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Parshat Shemot
2005
Remembrance
"A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph." (Exodus 1:8)
To a people whose liturgy demands that we remember, this statement stops us cold. It is fewer than 400 years since an Israelite saved the Egyptians from starvation. How could a king not remember?
On the other hand, until this point, there hasn't been a reason for the Israelites to remember, either. Throughout Genesis, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are promised that their descendants will be as numerous as the stars, and each patriarch remembers this promise. But they do not recall the stories of their ancestors. They are not asked to remember history.
Only with the creation of a people does remembering history become important. With this line in Exodus, the Torah turns from being a chronicle of individuals to the story of a people. The important fact is not that the king did not know Joseph, but that, not remembering Joseph, he oppressed an entire people.
"A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph" is a call to conscience that tells us the consequences of forgetting. As a people, we take this very seriously. Each year at Passover we are called to remember that we were strangers in the land of Egypt. Each day we are called to remember our redemption from Egypt, the creation of the world, the covenant of the rainbow.
But this must not be all we remember. We must also remember the consequences of sinat chinam - the baseless hatred of one Jew toward another. Tradition suggests that the fall of the second temple is due to hatred of one Jew for another. With this in our memory, we must work to make sure that despite our differences, we treat each other with the respect and love due from one sibling to another.
At the International Professional Staff Conference, we embraced colleagues from 14 countries. We applauded each other's accomplishments. We welcomed new staff into our fold. Together we talked about writing the next chapter in the Hillel story. Together we planned the future of the organization. Avraham Infeld told us of those who do not want to write chapters 11, 12, 13, 14 - 20 of the Jewish story because it has all been written. He told us of the other half of the people who are dying to write these next chapters but have no interest in reading the first 10.
But it is these first 10 chapters that give us the perspective with which to write those next 10. Our differences of opinion on how to deal with issues regarding Israel, Jewish continuity, halacha, liturgy and more must not make us lose our perspective. If we remember nothing, we must remember that we are all in this world together. We are all members of the nation of Israelites whom the Pharaoh oppressed. If it is shocking that a king arose that did not know Joseph, it is even more shocking when we forget that this king oppressed every single one of us, regardless of our opinions.
Am Yisrael is called to remember. It begins here.
Prepared by Susan Detwiler, Executive Director, University of Delaware Hillel
Learn More
Additional commentaries and text studies on Parshat Shemot at MyJewishLearning.com.
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