My daughter called to say I was to phone Ian at my bank. The operator asked me what Ian’s last name was, and I explained that he had not left his surname. When she asked for his department, I said I did not know.
“There are 1500 employees in this building, ma’am,” she advised me curtly. “You must tell me a last name.”
After a few more brusque comments, I asked her for her name.
“Danielle,” she said.
“And your last name?” I asked.
“Sorry,” she replied, “we don’t give out last names.”
As Jacob's demise approaches, our portion Vayechi relates, he sent for his son, Joseph, the Prime Minister of Egypt, and requested that he be buried in the ancestral burial place in Hebron, in Canaan. To which Joseph replied, “I will do as you have said.”
But Jacob was persistent. He said, "Swear to me." So he swore to him, and Israel prostrated himself on the head of the bed.
But why was Jacob so adamant that Joseph took an oath to carry his wishes? Did Jacob have the slightest doubt regarding the integrity of Joseph and his promise that he would bury him in Israel? Joseph assured his father, “I will do as you say!” Why was it necessary to make Joseph swear?
What is more, it seems that it was even offensive. Years earlier Joseph risked his own life to fulfill his father's request to see how his brothers were doing in the field. Knowing full well the intense hatred the brothers had against him, he nonetheless did as his father asked. As a result, he has been separated from his father and family for 22 years! Jacob knew well the consequences of Joseph fulfilling his father’s desires (even if he did not know the exact circumstances of his being sold to Egypt). So why did Jacob doubt Joseph this time around?
Equally disturbing is a comment by Rashi explaining why Jacob bowed down to Joseph after he took the oath.
[Although the lion is king] when it is the time of the fox, bow down to him.
Why in the world is Rashi defining Joseph as a fox to whom one must bow down at the time when he is boss? Why can’t we explain the story that Jacob bowed down to Joseph as a sign of gratitude and gratefulness, in acknowledgment of this great favor he would do for him? And even if Rashi feels the need to explain the reason for his behavior as “bowing down to the fox at his time of glory,” why compare Joseph to a fox?
The Rebbe presented a beautiful explanation.
Jacob certainly did not suspect Joseph of negligence or carelessness in any way. He knew that Joseph would try to keep his pledge to his father. He would follow his father’s wishes. Since, he was the viceroy of Egypt, the Superpower of the time, with many governmental duties and responsibilities, circumstances might arise that may delay or even halt this operation from taking place.
Joseph might encounter Red Tape in the city council, or some other government institution. Egypt may find hundreds of excuses because they cannot release his body. We all know what governments and bureaucracy can be like. You know what they say, “Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.” The basic manual for the bureaucrat is: 1. Never use one word when a dozen will suffice. 2. If it can be understood, it is not finished yet. 3. Never be the first to do anything.
Jacob understood this very well. He knew that “the nearest approach to immortality on earth is a government bureau…” Joseph may be the Powerful Prime Minister, but he is subject to State laws; he, too, is under the authority of Pharaoh, who wanted Jacob buried in Egypt.
Jacob knew the infamous power of government committees. “A Committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but as a group decide that nothing can be done.”
And this was the purpose of the oath. It was to oblige Joseph to do what may seem impossible, if such a situation may arise. As General Montgomery put it, “The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.”
If Joseph said, “I will do it,” he would try to do it. But if circumstances beyond his control might have arisen—as they indeed, have he might have given up. Having him swear was the game changer. When someone swears, he will do something, his commitment to the matter is transformed from merely trying to do it, to a far deeper and super commitment to get the job done, even if hell breaks loose. The oath, Jacob knew, would infuse Joseph with a heightened sense of inspiration and vigor that no matter what happens, he will fulfill his father’s last wish. He would take on “city hall,” and get the job done, as he indeed did.
Yet this was not enough. Jacob did not only ask Joseph to swear. After the oath, Jacob bowed down to Joseph. Why?
Now, we can appreciate Rashi’s comment. “When it is the time of the fox, bow down to him.”
In The Prince by Machiavelli (1469 – 1527, the famed Italian Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer, who has often been called the founder of modern political science), he writes:
“A prince being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves. Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand what they are about.”
