Voices of WRJ: Vayigash

by Nancy Marcus This parashah is the climax of Joseph's story. It is when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. We witness the emotional reunion between the brothers and see Joseph’s joy upon learning his father is alive. Pharaoh offers him the land of Goshen for his family and the brothers set out to bring Jacob to Egypt.  On their journey the brothers worry about how to tell Jacob that Joseph is alive and Pharaoh’s most trusted aide. It is here that we meet one of the most intriguing women in Torah: Serah bat Asher. According to midrash, the brothers are so worried about Jacob's shock at learning that Joseph is alive that they decide to have Serah sing the news to him. She sings a beautiful song to her grandfather and he weeps as he understands the message. “Joseph, my uncle did not die, he lives and rules all the land of Egypt.” He is determined to see Joseph and packs up the family for the journey to Egypt. Seventy members of the immediate family made the journey with all their animals and everything they owned. There is an emotional reunion between father and son and the family settles in Goshen. Jacob says that now he can die because he has seen his beloved Joseph once again. The story of Serah bat Asher continues, about 400 years later. First, Serah is one of the elders who helps identify Moses as the man who would lead the Israelites out of Egypt. She explains that he is the one God has chosen. Then, when the Israelites are fleeing Egypt, Moses cannot leave without the bones of Joseph. He has promised to take Joseph’s remains back to the Promised Land. While the Israelites are out looting Egypt before their journey begins, it is Serah who mysteriously appears before Moses, for only she knew where Joseph was buried. She leads him to the Nile River and has him call to Joseph to come up out of the river. Miraculously, the metal box containing the bones rises up out of the waters of the Nile and now the journey to freedom can begin. According to midrash, Serah is one of the Israelites who enters the Land. Her name is listed among those who enter in Numbers. She appears periodically again in our story, settling a discussion in the Beit Midrash about the parting of the Sea. She explains to Rabbi Johanan that, “I was there and the water was not as a net, but rather as a transparent glass.” Tradition claims she never died but went to Gan Eden. Her gift of eternal life was pronounced by Jacob, because she revived his spirit. She is viewed by some scholars today as proof that God’s promise to the patriarchs will be kept and that the Jews will return to the Promised Land. What message is there for us, as Women of Reform Judaism? Serah is a quiet leader and serves as a role model for us today. She never forgets her history and yet she constantly embraces new things. We can learn much by embracing Serah’s leadership style as we move forward with WRJ into our second century. We should never forget our history and at the same time we should joyously embrace the exciting future unfolding before our eyes. Nancy Marcus is a WRJ Board member. She is a WRJ Pacific District past president, and past president of Women of Temple Bat Yahm and Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach, CA.  She first served on the WRJ Board in the last century and is proud to be serving another term now.