As we travel along in our Torah Portions, next on the menu is Vayeshev, meaning, “And he dwelt,” which includes Genesis 37:1-40:1. Packed full of internal and external enemies, we begin with a dad instigating jealousy and hatred in his children by giving Joseph a visual sign of favor, a special covering. Next, we have a growing hatred that becomes envy after Joseph shares a dream where he rules over his family. There are multiple examples of deceitfulness or evil tongue which is a consistent enemy from the beginning to the end of the Bible, beginning with Joseph tattle-taling on his brothers, Joseph’s brothers lying to their dad about their brother’s death, and Joseph’s boss’s wife accusing him of inappropriate behavior. This portion is stocked full of enemies, but the one I will focus on today is hatred.
In Genesis 37:4, we find the brothers hating Joseph after donning his new drip (tunic). Then, Joseph tells them a dream where they are bowing sheaves, and he stands erect-aka-he is ruling over them. They hated him even more (Gn 37.5). As if that was not enough, Joseph shares another dream but makes sure his dad is there to hear it because now, even his father and mother are bowing down to him. The brothers hated him even more (Gn 37.8), but this time, they added envy to the experience (Gn 37.11).
What does hatred in our hearts do to us and our relationships? It tears them apart. The brothers could not speak peaceably to Joseph (Gn 37.4). This lack of peaceful communication is a significant factor in the deterioration of their relationship. Healthy communication is a conduit for life, and the lack thereof breeds death in the relationship. For this reason, it is better to communicate emotions and feelings, even if they are less-than-positive, rather than to stuff them. Hatred is an emotion that packs a punch. Rather than lasting around 90 seconds like other emotions, hatred is a long-lasting feeling of anger or disdain towards a thing or person(s). Yeshua says that when we hate someone, we are a murderer. Pre-meditated murder seems to stem from hatred. The brothers devised an evil plan to murder their brother after they began to hate him. In the Torah, God commanded us not to harbor hatred towards a fellow human. We are supposed to view every human being, including the Israeli, the Palestinian, the conservative, the liberal, the addict, the homeless person, the prisoner, the person who believes differently, the immigrant, the person who looks different, and the person who votes differently, as an image bearer of the Creator. When we hate someone or an entire group, we fail to see them as human. Hatred dehumanizes others. Hatred fuels war, fueled the holocaust, and fuels division every day.
Leviticus 19:17: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him.
Being a follower of Yeshua requires us to love others in contrast to hate, including people who are hurtful, abusive, and hateful towards us. This action of loving our enemies is not natural, meaning we have to have our Spirit nature alive inside of us. Loving our neighbor does not mean trusting or not having boundaries, and it doesn’t describe intimacy. To love means not having any ill will in your heart for another human. This ability to love your enemies proves that you have a renewed heart.
1 John 3:14-16: We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer—and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We have come to know love by this—Yeshua laid down His life for us, and we should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
I imagine Joseph knew his brothers hated him, yet when his dad asked him to go alone to where they were shepherding, he said “hineni,” meaning, “Here I am.” It is almost as if he knew he was in for a hard time. When God began to test Abraham, He called his name, and Abraham responded, “Here I am.” On the journey up the mountain with his son towards what Abraham thought was death, Isaac said, “Abraham (daddio!),” and Abraham replied, “Here I am.” When Samuel is a young boy in the Temple starting his service to the Holy One, he hears God calling his name and answers, “Here I am.” This pattern makes me think that when God calls us to do hard things, like hate our enemies, we should try to respond with, “Here I am.” I am ready and willing to do hard things to spread love in a hateful world. Love is the most potent weapon ever to exist. The Scriptures tell us that it is human nature to love people who are kind, generous, and easy to do life with. This faith separates us from the norm because we must also show love to the people who hurt us. To be loving means to bless, pray for, do good to, and help our enemies when they need help. Loving our enemies breaks the cycle of hatred that fuels internal and external chaos and leads to death. Joseph loved his enemies when he fed them, brought them to Egypt to care for them, and blessed them even after they caused him so much pain. This is the type of love we should strive for.
Luke 6:27-28: But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for the ones who mistreat you.
Exodus 23:4-5: If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
Luke 6:32-36: If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are doing good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do this. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to take, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of Elyon (children of the Most High), for He is kind to the ungrateful and evil ones. Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate to you.
We give compassion and empathy to those whom we regard as valuable and to whom we can see from their perspective. If God is compassionate with us, does that mean He values us and empathizes with our feelings and experiences? Yes! We can infer from His Holy Name, Y-H-W-H, that He is the One who empathizes with and loves us. He has zero ill will towards us; He only wants to bless and give us life to the fullest, even when we are His enemy. When we actively rebel against Him by harming His creation and created beings, we act as an enemy to Him, yet He does not repay us evil for evil but gives of Himself, His love, His light, His rain, and His blessings on the just and the unjust, and the righteous and the rebellious. He never asks us to do something He does not first exemplify. I know this sounds impossible, but let us feel strengthened to overcome darkness with light as we walk in love. Start with one small step at a time. Think of the last person who offended you and write down some reasons for why they said or did what they did. Using a positive filter think of as many reasons why you would say or do the same thing. Now, show compassion through understanding and say a prayer for that person. The more we practice this, the easier it will become. I’m learning with you and we can do this!
Matthew 5:44-45: But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
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