Israel At War 5785: Mikeitz – Waiting, and Trying To Keep Faith

Few things in life are as hard as waiting.

And waiting when you are powerless, and no help seems at hand, is even harder.

At the end of last week’s Torah portion, Vayeishev, we read that Joseph told the Chief of the Cupbearers of his unjust imprisonment and asked him to intercede with Pharaoh. But after he is freed, we are told:

“And the Chief of the Cupbearers did not remember Joseph, and he forgot him.” (Genesis 40:23)

This week’s Torah portion, Mikeitz, starts:

“And it was, at the end of two years of days…” (Genesis 41:1)

Joseph waited two years after his request for the Chief of the Cupbearers to remember to mention him to Pharaoh.

Two years.

How many of us could wait two years in a dungeon, unjustly imprisoned? And what would be our mental state when we were finally freed?

As I write this, the hostages taken October 7th and not yet released have been in Gaza, many if not most of them in underground dungeons, where they may not even have company, as Joseph did. Certainly, unlike Joseph, they have not been treated humanely by their “wardens.”

Joseph survived two years and seemed none the worse for wear, although he was shaven and given a change of clothes before being brought before Pharaoh. He was able to interact freely with fellow prisoners. When the warden gave him charge of the day-to-day running of the prison, he had duties to give him a sense of purpose and passed the time. The Torah does not mention his being beaten, tortured, or sexually molested.

Yet surely, he must have felt forgotten. The person he relied on to help him appeared not to have done so. Or maybe Pharoah ignored his request. For all Joseph knew, he would never taste freedom again.

We know from the testimony of released hostages that many are kept in total darkness, alone, or not allowed to talk with others. We know they are starved, tortured, and raped. While some were kept in buildings above ground, that is unlikely to be the case any longer; with Israel’s near-total control of Gaza above-ground, they are almost certainly deep in the tunnels by now. After over a year, do they wonder if, like Joseph, they have been forgotten? Not only by man, but by G-d?

As yet another hostage deal appears to vanish like smoke, I personally am tired of waiting and am wondering, Where is Hashem? When will he redeem these souls?

Joseph grew strong in faith. In prison, he told his fellows that it was G-d who gave the interpretations of their dreams; he was but the channel. Emerging from prison, he said the same thing to Pharaoh.

But Joseph did not start out with humility and faith. Spoiled and favored by his father, he tattled on his brothers and boasted of his dreams in which they bowed down to him. But then he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Something in this hardship caused him to change radically. He became a person who worked instead of complaining, resisted temptation, and listened to others’ dreams rather than centering his own.

One of the most amazing aspects of the Gaza tragedy is how some captives have found, or retained, faith.

Eden Sapir, held captive for almost two months, gained faith in G-d during her ordeal. Omer Shem Tov, according to released hostages held with him, observes Shabbat in Gaza captivity, making motzi over pretzels and using toilet paper for a kippah. When there were power outages on Shabbat, he did not use the flashlight provided by his captors. His mother, Shelly Shem Tov, has now begun to observe Shabbat as well. How can we explain this?

Victor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Shelly Shem Tov says of her son, “They took away his freedom, but they can’t take away his faith.”

Among the hostages, mileage may vary. Some will discover or retain faith, but others will not. And who among us would dare to judge any of them? Not this writer. And surely, neither would Hashem, master of mercy. For it is also written, “Where there is no bread, there is no Torah.”

Let those of us with bread as well as Torah continue to storm the heavens with prayers for a miraculous redemption and healing of the captives. Let us storm world leaders and opinion makers with demands to do all that is in their power to force Hamas to release them. While we cannot let the hostages know that they are not forgotten, we can let the world know.

And may the IDF continue to storm the tunnels and the evil kidnappers and murderers. May we see our captives redeemed, speedily and at a time that comes soon.

And may we, too, have faith in these difficult times, the faith of Joseph, Eden, and Omer.