“He dreamed another dream… He told his father and his brothers… His brothers were jealous of him, and his father held on (שמר) to the matter.” (Bereishit 37: 9-11)
While the initial consequences of Yosef’s sharing of his dream turn out to be dire, Rashi reveals an intriguing subtext to his father, Yaakov’s, response. He explains that Yaakov, “...awaited and looked forward to the time when this would come to pass.”
At the same moment that Yosef’s dreams evoke hatred and jealousy in his brothers, his father makes a point to hold tightly on to this dream of his son’s - keeping it close to his heart and anxiously anticipating its fulfillment.
Yaakov is a man that knows what dreams are made of and he knows what dreams can make of a man.
Yaakov will ultimately leave this world surrounded by twelve remarkable sons continuing his legacy - all of them bringing the light of Hashem to the world as a united and multi-faceted force. While the road there is strewn with difficulty, strife, pain and tears, the end is powerful and promising. It begins with his dream of a ladder connecting heaven and earth and ends with his vision of his precious ‘Bnei Yisrael’ bringing heaven and earth closer together.
They surround him with the reassurance of his dream’s manifestation, “His sons answered him, ‘Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad’. Just as there is only One G-d in your heart, so too there is only One G-d in our hearts. Yaakov responds, ‘Baruch Shem K’vod Malchuto L’olam Va’ed’.” (Pesachim 56a). The dream of Yaakov Avinu becomes the reality of Bnei Yisrael.
But, lest we forget how the story begins in our Parsha. Yosef’s dream is met with jealousy, hatred and active efforts to murder him. Dreams are important, but not everybody can handle them.
L’havdil, we have never stopped dreaming of our, ‘Return to Zion’. We have seen it manifest in our own days again, but there has never been a moment of respite - where our dream and our world can co-exist peacefully. We dream of connecting heaven and earth - cultivating truth, justice, morality, peace and kindness. Our enemies, thirsting for darkness and destruction, despise our dreams and seek to wipe us out, at every opportunity.
Right now, we’re immersed in the fight for the body of our People - but we cannot forget to keep the soul dreaming. Every action we take to hold on to life, to inspire and educate our children, our community and our chayalim to hold on to the vision of Yaakov - is crucial and critical - for now and for our future. “And his father held on to his dream”.
So too, on Chanukah, we see that the Menorah must shine its light uninterruptedly, “‘Ner Tamid... the westernmost lamp needs to always be alight.” (Torat Kohanim)
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“My father dreamed and prayed, to live in the Land of Israel, Today my child asks me,
‘What is the story of Israel?’ This is my home, this is my heart, and I will not leave you.”
From the Song, “A Tribe of Brothers and Sisters - שבט אחים ואחיות”
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Dedicated to the safety of our chayalim, the return of our captives and a refuah shleima for all. Written with continued Tefillot for the safe return and refuah shleima of Daniel Shimon ben Sharon btoch sha'ar shvuyey Yisrael.
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