BAR MITZVA MIKETZ

BAR MITZVA MIKETZ

And Pharaoh called Yosef:”Tzafnat Paaneach”, and gave him Osnat the daughter of Potefera the priest of Unes wife.

How difficult it is for the nations of the world to recognize the efficiency of the Hebrew man. Once Pharaoh understood that Joseph would be his savior, he wanted to change his name, to falsify his identity. As soon as he nominated him to a position “in which only the crown will exceed you” he immediately called Joseph “Tzafnat Paaneach” and with an additional effort to shrink Joseph’s Jewish  identity, Pharaoh ordered Joseph to marry Osnat, the daughter of Potifera the Priest of Un. Pharaoh wanted to convert Joseph to an Egyptian for all and every purpose, Alas this effort failed. As notwithstanding the changing of the name and the marrying of an Egyptian The Bible testifies “And Joseph walked out on the land of Egypt”. 

We have learned that thrice in the bible the word “us” in Hebrew-

(Anachnu-אנחנו) while deleting the first letter A-א .In lieu of אנחנו Anachnu the text reads Nachnu נחנו..

The first time in our Parasha; all of us (Nachnu) are the sons of one person.

The second time, We (Nachnu) should go forward, thus the two and half tribes committing themselves to fight in The Land of Israel as the front when wishing to reside outside Israel.

The third time; we [Nachnu] have committed crime and betrayed.

Now why was the A missing? why was it written Nachnu and not Anachnu?

The missing A Testifies of a certain breach; on a problem requiring amendment; that each member of the community must seek for the wrong make it right. Because of the shortage of time we will concentrate only on the example of our parasha.

It is stated “we are (Anachnu) the children of one man”. Later during the course of the story, the brothers have stated, twelve of your servants we (Anachnu) are brothers -   with the A.

Rabbi Menachem of Kusuv explains that once the brothers became determent to free Joseph even by risking their lives, the emptiness was fulfilled. The A was readded. They were privileged to add the A thus Nachnu  became Anachnu .

And how do you fill in the A? “Last in deed but first in thought”. To understand that the other is always different and that there is a lot of positive in the change. As the talmud states in tractate Sanhedrin:

 And why were the faces of people not similar to one

 another? So a man will not see a nice apartment and nice

 women and claim they are mine.

To guaranty that notwithstanding the difference mentioned above, the “A” still stands - stable and ensured. How does the tractate Yevamut state?

Notwithstanding the fact that the house of Shamay and the House of Hillel dispute; those prohibiting, and those permitting, the House of Shamay did not refrain from marrying girls of the House of Hillel and the House of Hillel, women from The House of Shmai. To teach you that love and affection was ruling. Thus implementing the ruling: Justice and piece thou shall love.

The thinking and the action together promise the future of the “A”.

The Talmud in tractate Kidushin states that the Deed is a realization of the deed and the realization of the Thought. Whereas, the thought does not realize neither the Deed nor the Thought.

Allow me to add my own interpretation of the above,

It is not suffice to think that you are a Jew. This was the basic origin of the reform movement in Germany. They thought, ‘be a Jew in your tent, - in your thought - and a German outside, in your Deed, when you walk in the public domain. This philosophy was doomed because the Deed of being German in public, uprooted the Thought of being a Jew at home. And only when the others - like the Nazis - reminded the Jew that he is an “Undermentch” the Jew out of no choice, recognized his roots.

Joseph acted differently.  Not only did he feel Jewish in his heart, he refused to change his name; he refused to alter his identity. He was Jewish  outside.  as it was not ”Tzafnat Paaneach”, who ruled Egypt; It was  as the Bible states Joseph.


Zalli Jaffe