothers relate this request to Jacob who
at first refuses to let Benjamin go.
Benjamin is the only surviving son from his beloved wife, Rachel,
who had died in childbirth.
Jacob is fearful for the safety of this beloved son.
As much as Jacob had never given up hope that Joseph was still alive,
he also was very aware of the story his sons had told him that
Joseph had been ravaged by wild animals.
He fears that Joseph is dead and yet he
also continues to hope that he is still alive somewhere.
The possibility of losing the only other remaining child of Rachel
was too much to bear,
too much to risk, too much to ask.
However, the increasing famine forced Jacob
to concede to Benjamin travelling to Egypt.
He only agrees when
both Judah and Reuven offer to guarantee his safe return.
Judah’s offer was accepted, Reuven’s was not.
Perhaps Jacob accepts Judah’s offer,
because Judah had also suffered the loss of children.
Judah had experienced the loss of two of his sons.
He knew what losing a child feels like.
He knew the grief it would cause if Benjamin were not to return.
Our experiences help us have insight into those of others.
When we suffer and feel loss,
we are capable of greater empathy with others.
When we are happy and our hearts are full
we have a greater understanding of what that might feel like in others.
On Chanukah we
sit by the candles and meditate on the fire,
on God, on our lives, and on the lives of others.
May we be able to hold space for others and
to be like Judah,
who used his experiences to have greater empathy for others,
to be sensitive to their needs and fears and
then know how to act accordingly.
Shabbat shalom, Chanukah Sameach and Chodesh Tov,
Elissa
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