Lions are all proud and regal. They are in your face, and they will eat you all up. Foxes, on the other hand, run away from you when you show up. They are not fierce combatants. They are timid and fearful. Yet they do things behind the scenes. They are slick, tricky, and suave. The leader, Machiavelli maintains, must be both a lion and a fox.
Generations before him, Rashi, quoting the Talmud in tractate Megillah, tells us that the fox too has his time; the fox too has his unique skills as a leader, even if not the lion.
Jacob saw Joseph as a fox, not as a lion. Sure, he was the viceroy of Egypt, but he was not the “king of the jungle.” He ran the show, but he was not the ultimate boss. Pharaoh made it clear to him right in the beginning, that “the throne would remain larger than you.” He was second to the king, but not king. He was still the fox, not the lion.
As such, he needed to be empowered to be able to stand up to Pharaoh and the government and insist that Jacob’s wish be fulfilled. When the fox reigns, you must bow to him to empower him to be as fearless as the lion and accomplish his mission. When Joseph saw that his father, the Patriarch of Israel, was bowing down to him—when the Rebbe, the tzaddik of the generation bows to you—it filled Joseph with a sense of inner confidence and strength, infusing him with power and vigor to be able to take on all of the obstacles that might come his way. The bow, Rashi is telling us, was Jacob allowing Joseph to feel his power, greatness, and potential. It is the fox, not the lion, who needs that sense of pride when he is in a position of leadership.
What is more, Jacob was giving Joseph a second message. “You may have to be like a fox, not a lion.” Sometimes the best way to deal with “red tape” is from behind the scenes, not through confrontation and combat. Be wise and shrewd to figure out how to get this done cleverly to avoid all the possible pitfalls.
We all tend to claim that certain things are impossible. We often say, “I would love to participate, I would love to attend Torah classes, I would love to come to Shul, I’d love to wrap tefillin, to give more charity, to work on my marriage, to get into shape, to say I am sorry, to kosher my kitchen, to pray more, to start keeping Shabbat, to work on my temper, to enter recovery…” But you know it is impossible now. I have prior arrangements. The weather is not that good, I am too tired from work; my wife needs me at home. I am not feeling well. My partner will never agree. Global Warming is killing me; the situation in Israel is paralyzing me, etc.
But so often, it is not possible because we are not fully committed to it. We do not perceive it as a top priority worth fighting for. We say, "I will try," and we might mean it, but we do not put ourselves on the line. Hence, we tend to neglect it or just forget about it.
It’s like the story of a man who made an appointment to see a doctor, as he was very worried about his condition.
"You see," he says to Dr. Maskowits, I am getting forgetful. I have too many senior moments, and it is getting worse. I am never sure I can remember where I parked my car; it takes me 20 minutes to find it in the parking lot.
Or whether I replied to a letter; or where I am going when I finally leave the house, or what I do once I get there…
‘I need your help and advice. What can you suggest?’
The doctor thought, then answered in his kindest tones: "Pay me in advance."
This is true especially when it comes to standing up to the Pharaoh in connection with maintaining the right of Jacob to be buried in his homeland, in his ancestral plot in Hebron. We often feel paralyzed and fearful. We bend to the Pharaohs of each generation. How can we stand up to the UN, the State Department, and the world?
But Jacob wanted to teach Joseph, that when it comes to the rights of the Jewish people over Hebron and the Holy Land in general, he must be empowered like a lion. He must speak with passion and determination, with every fiber of his soul. His conviction must be unwavering, and his fortitude everlasting.
Some of us fear “bowing to someone,” because it might reflect that we are small.
But great people know how to humble themselves to make others shine! When you are supremely confident, you can allow yourself to be vulnerable and humble, to bring out the best in others.
Jacob is ready to bow down to his son because he wants the fox to become a lion.
Do you know how to compliment and show appreciation to your spouse? To your children? To your loved ones? To your students? To people who work with you or for you? To friends and colleagues? To strangers?
Arrogant and insecure people cannot truly compliment others, show gratitude to others, speak of the greatness of others, and embolden others—they are too full of themselves, and they are afraid that they will become smaller in the process. But great people have no qualms with elevating others to greatness, lowering themselves so that others can climb and achieve their greatest potential.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky
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