Parshas Vayeishev – THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR OUR BLESSING

THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR OUR BLESSING

By Roy S. Neuberger

My wife and I had been speaking at the University of Michigan. At the Detroit airport, returning to New York, we had to wait for a shuttle bus. There was a man behind the counter, apparently from Haiti. He acted like a functionary, exhibiting no warmth or friendliness. As we left for the bus, I said “Thank you,” and reached out to shake his hand. This gesture had a remarkable effect. He suddenly emerged from behind the counter, bowing to us and smiling. I continued to speak to him, and said, “May G-d watch over you.” His face lit up. He said, “Yes, yes … G-d!” and followed us, walking through the electronic doorway with us toward the bus, bowing and smiling.

This was truly amazing. I saw how a person responds to respect. I saw how non-Jews respond to a bracha from a Yid. At the beginning of Parshas Vayeitzei Hashem says to Yaakov Avinu, “all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and by your offspring.” (Beraishis 28:14) We should know that all the nations of the world are waiting for our bracha. This is also the import of the message that I described last week when I recounted the powerful statement of U. S. President Harry S. Truman to Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz zt”l.

There is one thing that, G-d forbid, reduces our power to deliver the bracha, and that is when we lose our unity. We know that our present Golus came about as a result of Sinas Chinom, unwarranted hatred between Jew and Jew. We know that we stood at Har Sinai to receive the Torah only as a result of achdus. As Rashi tells us, we were “k’ish echad b’lev echad … as one man with one heart.” (Rashi on Shemos 19:2) That is how we were able to receive the Torah.

In this week’s Parsha, the seeds of sinas chinom are planted. This is where it all begins, with the brothers’ jealousy and hatred of Yosef resulting in his being thrown into the pit and sold to the Ishmaelites. This leads directly to the archetypal Golus in which we descend to Mitzraim. This is the model for all future Exiles. “Ma’ase Avos siman l’banim … the deeds of the fathers are signs for the children.” (Ramban to Bereishis 12:6)

We have relatives in Israel, a family with little children. They live near Ashkelon, which is twenty-seven miles from Gaza. The mommy told us that several weeks ago, during the massive missile attack, she was up all night. They could hear“boom … boom … boom.” The house shook every time a missile landed. 

Do we understand this, my friends? Do we understand how isolated we are? The entire world is surrounding us with deadly weapons. We have no friends except our Father in Shomayim. Have we learned the lesson of this Parsha? 

We need to be “like one man with one heart” in order to survive.

There is no other way, my friends. 

The world is waiting for our bracha!

*          *          *          *

Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2018 by Roy S. Neuberger