Happy New Year! The really weird coincidence is I have now blogged through the whole Torah. Last "year", (although its not exact) I wrote my first interpetation on Parshat Yayehi. I think this portion is the perfect new years portion.
First, let me address Jews do celebrate New Years. New Years is "New Years by the numbers". We are going from the planet's 2009 to the planet's 2010. Rosh Hashana is the "Jewish Spiritual New Year" where we purify ourselves for a new year of Torah and a new year of Judaism.
To me, this is an incredibly dark parshat. Last week, Parshat Vayigash was the reuniting of Jacob in Joseph. In this portion, Jacob tells Joseph he is dying and makes him promise that he will burry his father in the land of Canaan. This is a right of passage to Jacob. Jacob passes his family blessing onto Joseph. Joseph makes sure he burries his father in Canaan. Then, Joseph dies. All the portion says is that he is burried in the land of Egypt, not Canaan like his forefather!
To me this shows a difference between Jacob and Joseph. Not that one is "more Jewish" than the other because to me that is meaningless. No Jew is "more Jewish" than another. The correct term would be "more traditonal" or "more observant". Anyways, to me this shows the difference between the 20th Century and the last decade.
The 20th Century that had its ups and downs, but changed the world. Jacob had his up and downs, but changed the world. Art, film, sports, politics, and just the way we live changed. Jacob resembles his traditional fathers. All three went to Haran to find a wife, lived in Canaan, blessed one of the children, and was burried near each other in Canaan. They changed our world by creating the fundamentals of Judaism.
Then, there is the 2000's. In 10 years, there was a lot of good like the innovation of technology. Joseph saved Egypt and his family. Unfortunately, we are in two wars, and the Great Recession. Jacob's nation will sadly soon be enslaved.
I believe God does everything for a purpose. If my analogy is right, what is God's purpose for making the Jacob-Joseph gap occur once again from the 20th to 21st Century?
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