Date: January 1st 2023

Please accept our apologies for the late submission of this week's Dvar. We are sending it out now in case anyone would still like to read it. Enjoy!

After the arrival of Yaakov and his family in Egypt, there was to be an introduction of the newly arrived family of the viceroy to Pharaoh. The Torah relates a conversation that occurred between Yosef and his brothers to strategize about the upcoming audience. Yosef and his brothers were considering how best to achieve the desired outcome of the family being sent away to Goshen rather than being kept near the capital and presumably persuaded to serve the needs of the Egyptian people in some capacity. Yosef advised his brothers to tell Pharaoh when asked about their occupation, that they were shepherds who knew no other profession. Naturally, Pharaoh would send them away to Goshen which was an ideal land for grazing. Pharaoh would also want to distance them from the Egyptian populace since ‘all those who shepherd sheep are an abomination to Egypt’.

Rashi explains that the Egyptians abhorred all shepherds because the Egyptians worshipped sheep as gods. The commentary of the Sifsei Chachomim further explains that the Egyptians recognized that because shepherds have constant involvement in caring for sheep, they know that they are just animals with nothing divine about them.

The mindset of the Egyptians described by the Sifsei Chachomim requires further analysis. Individuals and groups often have disagreements on many subjects but having a disagreement about a particular idea does not usually result in one party hating the other. Why did the Egyptians react so negatively?
Yaakov and his descendants were a small family who proclaimed the existence of a single creator G-d. This small group of 70 individuals was relocating to Egypt which was the superpower in the world at that time. Egypt possessed a highly complex and sophisticated culture with many Pegan beliefs, superstitions, and religious practices. It is fair to say that, in the arena of ideas, there was a great difference of opinion between Yaakov and his children and the Egyptian society they were entering. It seems that, on some level the Egyptians were aware that their belief in animals as being a form of deity was completely false, and they recognized that the Israelites knew that their beliefs were based on pure folly.

On a purely rational level, if people are shown that something they believe in, or perhaps their entire system of beliefs, is false one would assume that they would correct their errors. This knowledge of truth could prevent them from the disastrous mistake of worshipping a false god and living a sham. Logic dictates that they would want to abandon their mistaken position and be thankful to those who helped them see the truth.

However, the Egyptians reacted in a very different and seemingly illogical way. The Sifsei Chachomim explains that the Egyptians themselves sensed, perhaps on an unconscious level, that anyone who is a shepherd knew very well that their religious beliefs were silly and ridiculous. Rather than accept this truth, they reacted by hating all shepherds and choosing to perpetuate their folly.

In this instance, arriving at the truth of this matter was an issue of the greatest importance. The human soul is endowed with a great spiritual power. As a result of his inner G-dliness, Man is never content to simply live a life of practicality and mechanical efficiency. Rather there has always been a great emphasis on the abstract, perhaps even more so than on the mundane. Every great society has developed or adopted a system of beliefs as well as a culture of art, philosophy, and intellectual pursuits. On a very profound level Mankind is aware that there is a great significance to its creation and that is why most religions of the world usually attach greater value to the world of spirit than that of the temporal world in which it finds itself.

We can learn an incredible insight into a psychological mechanism that is very prevalent in the world. Apparently, people can operate in a total falsehood and be aware themselves, at least on some level, that they are doing so. Even if confronted by individuals who, by their own recognition, know this belief to be completely false, they will not necessarily be willing to accept the truth despite the fact that deep down they know it to be so. We see from here that people can adopt a total falsehood and knowingly blind themselves to obvious and apparent truths even on such important matters that affect man’s understanding of the purpose of life itself. However, their awareness that others perceive their irrationality and inconsistency is highly unsettling to such people. One way that they protect themselves from this discomfort is by developing a hatred for those who disagree with them.

It is important to appreciate this dynamic to better understand the world and how many people and groups behave. Another possible area where this is highly relevant is in a person’s quest to understand themselves. People often have strong beliefs in ideas or ways of life. Our emotions and biases can often affect the way we see things in ways that we are often unaware of ourselves. We often willingly blind ourselves to rational observation for a wide variety of potential emotional or psychological payoffs. In many cases these beliefs can be quite strong and passionate and lead to strong disagreements between people. One way to detect if there is an emotional component that is blinding us and perhaps holding us back from seeing a larger truth is if we sense a feeling of negativity to others who disagree. Under normal circumstances, if a person is openminded and truthful to themselves, they can possess a strongly held belief and vociferously disagree with those who are in opposi
tion while at the same time have positive feelings towards them on a personal level. If a person detects within themselves a dislike for people who have opinions that are different than theirs, they should see that as a potential red flag that they are deluding themselves about something.

Have a wonderful week,


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