I hope everybody enjoyed their Chanukah.
We took our yearly “Out-Shabbos” to Yerushaliyim, staying with the only friends of ours who have room for us. When I say “room,” that means putting 12 children in two bedrooms and the little one in the “workshop” (my friend makes tefillin).
It was very enjoyable for all, especially the kids who got to stay up very late, eat whatever and whenever they wanted, and act crazy. The parents? We went around getting our shopping done. Thankfully, the kids, minus the 1 ½ year old behave very well on buses (2.5 hour trip), so the travelling aspect went very smoothly. All in all . . . we wouldn’t do it every Shabbos, but it was nice to get away.
Okay, on to Torah!
“For all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians” (Bereishis 46:34)
“For they [sheep] are a god to the Egyptians” (Rashi)
“For they know that shepherds who herd sheep know the reality of sheep, for they are always with them. Therefore, they know that there is nothing at all godly to them. Therefore they hate all shepherds” (Sifsei Chachamim on Rashi)
Rav Dov Ganz makes an interesting observation which is very applicable in today’s world.
When Yosef’s brothers arrive in Egypt, Yosef tells them to tell Pharaoh, that they are shepherds, in order that Pharaoh will keep them away from mainstream Egyptian society. Because the Egyptians consider sheep to be gods, they had a special hatred towards shepherds as explained by the Sifsei Chachamim.
Rav Ganz points out, that when people are shown the error of their ways, from a rational level, they should change their beliefs. Or when a person is shown that there are other legitimate viewpoints, he should come to recognize that fact. However, human nature often trumps logical behavior.
The Egyptians believed that the sheep were gods. They KNEW the shepherds KNEW that this was not true. So instead of recognizing this fact, they not only stayed away from shepherds, they began to actually hate them! Obviously, on a subconscious level, they also knew the truth, but they couldn’t bring that fact into reality.
One needs to look no further than anti-Israel protestors or anti-conservative protestors on university campuses. Instead of speaking their minds with intelligence, they simply shout down whomever they disagree with. I heard there’s some group called “Black Lives Matter Only When They Are Taken By White People Even When The Circumstances Aren’t Clear,” who simply yell, scream, protest, riot, and incite racism to prove their point, whatever that point might be. I also hear anti-Trump sentiments at a whole new and dangerous level (note: I did not vote, nor did I care to see either one of them win). Family members are no longer speaking to each other; employers are harassing employees, etc. If you can make your point in an intelligent manner, great. But if you are screaming, whining, crying, and inciting PERSONAL HATRED against others for not thinking the same way you are, perhaps there is an issue in your belief system.
Rav Ganz sums this up well: “Even within the camp of traditional Judaism, there are groups whose practices may have drifted somewhat from the Torah. On the right there are extremist types whose Torah zeal may, upon occasion, encroach on principles of that same Torah. On the left there are some who take liberties with normative halachah and time-honored Jewish belief and outlook.
“Very often, there is a fairly observable warning flag waving atop both camps. That flag is a prevalent attitude of personal animosity, characterized by constant criticism, directed at other Jews who do not subscribe to their views. Yet, although in most disputes between people both parties participate equally, this almost personal hostility is typically not reciprocal. The words of the Sifsei Chachamim explain the paradox. The hostility is not part of a feud in which case it would be reciprocal; rather it is the function of a defense mechanism.
“It could almost be said that it is a tellingly negative sign if incessant criticism and ill will characterize a person’s conversation regarding other groups of Jews and members of those other groups. Based on the Sifsei Chachamim one wonders, “Why does he have the need to constantly berate those others? Perhaps it is his own defective belief system that begets this enmity?”
With that, I wish you all a great Shabbos!
Michael Winner