‘Because I wasn’t running alone’

“I was so worried about you,” said the young rabbinical student, Gerald Wolpe, to a frail Holocaust survivor in 1947. They were awaiting a Madison Square Garden viewing of the UN vote, authorizing the State of Israel. Everybody had camped out overnight to make sure they got seats to witness this historic moment. As soon as the doors opened, Gerald and his classmates ran as fast as they could to get seats on the floor. He was shocked to turn around and see the survivor seated in the row right behind them.

“How did you manage to get here so fast? How did you avoid being hurt in all the rush?” He looked Gerald in the eye and said, “Because I wasn’t running alone.” 

He was running alongside family and friends who didn’t survive the Death Camps. And he was running along with generations of his ancestors. Millions more who could only dream of someday participating in the upbuilding of our Homeland. 

I find this story compelling as we conclude the Torah’s first book this Shabbat. 

Consider how God brought our ancestors down to Egypt. We all know how the Exodus happens. Turns out the entrance to Egypt is also telling. Two takeaways can help redeem hope today. First, our settling in Egypt contains lessons about repair and repentance, thanks to Judah. And Judaism is forever ennobled by this. Second, Joseph choreographs how to extract positive results from punishing times. “What you intended as punitive, God turned into something positive” (Gen. 5:20). 

As we finish the first quarter of the 21st century, we’re right to wonder: What will the second quarter be like? We may have our doubts. But those doubts should not include self-doubt.

When you dip into your people’s surplus, when you draw upon your ancestor’s life-lessons, lessons from how we enter and exit from Egypt, then you won’t be running alone.