This week's Torah reading tells the story of how Josef, having become de-facto king of the world, brought his father, Jacob, and brothers to Egypt for an emotional reunion after twenty years of separation.
But we see something strange. When Josef introduces Pharaoh to his father and Pharaoh asks, "How many years have you lived" Jacob replies,
"The days of my life are one hundred and thirty years, few and bad etc." (47:8-9)
At first glance this is completely not understood; why did Jacob have to add the comment, 'few and awful'? It was unnecessary, negative ...and it isn't even true! Jacob's years were neither few nor awful.
After Noah's flood people were supposed to live till only 120 and Jacob had reached 130! So, his years were not 'few'. And they weren't awful either; he lived to see one of his sons become a king that saved all humanity from famine! And the rest of his sons become righteous, upstanding men.
So why did he add these negative words and what is the Torah teaching us?
To understand this here is a story. (Bait Moshiach #573 pg 49)
Rabbis Mair Avtzon and Lazer Nannes, as religious Jews, were criminals...arch criminals......in the eyes of the Communist government. That's why they were both sent to exile in the distant city of Turkistan where they would be distant from their friends, family and other counter-revolutionary influences. Exile would wean them from such insidious activities as teaching Jewish children Torah or helping other Jews to do commandments.
And even in exile they were constantly afraid; there were spies everywhere and every day there was news of someone else getting caught and punished.
The slightest wrong move, suspicious look or word could bring a lengthened or more severe sentence.
But as the holiday of Succot approached they knew they had to make a Succa (a booth with four walls and a roof of cut foliage).
Really it wasn't that difficult. There was a dilapidated shack outside their apartment building. They just removed what was left of the roof, threw a few branches and leaves on top and presto they had a Succa!
Now, on this holiday there is a commandment to be happy, especially on the last night called 'Simchat Torah' the joy of the Torah, beginning with the traditional 'Kiddush' ceremony on a cup of wine which Rabbi Mair volunteer to bring together with the bread while Rabbi Lazar said he would bring rest of the ‘meal.’
But that evening, after each had finished praying the holiday prayers on his own and snuck furtively into the Succa they quietly wished one another happy holiday and Reb Mair pulled out a big bottle of vodka for Kiddush and announced that he couldn’t find any wine or even grapes to make grape juice. So they would have to make ‘kiddush’ on vodka.
But Rabbi Lazer vetoed the idea totally. Ridiculous! First of all vodka disagreed with him and not only that but if they got drunk they might let down their guard, get discovered and that would be the end! But after a very short discussion he dropped his opposition.
One minor problem was that the only cup available was a mug that held a few pints and Jewish law requires that the majority of the cup must be imbibed. Also it is customary that everyone present (i.e. Rabbi Lazer as well) should drink some of the liquid.
And last but certainly not least was the fact that early in the holiday they realized that they had built their Succa on the side of the building nearest to the back wall of the GPU Secret Service offices!
As could be expected, at first everything was quiet and subdued but after ‘kiddush’ as the holiday spirit and the vodka began taking effect .... all there was .... Was HOLIDAY!!
The singing got a bit louder until finally they actually stood, linked arms and began dancing and really rejoicing!
Then they sat down, out of breath, to finish their meager meal.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door
They sobered up instantly as though a bucket of freezing water was poured over them.
There was no sense in running or hiding or making up stories. The communists in Turkistan knew about the Jewish Holidays. This meant big trouble. A cold sweat covered the Rabbi's foreheads and their hearts pounded with fear. They were finished!
They opened the door and there stood the landlord of the apartment building, a pleasant man by the name of Ibrahim.
"Greetings!" he said in Russian "Happy Holiday!"
"Happy holiday" they answered quietly, trying not to show their fear. Maybe it would be alright, after all Ibrahim was a friendly fellow that didn't seem to have a bad bone in his body. They began to breathe more easily.
"Greetings not only from me," Ibrahim continued, "Also from .... my brother in law, Karim."
Their eyes opened in fear and their blood froze in their veins. Karim! The very name sent shivers up their spines.
Karim was the local head of the GPU with a reputation for cruelty a mile long. Ibrahim was playing with them like a cat with a mouse before the kill. He was one of ... them.
Or so they thought, but they were in for a surprise.
Ibrahim continued "Karim heard you singing and dancing just a while ago from the window of his office so he called me over to the window and told me to look. “Those stupid Jews” he said to me, “Look where they made their holiday booth!! Look where they celebrate their holiday! Right under the GPU offices!! They must have not realized it!!”
"I thought it meant that he was going to take revenge on you but no. He pointed to your hut here and said, 'you see those Jews. They know that we hate them and any second we can have them killed for the smallest reason. They know that everyone hates them!! For thousands of years everyone hates them! And what do they do? They are happy! They dance and sing!”
Ibrahim continued, “He told me to come here and tell you that he envies you!! That he would wish you a happy holiday himself but he knew it would frighten you so he asked me to come and tell you!"
When Rabbi Mair or Rabbi Lazar told this story even tens of years later, they would say that that Succot was the best in their lives.
This answers our questions. The Jews are not normal people.... they were 'chosen' by the Creator to teach all mankind how to improve everything normal and make the entire world 'above' normal. To reveal the Creator in the entire creation. That is what Karim discovered in our story.
And that is what Jacob meant when he said his life was short and bad. Jacob was the ultimate Jew. The Talmud (Taanit 5b) tells us that he was impervious to death (Jacob never died) and empowered us to build the Third, eternal Holy Temple. (Unlike Abraham and Isaac who represented the first and second Temples that were destroyed) fix the sin of Adam, end death and suffering forever.
Therefore, when Pharaoh asked for his age; a purely normal question, Jacob answered in a not-normal, Jewish way:
"130 years; few and terrible."
'Few' because every Jew should live eternally (as it will be in the Raising of the Dead). And 'terrible' because every moment Moshiach has not arrived and all mankind is unaware of the Creator and His Torah it is pain and suffering.
That is what the Torah is telling us here; The Jews are responsible for the entire world and every moment the Moshiach is not here to perfect the world we cannot be content.
And as the Rebbe said repeatedly; this should happen at any moment. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish service, hopes, prayers and suffering. Now just one more good deed, word of even thought, if done with JOY can bring ....
MOSHIACH NOW!!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel
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