Vayeishev – The Noblest Profession

These are the chronicles of Jacob: Joseph, aged 17, was a shepherd with his brothers by the flock… (Gen. 37:2)

If I were to ask AJN readers which Psalm of David most ‘speaks’ to their heart,, chances are that more would plump for No. 23 than any other. It is the most celebrated of Tehilim among Jews, sung at the climactic third meal of Shabbat, and – lehavdil – the most well-known text in the Anglican hymnal, sung by generations of English schoolchildren. Its most famous verse is the opening one. HaShem Ro’i, lo ekhsor. “G D is my Shepherd – I shall not want!” For the greatest wordsmith in human history, the quintessential metaphor to convey a loving, nurturing G D is that of a shepherd.

King David, of course, was speaking from personal experience. He grew up tending his father’s sheep. He would first take the little ones to graze on the tender grass, then the older ones who were more suited to the medium pasture and finally the young ‘adults’ who could chew the tough grass. Said G D: “You are faithful with sheep – now tend My flock!” (Shemot Raba 2:2).

Of our greatest leader a similar tale is told. Moses was tending his father-in-law Jethro’s flocks when a lamb strayed. He pursued her and finally discovered her in a distant oasis drinking her fill at the cool stream. Realising how exhausted the lamb must now be, Moses took her in his arms and carried her back. G D’s response was: “You who have such compassion on a dumb creature are to be My chosen shepherd of Israel!” (ibid 3:1).

From the dawn of mankind when Abel, the world’s first keeper of sheep, pleased G D (Gen. 4:4), shepherding was seen as a most noble vocation. Our first Patriarch Abraham was a master-shepherd and trained his apprentices to uphold the highest standards of morality (13:7; Rashi loc. cit.). Isaac followed suit (26:20-22). Jacob elevated the art of shepherding to a new level. His concern for his flocks is evident in his refusal to travel at Esau’s pace for fear of fatiguing them possibly to the point of death (33:13) as well as in his pioneering initiative (see Or haChaim) in constructing for his flocks shelters (origin of the word Succot) from the sun and cold (33:17). His initial attraction to Rachel no doubt stemmed in part from the fact that she too was a sensitive shepherdess. Small wonder that Jacob’s sons all followed in their father’s footsteps and became shepherds.

This leads us on to perhaps the most difficult question arising out of our Sidra. Jacob’s oldest ten sons are shepherding their father’s flocks in Shechem. Jacob summons his beloved 17-year-old Joseph and asks him to go see how his brothers and the flocks are doing. This is in the wake of Joseph relating his prophetic dreams to his brothers resulting in their increased hatred and jealousy of him. Is Jacob unaware of what is going on? Isn’t he in the least apprehensive about sending Joseph to them? Does he not sense their murderous feelings?

In the light of the above, I would venture the following suggestion. Jacob’s sons were shepherds. He had trained them to be compassionate caregivers to his flocks. Surely, Jacob thought, the nurturing qualities they brought to bear in tending the sheep would spill over into their relationship with Joseph. How could devoted, caring shepherds ill-treat a brother?

Sadly Jacob’s assessment was incorrect. Fatefully, Joseph too does not grasp the situation. Even when “a man (identified by our Sages as the angel Gavriel) discovers him” and Joseph asks the man “where are my brothers shepherding?” he fails to discern the full meaning of the man’s chilling reply: They have journeyed far from there (shepherding ideals) and have gone to Dotan (they are in judgement-mode – Dotan stems from dat = law). (Gen. 37:15-17). And indeed they carry out their ‘judgement’ – with the result that they are not found worthy of inclusion among the supreme shepherds of Israel (the Ushpizin whom we symbolically welcome on Succot).

Joseph however is included – and the full impact of his global shepherding remains to be discovered in the Torah chapters that follow.