Tears for the Temples
讘专讗砖讬转 驻专拽 诪讛 驻住讜拽 讬讚
:讜址讬执旨驻止旨诇 注址诇 爪址讜职旨讗专值讬 讘执谞职讬指诪执谉 讗指讞执讬讜 讜址讬值旨讘职讱职旨 讜旨讘执谞职讬指诪执谉 讘指旨讻指讛 注址诇 爪址讜指旨讗专指讬讜
Genesis 45:14
And he (Joseph) fell on the necks of Benjamin his brother, and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
讘专讗砖讬转 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 爪讙
讬讘 讜讻讬 砖谞讬 爪讜讗专讬诐 讛讬讜 诇讜 诇讘谞讬诪讬谉 讗诇讗 讗诪专 专讘讬 讗诇注讝专 讘谉 驻讚转 讬讜住祝 专讗讛 讘专讜讞 讛拽讜讚砖 砖砖谞讬 讘讬转 讛诪拽讚砖讜转 注转讬讚讬谉 诇讬讘谞讜转 讘讞诇拽讜 砖诇 讘谞讬诪讬谉 讜注转讬讚讬谉 诇讬讞专讘, 讜讘谞讬诪讬谉 讘讻讛 注诇 爪讜讗专讬讜, 专讗讛 砖诪砖讻谉 砖讬诇讛 注转讬讚 诇讛注砖讜转 讘讞诇拽讜 砖诇 讬讜住祝 讜注转讬讚 诇讬讞专讘, 讜讬转谉 讗转 拽讜诇讜 讘讘讻讬,
Genesis Rabbah Parashah 93
Did Benjamin then have two necks? In fact, said Rabbi Elazar b. Pdat, “Joseph saw with a prophetic vision, that the two Temples would be in the future built on the portion of Benjamin, and that in the future they would both be destroyed.” “And Benjamin cried on his neck” he saw that the Tabernacle would be in the future built in Shiloh on Joseph’s portion and that in the future it would be destroyed, and he cried out.
This is an interesting moment in our midrash on Parashat Va-yiggash. In asking why the plural of neck is used in reference to Benjamin, Rabbi Elazar takes us far afield to the doubling of the word neck being a reference to both the first and second Temples. It is jarring, in this tender moment of reunion between Joseph and Benjamin, to imagine their attention drawn into the future and in that moment weeping for the destruction of the Temple rather than crying tears of joy.
Reading this makes me think of the breaking of the glass during a Jewish wedding ceremony. In a moment of sheer joy at the marriage, we break a glass to remember the Temple and that our joy cannot be complete in light of its destruction. Here, too, the Rabbis imagine, Joseph and Benjamin cannot fully enjoy their moment with the foreknowledge that the Temples will be destroyed.
Sometimes a midrash like this seems distant to us, in light of the fact that we don’t mourn the Temple on a regular basis beyond a few comments in our liturgy. However, this week as we completed Hanukkah, we spent eight nights engaged joyously in the rededication of the Temple. In that light, I think we are more connected to the Temple and its symbolism than we tend to think. Moving from the shattered glass of the wedding to the celebration of Hanukkah, we can see then that the Temple is a symbol of the wholeness of the Jewish community living together with a shared vision and purpose. We celebrated, then, the moment of its restored glory this past week on Hanukkah, but we can also relate to the tears of Joseph and Benjamin, who sadly realize these moments are fleeting. May it be our blessing to build a stronger Jewish community so that our embraces need not be tearful but rather optimistic of a brighter future.
