by J. Michael Terrett
B'nai Chayim/Children of Life Fellowship
Edmonton, Alberta

As we cycle through the Torah, we discover that one of the most fascinating aspects of G-d's providence is the way in which He uses flawed individuals and amazingly divergent happenstances to accomplish His Kingdom purposes in the lives of His people and in the generations of all mankind. However, some believers, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, take an extreme, wooden view of how G-d fulfills His purposes in their lives. There is a tendency to turn every flat tire into a demonic attack and every success into both direct divine intervention and divine approbation.  When we look at the life of the Patriarch Jacob in this week's portion and to the blessings he assigned to his sons, we see that even those whom G-d has used most and blessed repeatedly may not always have clear understanding of the bigger picture and how G-d intends to fulfill His bigger purposes beyond the current circumstances we find ourselves in.

Because Jacob spoke prophetically, we understand that he did indeed communicate the blessings which G-d intended for him to place upon his sons, but in light of the unfolding messianic purposes which culminated in the advent of the Prince of Peace, even though he pronounced an impressive, eloquent sevenfold socio-economic blessing on Joseph, the greater "in the long run" blessing went to Judah.  Joseph's father's heart tried to give his favorite son the best and the biggest blessing, but the Spirit of G-d, who spoke through him, made sure it went to one it was intended for.

There is no denying the role which Joseph played in providing the fledgling House of Jacob with the refuge/incubator it needed to grow into the mighty nation of Israel which Moses would eventually lead out of Egypt. He is the first member of the House of Jacob to obtain a recognized, de facto princely role and both Talmudic and Christian sources see Him as a type of the Messiah.  However, even though Joseph is the one before whom all his brothers bow, he is not the one who is the designated receiver who is to carry the greater, generational purposes of G-d; that role is reserved for Judah.

It is also interesting to note that from this point on the Abrahamic blessing to be both a great nation and to be a blessing to all nations now belongs to the entire nation and not to any single tribe –with one exception. Although all the tribes will together form the great nation, the blessing to all nations shall only come through one tribe, Judah, who is described prophetically as both the Lawgiver and the keeper of the Royal Scepter until Shiloh comes.

Many of us want the biggest ministry, the most enriched and authentic yiddishkeit and truly some of us have achieved amazing academic and socio-economic success, but are we truly servants of the bigger, generational, prophetic purposes of G-d?  Sometimes there may be some blurring of the line between our being used to accomplish the purposes of G-d and us trying to use G-d to accomplish our purposes.  As we meet and plan and squabble and kvetch, we need to listen to which ever current Joseph G-d has placed over us, often despite our best (and worst efforts) and not worry if the best laid plans of mice and mensch mean that what we feel is definitely the direction G-d would have us go in, is delayed once again and our ideas are not given the forum we know they obviously deserve.

Between you and me, I'm not much of a Calvinist, even though I speak French, but if the Holy One of Israel can speak through a donkey and prophesy through the dreams he gives to pagan potentates, even though I may only get the kind of recognition Jeremiah suffered through, sojourning in the bottom of a well, His purposes shall prevail – not mine.  Joseph's brothers plotted his demise and Potiphar's wife nearly accomplished it, and even the civil servant he helped left him to rot in prison until the tide of the tsouris laden happenstances turned and brought him tumbling to the top.  Sure it took twenty years, but I bet it seemed longer and I wouldn't mind knowing how he kept his faith intact in such enduring adversity.

I think that I may have an inkling which may apply to all of us.  He received visions from G-d which he did not fully understand, but which he clung to, knowing that the purposes of the Most High cannot be thwarted, no mater how many slings and arrows of outrageous fortune the flesh, the world and the adversary inundate us with.  In the frozen wastes of Canada, struggling with health concerns and trying to build momentum among brethren even more fractious than me (oy gavalat on steroids), I see how many less deserving and less able ministries prosper and so many more seem to perpetually mess things up with impunity, only to return to cause even more havoc. I heard that amen!

I mean, there are only so many times you can read Psalm 73 and claim Romans eight, not forgetting 2 Corinthians six and eleven – or are there?  Jacob was convinced his favorite son was dead and I am not convinced Benjamin was so much of a consolation.  Joseph went from bad to worse in ways that would impress Murphy and later when the pauper became the prince, despite all he did for Israel, he did not get the princely, messianic blessing; Judah did.

In the final analysis we need to be convinced that G-d's purposes will be accomplished through the flawed, fractious vessels He has chosen.  We also need to cling to the dreams and visions which G-d has planted in our hearts and trust that they will be realized in our lives – maybe not as soon as we would like, or in ways that we would like, but as certainly as His word endures after the grass of our lives has withered, His word, spoken and prophetically given, endureth, d'or l'd'or, l'olam va'ed (generation to generation, forever).