The stage is set for the founding of the Jewish nation. But all does not proceed smoothly. There is tension in the house of Jacob.

בראשית לז

(א) וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יַעֲקֹ֔ב בְּאֶ֖רֶץ מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֖רֶץ כְּנָֽעַן׃ (ב) אֵ֣לֶּה׀ תֹּלְד֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (ג) וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכׇּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים׃ (ד) וַיִּרְא֣וּ אֶחָ֗יו כִּֽי־אֹת֞וֹ אָהַ֤ב אֲבִיהֶם֙ מִכׇּל־אֶחָ֔יו וַֽיִּשְׂנְא֖וּ אֹת֑וֹ וְלֹ֥א יָכְל֖וּ דַּבְּר֥וֹ לְשָׁלֹֽם׃ (ה) וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם יוֹסֵף֙ חֲל֔וֹם וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיּוֹסִ֥פוּ ע֖וֹד שְׂנֹ֥א אֹתֽוֹ׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֕א הַחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָלָֽמְתִּי׃ (ז) וְ֠הִנֵּ֠ה אֲנַ֜חְנוּ מְאַלְּמִ֤ים אֲלֻמִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה קָ֥מָה אֲלֻמָּתִ֖י וְגַם־נִצָּ֑בָה וְהִנֵּ֤ה תְסֻבֶּ֙ינָה֙ אֲלֻמֹּ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֖יןָ לַאֲלֻמָּתִֽי׃ (ח) וַיֹּ֤אמְרוּ לוֹ֙ אֶחָ֔יו הֲמָלֹ֤ךְ תִּמְלֹךְ֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ אִם־מָשׁ֥וֹל תִּמְשֹׁ֖ל בָּ֑נוּ וַיּוֹסִ֤פוּ עוֹד֙ שְׂנֹ֣א אֹת֔וֹ עַל־חֲלֹמֹתָ֖יו וְעַל־דְּבָרָֽיו׃ (ט) וַיַּחֲלֹ֥ם עוֹד֙ חֲל֣וֹם אַחֵ֔ר וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ לְאֶחָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֨ה חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי חֲלוֹם֙ ע֔וֹד וְהִנֵּ֧ה הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵ֗חַ וְאַחַ֤ד עָשָׂר֙ כּֽוֹכָבִ֔ים מִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֖ים לִֽי׃ (י) וַיְסַפֵּ֣ר אֶל־אָבִיו֮ וְאֶל־אֶחָיו֒ וַיִּגְעַר־בּ֣וֹ אָבִ֔יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מָ֛ה הַחֲל֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָלָ֑מְתָּ הֲב֣וֹא נָב֗וֹא אֲנִי֙ וְאִמְּךָ֣ וְאַחֶ֔יךָ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺ֥ת לְךָ֖ אָֽרְצָה׃ (יא) וַיְקַנְאוּ־ב֖וֹ אֶחָ֑יו וְאָבִ֖יו שָׁמַ֥ר אֶת־הַדָּבָֽר׃

Bereisheet 37

1) Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2) These are the generations of Jacob: when Joseph was seventeen years old, being a shepherd, he was with his brothers with the flocks, and he was a lad, [and was] with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought evil tales about them to their father. 3) And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a fine woolen coat. 4) And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, so they hated him, and they could not speak with him peacefully. 5) And Joseph dreamed a dream and told his brothers, and they continued to hate him. 6) And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream, which I have dreamed: 7) Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves encircled [it] and prostrated themselves to my sheaf.” 8) So his brothers said to him, "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" And they continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and on account of his words. 9) And he again dreamed another dream, and he related it to his brothers, and he said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me.” 10) And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will we come I, your mother, and your brothers to prostrate ourselves to you to the ground?” 11) So his brothers envied him, but his father awaited the matter.

Yosef emerges as a capable shepherd and is favored by his father to be the future leader. Yosef was young, not yet the skilled political statesman he would become. But he was a powerful visionary. He dreamed of a shift in the economy, away from animal husbandry toward agriculture. He felt the house of Jacob, while successful shepherds, needed to diversify their portfolio. The brothers rejected his presumptive authority and rejected his vision. He further dreamed beyond reshaping the economy, to directing their spiritual mission. The brothers were jealous of this vision, their father expressed his skepticism publicly, but saw potential merit as well.

The Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, often quoted the Ramban’s statement that “All that occurs to the forefathers is indicative of [what will occur] to their children” (Commentary on Bereisheet 12:16; Tanchuma 9). As the Rav stated, the Torah’s narrative of our forefathers is “the blueprint of Jewish history for all days” (1968). He sees in the story of Joseph and the brothers a sketch of Jewish history that reverberates throughout the ages.

