Bereishis, 41:51: “And he called the name of the first-born Menashe, for ‘HaShem has caused me to forget (nashani) all my hardship and all my father’s household.”
When Yosef’s first son is born, he names him Menashe, to allude to the fact that “HaShem has caused me to forget (nashani Elokim) all my suffering and my father’s household.” It is easy to comprehend why he was thankful for forgetting the hardship he endured, but why would he loudly proclaim joy at forgetting the household of his father, where he grew up?!
Rav Simcha Zissel Brodie zt”l[1] addresses this problem by citing a Gemara[2]. The Gemara tells us that when Rav Zeira went up to Eretz Yisrael from Bavel, he first fasted 100 fasts in order that he would forget the Talmud Bavli that he had learned in Bavel. The reason for this is that he wanted to be able study the Yerushalmi Talmud without being distracted by preconceived notions that he had attained while studying in Bavel. Rashi explains that the Talmudic methodology in Eretz Yisrael differed greatly from that of Bavel. Accordingly, in order to effectively learn the new style of learning in Eretz Yisrael, he would need to ‘forget’ the methodology of learning that he had been used to up and till this point.
Rav Brodie compared the situation of Yosef to that of Rebbe Zeira in a certain sense. Yosef had grown up in the house of Yaakov Avinu and had learned the Torah of Yaakov Avinu. He learned his way of life and system of values in that pure atmosphere. However, Yosef knew that the approach that worked in Yaakov’s home would not work in Egypt. Egypt was a place full of impurity and decadence and surviving spiritually in such a place required a whole different approach. Things that were taken for granted in Yaakov’s home could not be taken for granted here. For example, it can be assumed that there were far more inbuilt protections against immorality in Yaakov’s home, so that it was not necessary to create one’s own fences to protect one’s purity. However, in Egypt, immorality was rampant, and this surely required of Yosef to make his own boundaries to protect himself.
Because of his awareness of this challenge, Rav Brodie explains that Yosef prayed for the insight and wisdom to adapt to his new surroundings with a new spiritual approach. In order for him to be able to do that, he needed, in a certain sense, to ‘forget’ the household of his father. Yosef never meant to proclaim joy at having left behind his father’s home, rather he was simply expressing the recognition that he needed a different approach to survive.
Therefore, the righteous Yosef prayed to G-d for the insight and wisdom to adapt to his new surroundings with a new spiritual approach. In order for him to do that, he needed to forget “the household of my father.” Yosef did not proclaim that he named his son Menashe in order to thank G-d for His help in forgetting Yaakov’s household because he chas v’Shalom demeaned his father’s household, but rather because he now needed a different approach. He now needed a new approach that would enable him to survive and prosper in the environment of Egypt.
On deeper analysis, it seems that Yosef had already been given the tools with which to deal with his personal exile, through the Torah that he learnt from Yaakov. Rashi, based on the Midrash, says that one of the ways in which Yaakov seemed to give preferential treatment to Yosef was that, “everything he [Yaakov] learnt from Shem and Ever, he passed on to him [Yosef].”[3] Yaakov clearly taught Torah to all of his children, but the Midrash emphasizes that he only taught Yosef the Torah that he learnt from Shem and Ever. What was unique about the Torah of Shem and Ever that caused Yaakov to teach this Torah to Yosef in particular? Rav Yaakov Kamenetskyexplains that the Torah of Shem and Ever was taught to them by Noach[4]. Noach excelled in the ability to protect himself and his family from the detrimental, spiritual influences that encircled them from society before the great Flood. Noach transmitted to his children the Torah of ‘exile’ – that is the Torah what one needs to know in order to survive when living in a negative, spiritual environment. Shem and Ever emulated Noach in this area and taught it to individuals who came to study in their Yeshivas. When Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael to live with Lavan, he first went to study in the Yeshivas of Shem and Ever for fourteen years. Yaakov was sixty-three years old at the time, and had spent his whole life learning from his great father, Yitzchak Avinu. Why was the Torah that he learnt from Yitzchak insufficient to prepare him for his time with Lavan? The answer is that up to this time in his life, Yaakov had grown up surrounded by tzaddikim. Now that he was facing the challenge of living with people like Lavan, he needed to learn other sugyas (topics), those related to dealing with tricksters, liars and enemies. The Torah of Yitzchak Avinu was not geared to such nisyonos (tests) because Yitzchak too was protected from negative influences by his parents.
We can now understand why Yaakov taught Yosef the Torah of Shem and Ever in particular? Yaakov subconsciously knew that Yosef, of all the sons, was destined to live in exile away from G-d fearing people, and surrounded by negative influences. Therefore, he taught Yosef in particular amongst all the sons, the Torah of Shem and Ever because he was in the greatest need of that Torah. Rav Kamenetsky’s explanation dovetails perfectly with that of Rav Brodie. Yosef prayed that he would be able to ‘forget’ the Torah that Yaakov had taught to all the sons, so that he could fully inculcate the Torah of Shem and Ever, which gave him the unique tools to survive in Exile.
Yosef’s challenge is relevant to whenever a person’s external situation drastically changes, such as when he or she spends time in Yeshiva or Seminary and then returns to study or work in a largely secular environment. There are two areas of Torah in which it seems that a new approach is needed in such situations: Halacha (Jewish law) and Hashkafa (Jewish thought). In terms of halacha, Rav Kamenetsky cites an example from the fact that the Chofetz Chaim wrote a separate work on the Jewish laws specifically geared for Jews who were serving in non-Jewish armies. Such people obviously faced many unusual and difficult challenges and needed guidance as to when they could apply various leniencies and to what extent. In a similar vein, nowadays, people can be exposed to environments that pose new questions; people who work in non-Jewish environments, or people who have secular families, face complicated questions that are not necessarily addressed in the standard halacha works. Obviously, such delicate questions cannot be answered alone, rather one must ask a Rav who is familiar with these unusual situations.
Likewise, in the area of hashkafa, a person surrounded by an impure environment, requires extra chizuk (strengthening) to remind him of the Torah true values, and to not get influenced by the goals that are espoused by the surrounding secular society. Such goals include making money and striving for honor and power. A person in such surroundings, may well need to devote extra time to reminding himself of the Torah true values than he would if he were living in a Torah saturated society.
Yosef provides us with a template with how to adapt in order to survive in difficult, spiritual circumstances. May we merit to emulate his example.
