One of the original faculty members of the legendary Sephardic Yeshivat Porat Yosef in the Old City of Jerusalem, Hakham Abraham Harari Raful was born in Jerusalem in 1895. A descendant of a prestigious line of rabbis from Aleppo (originally from Spain), Hakham Abraham Harari Raful was steeped in Torah study from childhood. His primary teacher was his father, Hakham Ezra Harari Raful, who taught his son Torah and also made sure he had a Jewish education by sending him to the Yeshiva that he himself opened, Yeshivat Ohel Moed, under the guidance of Rabbi Raphael Shlomo Laniado.
In his book Imrei Avraham, a collection of teachings on the Torah, the Siddur (he was also an outstanding Sephardi Hazzan) and the Jewish holidays, Hakham Abraham tells a moving story that relates thematically to this week's Torah Portion, Parashat Vayeshev.
Beginning with this parasha through the end of the Book of Genesis, we read what we call "The Joseph Narrative," the intriguing stories of Joseph in Egypt. From the beginning of these stories, Joseph's personal dreams and his talent to interpret the dreams of others take center stage. His brothers call him "that dreamer" (Genesis 37:19), and in Egypt, Joseph gains fame in his ability to explain and interpret the dreams of the Baker, the Cupbearer, and, ultimately, of Pharaoh.
"Joseph's deep connection to dreams," says Hakham Abraham, "calls attention to our relationship with our own dreams and those of our loved ones." He tells the story of a dream that his father, Hakham Ezra, had just a few days before passing away:
My father, the pious Rabbi Ezra Harari Raful, of sainted and blessed memory, had a dream just days before his passing, that he ascended into the Garden of Eden, and there he saw the palace of Avraham Avinu (Abraham our Patriarch). My father beheld Abraham's palace and saw that etched on the gates of entry were the words that defined the life's mission of Abraham:
"I (God) have chosen Abraham so that he may teach his children the ways of God" (Genesis 18:19)
Upon awakening from this beautiful vision in the morning, Hakham Ezra interpreted his own dream in the presence of his family:
Abraham was a distinguished leader known for many different things he did in his life. He was the first Jew, he was the first to have a direct relationship with God, and the first to journey to the Land of Israel. He fought wars, dealt with world leaders, purchased our first-ever first plot of land in Israel, negotiated with God on behalf of Sodom, and was put through the most difficult test of his faith with Akedat Yitzhak (the Binding of Isaac). Yet, with all of this, God declared that the main reason Abraham was chosen was "so that he may teach his children the ways of God." The meaning of my dream must be that the most important mission of any Jewish parent's life is to educate their children "in the ways of God" - Torah, tradition and being part of the Jewish people.
If dreams reflect our subconscious, then what was on Hakham Ezra Harari Raful's mind just a few days before passing away? The education of his children, and the continuity of his family's traditions, as well as those of his people.
This dream connects to Joseph on levels that are much deeper than the mere act of dreaming. Who was Joseph? A young Hebrew boy who, through an intriguing series of twists and turns all rooted in dreams, ends up becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt. In Jewish tradition, he is the only Biblical figure with the title Tsaddik - righteous. Many wonder why a young man whose behavior so often seemed arrogant and elitist was given the title Tsaddik?
In his rise to power in Pharaoh's palace, Joseph got married and had two children, the boys Ephraim and Menashe. Here were two young boys born to a father who was from the Hebrew tribes and now became an Egyptian prince. How did that Egyptian prince, with his new clothing, appearance and power, raise and educate those two boys? In our terms, they were raised "in the diaspora, surrounded by assimilation."
Despite the atmosphere of the Egyptian palace and all of its temptations towards assimilation, Joseph taught his boys who they were - Hebrews descended from the tribes of Israel, from their grandfather Jacob. Indeed, their identity was so strong that they are the only grandchildren to attain tribal status in Israel. Joseph did not forget who he was, and made sure his children knew their history, their identity, and "the ways of God."
This explains the blessing we give our boys around the Shabbat table every Friday night: May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe. With all of the challenges, distractions and temptations to assimilate, we aspire to raise our children so that they are like Ephraim and Menashe - two boys who were raised in the thick of an environment foreign to their heritage and religion, yet retained their identity.
Hakham Ezra's dream about Abraham's palace and the centrality for parents to educate their children in "the ways of God" not only strengthens the Joseph story, but also illuminates the message of the holiday around when the Torah portions about Joseph are usually read: Hanukkah (which we begin to celebrate this coming Sunday night, November 28, 2021).
Hanukkah is the story of the Maccabees, a small band of freedom fighters who refused to allow assimilation to overtake the Jewish people. In the words of the classic Spanish Torah commentator Nachmanides, "without the Maccabees, the learning of Torah and the observance of commandments would have been forgotten in Israel."
What is the best "Hanukkah gift" we can give our children, male and female? The same gift Joseph gave to his sons Ephraim and Menashe, and - thousands of years later - Hakham Ezra Harari Raful gave to his son, Hakham Abraham Harari Raful - the gift of Torah, Jewish identity, Jewish heritage and Jewish education.
I have a dream, that we will all take inspiration from these great dreamers, who, in their own minds, did nothing except fulfill their role as Jewish parents - to teach their kids.
Shabbat Shalom and Hanukkah Sameah