The Confidence for Courage in Horrifying Times

The tragedy of the Sale of Yosef (that we read on this past Shabbos) has long been seen as a symbol of the most significant challenge of the Jewish Family: maintaining our unity and loyalty to one another, despite our differences. Chazal saw it as a foreshadowing of the failures that would haunt us, and ultimately lead to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash: baseless hatred. Reading this narrative this year, through the lens of the national experience of Oct. 7, 2023 through today, offers a different perspective: the abandonment of Yosef.

Hostage-taking recurs in the Tanakh: in Sdom (Bereishis 14), Arad (Bamidbar 21), and Tziklag (1 Shmuel, 30). Chazal considers hostage-taking to be a capital crime (Shmos 20:13, Rashi) and the responsibility to free hostages is a “great mitzvah” (Talmud Bavli, Bava Basra, 8). The case of Yosef, however, differs significantly from the other instances. In all other cases, there was an immediate and concerted effort to return the captives. In all three cases, those closest to the hostage immediately set out to return their relatives, and these efforts were successful. However, in the case of Yosef, no one came looking for him. Day after day, year after year, Yosef must have been waiting to see if any of his brothers had a regret and came looking. But not one came: not while he was a servant, not while he was incarcerated, and not when he joined Pharoah’s leadership. Tragically, there was unending silence, until they chanced upon him during their search for food.

While we have not overcome the challenge of disunity, we know that the Jewish community never forgot the Oct. 7 hostages and constantly puts them at the forefront of our attention and efforts. We now have the opportunity to learn from the lessons that these heroes can teach: both those who survived until their release, as well as those who were martyred.

We recently saw the video of six hostages lighting Hanukkah candles in captivity before they were ultimately executed: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi, zichronam levracha. Their courage to light the menorah and to sing the songs of Hanukkah is hard to fathom. The courage of all of the hostages to fight for survival and to withstand the physical and psychological torture is overwhelming, and inspirational.

Martyrdom is a central Jewish value in which a Jew is called upon to give up one’s life for the sake of loyalty to our most fundamental values. So many people have responded to this call over the past two years, risking or sacrificing their lives for the sake of our values. While this may be the most difficult mitzvah, Maimonides adds another layer to the challenge: to overcome fear. 

When codifying this mitzva (Sefer HaMitzvot, positive mitzvah 9) he describes our responsibility to “not be scared of any threat, even when an oppressor stands against us, we must not listen”. Furthermore, Rambam laments the disgrace of the entirety of the Jewish nation who were “scared” and submitted to bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar, until three heroes courageously stood up. While we often think of courage as a trait and not a choice, Rambam sees courage as an obligation that we are called upon to find.

We live in a time when so many Jews are fearful of being visibly Jewish. Unfortunately, this is for good reason. We recently learned of the tragic attack in Sydney’s Bondi Beach. “Horrified, but not shocked”, in the words of many. Today, world Jewry stands with the Sydney community. We join in the call of Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, co-founder of Chabad of Bondi, to continue to strengthen Jewish life with courage and conviction.

How does one choose to have courage? I believe that it is confidence that cultivates courage. When one is definitive in one’s identity and sees the abandonment of one’s core self to be inconceivable, then there is no doubting or second guessing. This results in the courage to overcome fear and doubt.

Courage is a lesson that we can learn from the heroic hostages and so many heroic individuals who have stepped up over the past two years on behalf of the Jewish People. This includes soldiers, survivors, activists and bystanders, like Ahmed al Ahmed of Sydney. May we learn from them to be courageous, confident and fearless in continuing to maintain our identities and live by our values. May we find this courage to proudly wear our Jewish identities and continue to ensure that Judaism will flourish in all places where we are.