By Sholom Olensky
This week in the Torah:
After drought and hunger afflict the Middle East, Jacob’s sons travel to Egypt to purchase grain; grain of which Egypt’s new and mighty Viceroy (Joseph, incognito), has prophetically engineered a surplus, just for this occasion. The Viceroy accuses Jacob’s sons of enemy-espionage and threatens to arrest them. The sons of Jacob reprove themselves over their family’s suffering, believing that this is Divine recompense for their cruelty towards Joseph whom they sold into slavery. Reuben, the oldest brother, comments, “Did I not tell you not to sin with the boy? Now his blood calls out.”
Question:
What kind of behavior is this on Reuben’s part? To reproach his suffering brothers for the very sin they are now bemoaning?! Granted, he is spurring them on to not just feel pain, but to confess before G-d and repent. But to say things like “Didn’t I tell you?!” etc.; what for??
Question:
Maimonides, in his “Laws of Repentance,” spends two chapters explaining at length the importance of the Jewish belief that every person has total freedom of choice to do as s/he pleases; either good or not good…. This principle is paramount to the Jewish religion. Why then does Maimonides include it in the section of his compendium which deals with repentance specifically?
Answer:
Freedom to choose is not crucial do fulfilling a Mitzvah. True repentance, however, must be done freely. Such is the very definition of repentance; freely choosing the path of righteousness and divesting oneself of all evil behavior. Were one to repent out of remorse that stems from affliction or another catalyst to repentance, the repentance would be partially attributed to that catalyst. Furthermore, who knows what will be without this catalyst…?
Answer:
Reuben, in his above comment, taught his brothers that they ought to truly disavow themselves of their mistake, i.e. freely; not as a reaction to suffering.
Furthermore:
Freedom to choose is inherent to repentance also because the penitent must recognize that he did wrong freely. Were he to attribute some of his wrongdoing to, e.g., the environment…, his repentance would be incomplete. That is why Maimonides connects freedom-to-choose and repentance. And this, too, is what Reuben meant when commenting that they sinned; freely.
The connection to Chanukah:
Freedom to choose comes from G-d alone, for, it is truly a “G-dly” trait. When demonstrated in a penitent it is even more recognizably G-dly because the penitent has used that trait to convert spiritual darkness into light; the very same freedom which allowed him to sin, allows him to repent, freely. And Chanukah, too, recalls the Jewish resilience and self-sacrifice to fight the darkness of assimilation with the light of spiritual devotion; represented by the eight lights of the Menorah which are meant to “light up the night.”
Happy Chanukah!
(Based on Likkutei Sichos Vol. 30, Mikeitz)
