Forgiveness is easy, repentance – true change of character – is difficult. –Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
For a number of months now, Gentle Reader, I have been immersing myself in the Book of Genesis. There are a number of powerful themes contained in this Book and perhaps the most powerful and impactful is the theme of Sibling Rivalry.
The first, as you might know, is the rivalry between Cain and Abel. Because of their rivalry we humans could be in a greater world of hurt than we are, for ‘Hope’ and ‘Repentance & Reconciliation’ would not be available to us. There are, in Genesis, three powerful sibling rivalries that over time demonstrated the power of ‘Hope,’ ‘Repentance & Reconciliation’. These three also provide us a guide, a guide that we, today, might choose to follow. Like most ‘Guides’ this one is simple but not simplistic for it requires ‘true change of character’ – a ‘transformation.’
The first occurs between Isaac and Ishmael and ‘Repentance & Reconciliation’ are implied. Their story merely speaks of them standing together at Abraham’s funeral. Then with Esau and Jacob, the brothers meet and embrace as friends and then part and go their separate ways. ‘Repentance & Reconciliation’ is more than implied. Finally, with Joseph and his brothers the path of ‘Repentance & Reconciliation’ is made very clear indeed – it is also ups the ante and restores ‘Hope.’
Consider, Gentle Reader, in the ‘Joseph Story’ the issue is not ‘FORGIVNESS.’ Remember, Joseph forgives his brothers without their asking for it, without their apology (a request for forgiveness), and well before he reveals who he is (the brother they sold into slavery).
The challenge here is ‘Repentance’. As Rabbi Sacks reminds us ‘Forgiveness is easy, repentance – true change of character – is difficult.’ It is ‘Repentance’ – moral growth – that the ‘Joseph Story’ challenges us to embrace.
‘The People of the Book’ (Jews, Christians & Muslims) believe that our God – the God of Abraham – created us in His image and in doing so has graced us with ‘Free Will’. We have the freedom to choose the ‘good’ and we have the freedom to choose the ‘evil.’
Consider the early chapters of Genesis. We can feel God’s pain and disappointment. Adam and Eve are followed by Cain who is followed by the ‘People of the Flood. Even with all of this to-do God never considers taking our ‘Free Will’ – our ‘Freedom to Choose’ – away from us. The God of Freedom desires that we, his ‘children’ freely desire and freely choose to love Him and one another and that we freely choose to worship Him. Furthermore, only a being with ‘freedom to choose’ is a true ‘Other’ and thus the ‘freedom to choose’ plus the honoring of the ‘differences of the other’ are central to God’s ‘Divine Plan.’
Consider this, Gentle Reader: Fewer things have been denied by we humans to our sibling humans than ‘Human Freedom’ in all of its forms (think: Freedom to… Freedom from… Freedom for…).
Do not judge your fellow until you have been in his place. –Mishnah
Searcher-Seeker 