The zionist movement was founded within a secular framework. It primarily focused on securing the physical safety and political independence of Jewish people. Its leaders and values were secular. This resulted in a perhaps natural opposition from many in the Jewish community. Those who devoted their lives entirely to the promulgation of Torah and its unique values found themselves at odds with the secular zionist ideology.

One famous example occurred in the city of Brisk following the death of Theodore Hertzl in 1904. Some in the community wanted to hold a public eulogy for Hertzl. The city’s rabbi, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik (the Rav’s grandfather) opposed this and locked the door to the synagogue. Zeev Dov Begin, whose son Menachem would be instrumental in the founding of the State of Israel and serve as Prime Minister, broke the lock and eulogized Hertzl to a packed crowd.

The Rav himself became a spokesperson for the Mizrachi movement, a religious zionism that incorporated Torah values with a vision for the State of Israel. He saw the early tensions between zionism and the religious establishment through the eyes of Joseph and brothers. Joseph had a vision which his brothers could not see.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik - The Rav Speaks - Joseph and the Brothers p.32-33

The Joseph of 5662 unconsciously sensed that it was forbidden to rely on a continuation of the status-quo, that great changes were about to occur in Jewish life for which we would have to be prepared. He sensed the advent of an era when there would be no yeshivot in Brisk, Vilna, and Minsk; when America would be turned into a place of Torah; and when Israel, the State of Israel, would become the core center of Torah…

I would like to ask a simple question: what would the yeshivot and Torah scholars rescued from the holocaust - these burning embers taken from the fire - have done if the Joseph of 5662 had not trod a path for them in the land of Israel, and had not made possible the transplanting of the Tree of Life of Lithuania and other lands in the Holy Land? I sometimes think that were the great brethren of the "Joseph" of 5662, world renowned genius personalities in Torah and sublime saints, living today, they would also discern the Divine miracle in the establishment of the State of Israel, and they would utter song and praise to the Holy One, blessed be He…

In order to have a share in the new Israel, where the Torah that was driven from Lithuania and Poland found a home, the Joseph of 5662 began to build Israel together with all the “freethinkers” from whom he was as ideologically and spiritually removed as were his brothers, the Torah greats. However, to our great sorrow, while the Tribes of God thousands of years ago finally admitted Joseph's righteousness, and begged his forgiveness, "please forbear the wrong of your brothers and their sin, for they caused you evil" (Gen. 50:17), today a segment among our brethren still lack the capacity to see reality as it is and the courage to admit their error. Even today, after Treblinka and Auschwitz - as assimilation putrefies a great portion of diaspora Jewry and the State of Israel is occupied in protecting the Jewish settlement in the holy land from the Arab Amalek - they hold fast stubbornly against their brother "Joseph" (religious Zionists): “and they viewed him from a distance” (Gen, 37:18)

While the Rav’s derasha –explication, his creative interpretation beyond the simple meaning of the text, was compelling at the time it was delivered in the 1960s, his observations and concerns are relevant today as well. The historical tension between the secular zionists and the religious community remains extant. Though a potential solution has emerged, namely the vision of Mizrachi, tension remains.

This friction was observed again recently surrounding the March for Israel which took place in Washington D.C. on November 14, 2023. Some segments of the orthodox community felt this was not their issue, despite the goal of the march being “for Israel, to free the hostages, against anti-semitism”. A modicum of support or lack of condemnation given, some support was withdrawn. The rifts within the Jewish community were apparent. Indeed, criticism of the March and its slate of speakers could be justified. It included a Christian preacher and no rabbis. But from those segments who did not participate, what public show of support has emerged? Was a national day of repentance or learning declared? No doubt pockets of activity and support for the broader Jewish people exist, but it is clear that the Jewish world remains fractured. We lack unified leadership. Sadly, the rifts within the Jewish people that the Rav observed in the late 19th and early 20th century, which hearkened back to the tension among the brothers, have not yet been fully healed. A degree of universally recognized leadership is likely necessary to organize our collective talents toward our ultimate objective. We cannot successfully fulfill our national mission alone.

References

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

Soloveitchik, Rabbi Joseph B. (1968). Lech Lecha. Transcribed from a lecture given to the Rabbinical Council of America.

Soloveitchik J. D. (2002). The Rav Speaks : Five Addresses on Israel History and the Jewish People. Toras HoRav Foundation.

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