Vayeishev

December 8, 2017

“And a man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field….” (Genesis 37:7)

There are times in our lives when someone appears, as if from nowhere, and points us in the direction which potentially changes our lives forever.  We may not realize it at the time (or ever), but with reflection we realize the significance.  It may be someone of whom we simply ask directions.  It may be the friend of a friend with whom we talk at a dinner party and never see again.  But because of that moment we are pointed in a direction, given information which becomes important later, sparks an idea which one day turns into a life-changing spark.

In the Torah this is not unusual.  A stranger appears with whom Jacob wrestles.  Strangers appear at Abraham’s tent, etc.  In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob’s beloved son Joseph is sent by his father to seek out Joseph’s brothers and he comes upon a man who asks Joseph what he is looking for.  Joseph says he is looking for his brothers and the   man points him in their direction.  One might say that this random person, in this random spot changes the course of joseph’s story (and that of the Jewish people) as it sets a chain of events in motion.  (Of course one could argue it is a literary device but it could have worked just as well to have Joseph simply know where his brothers were and to come upon them.  But this guy just happens to be there, happens to know where Joseph’s brothers are and points Joseph in the direction he needs to go).

So why?  Why is this minor character part of the narrative?  Perhaps it is to remind us that no one is truly a minor character in our lives.  People come in and out of our lives for a reason.  Sometimes, either by chance or intention, they reappear in our lives or we choose to keep them in our lives (or they elect to stay in our lives).  Other times, they become part of a story we share with friends (the woman who I met while I was travelling and told me about a book that changed my life; the man who appeared just when I needed someone to help me change my flat tire on the side of the road, etc.)

It is a way of seeing the world.  Is it just random, and I would have eventually discovered that book by myself or through some other means or was this person right there, at the right moment because it was meant to be that way?

These strangers may play small but significant parts in the narrative of our lives or they may become recurring characters or even significant people in our lives.  Either way, perhaps this short exchange in this week’s Torah portion is meant to remind us not to take the exchange or the person for granted and even to acknowledge that if not for those people and those moments we may not have arrived at the place where we find ourselves right now.