Cancel Culture and Joseph the Dreamer

Upon reading the narrative of Joseph's interactions with the world at large, something struck me as rather unusual vis a vis the syntax and grammatical composition of many of the biblical verses. Over and over again, although entirely unnecessary - and seemingly repetitive - the Bible, rather than using the pronoun, "him," repeats the name Joseph. I have highlighted three examples from last week's portion. 

 When Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that he was wearing, and took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it (Genesis 37: 23-24).

 When Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the pit. They sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who brought Joseph to Egypt (Genesis 37:28)

So Joseph’s master had him put in prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. But even while he was there in prison, the LORD was with Joseph: He extended kindness to him and           disposed the chief jailer favorably toward him (Genesis 39: 20-21).

It seems odd, that the Torah reiterates Joseph's name for no seemingly apparent reason. The text seems to be in contravention of how we ourselves would write, and certainly, as an English teacher, I would correct my students were they to not substitute a pronoun for a proper noun. Why then does the Torah opt to state, and restate, Joseph's name? 

It would seem to met that there is a hint in this week's Torah portion, Miketz. Joseph has long been forgotten by Pharaoh's butler. Having been asked to name drop - to put in a good word - the butler little remembers Joseph, and the favors he has done for him. At the time of reckoning, when the butler sees Pharaoh's distress, when none of his necromancers can help him interpret his dreams, when all else fails, the butler timidly shares that once upon a time he had incidentally used Joseph's services: "A Hebrew youth was there with us, a servant of the chief steward; and when we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us, telling each of the meaning of his dream." One diminutive after the next bespeaks the cancelation of Joseph; not only was he a Hebrew, he was a youth, and were that not enough, he was a servant as well. 

And then, shortly thereafter, the verse reaffirms Joseph's identity, calling him very clearly, yet again by his first name: 

Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was rushed from the dungeon. He had his hair cut and changed his clothes, and he appeared before Pharaoh.

The Torah is very clear about Joseph, his presence, his identity, bespeaking a fascinating, almost mesmerizing interplay; attempts to cancel him, are responded with very clear reaffirmations of Joseph's identity, one that cannot be canceled, one in which our whole fate of a people is implicit and hinged, Joseph, the Joseph that would bring us Mashiach ben Yosef. 

But, let's deliberate for just a second on this phenomenon. The brothers, based in Dothan, see Joseph approaching, and plot their malicious scheme. How do they refer to Joseph? "They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer! (Genesis 37:19)" Joseph's identity has been erased, nullified. "Here comes the dreamer." And then, after Reuven, in the hopes of using subterfuge to save Joseph from his brother, has him thrown into a pit, only to later find that he is no longer there, states: "The boy is gone! Now, what am I to do?”

Thus, the failure to call a person by name, cancels him out. The Torah states that the brothers "could not speak to him peaceably." But did they ever call him by name? Did they ever seek to uncover, or reveal, his unique identity? Rabbi Soloveitchik of blessed memory, states in the "Lonely Man of Faith," that when a person greets his fellow with the word, "Shalom," the identity of the greeted party has been affirmed. "Shalom," being a name of God, is welcomed into the discourse; all the more so, when a person recognizes another by stating his name. 

Pharaoh, ironically recognizes Joseph. Pharaoh sent for Joseph. Casting his butler's generalizations aside, he does not stereotype Joseph, or pigeonhole him; he receives him without prejudice, with an open mind, ready to recognize him, and thus, more than anything, benefits from Joseph to an extent unimaginable by modern standards. Pharaoh was the undisputed leader of the world. And what solidified his reign was the simple ability to recognize the humanity, perhaps, in another, not to see Joseph as a slave, a Hebrew, a mere child, but rather someone worthy of respect. 

What a powerful message for current times. As the brothers state when they were accused of espionage:   “Alas, we are being punished on account of our brother, because we looked on at his anguish, yet paid no heed as he pleaded with us. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

Joseph pleaded to his brothers, he called out, his calls were not heard. And maybe that's why Joseph's name appears over and over. They failed to see "Joseph," to hear him, and so the verse needs time in and time out to reiterate that Joseph's identity has not been diminished for failure of others to recognize it. Even if the brothers "could not speak to Joseph peaceably," it was imperative for them to do just the opposite, to listen, to hear the call of their brother, to be there for him. 

This message reverberates throughout the Tanach. With Cain and Hevel: "He said to his brother, Hevel. And when they were in the field, Cain arose and killed Hevel." 

"He said" - the verse states, but not what he said. He was, more focused on "saying" than "listening."

In the words of Don McLean's song, "Starry Starry Night:"  

They would not listen, they did not know how

Perhaps they'll listen now

May we listen before it's too late, before we've changed the course of relationships, in ways that we may regret.