Parashat Vayeshev
December 18, 2024
Rafi Josselson, Grade 12 Student
While Joseph is not considered one of the avot (founding fathers), his story continues the building of Abraham’s family into a nation. His story does diverge from his predecessors. While previous leaders dealt with one contemporary, Joseph deals with 12 brothers. And instead of a rivalry like Yaakov and Esav or a respectful relationship like Yitzchak and Ishmael, Joseph just seems downright rude to his brothers. He shows off to them. He proudly wears his multi-colored tunic and explains in great detail his dreams where he appears to rule over them. And, despite his younger age, Yaakov assigns him to watch after his brothers by asking him to share a report of how they are faring in Shechem. But, when we look a little deeper we see that Joseph’s actions could reflect a different journey, one centered around being Autistic.
When Joseph is first introduced he is described as a נער (na’ar), acting childish. He is seventeen years old, so why is he still being described this way? Rashi answers that “his actions were childish: he dressed his hair, he touched up his eyes so that he should appear good-looking.” A traditional reading would argue that Joseph is obsessed with beauty. However, this could be a misunderstanding: he is stimming. Stimming, a common Autistic behavior, is the release of energy through stimulating experiences: movement, noise, touch, etc. In this case, Joseph appears to be stimming by dressing his hair and touching his eyes. These stimming behaviors are very common for Autistic people, including myself.
Joseph also shares his dreams with his brothers. In them, Joseph rules not only over his brothers, but his father as well. Joseph appears as a braggart, seeking to demean his brothers. But Abarbanel brings up an important question: how could Joseph, being wise and intelligent, tell his dreams to his brothers, knowing that they would hate him and could not speak peaceably to him? The answer is simple – Joseph is an intelligent individual, but as an Autistic person, social intelligence doesn’t come easy to him. He grows up without the support he needs; he is unaware of the effects that his actions have on others.
Here is a picture of an autistic Joseph, making mistakes that are not his fault. It isn’t until his time in Mitzrayim (Egypt) that he begins to develop the coping and social skills necessary for him to truly succeed. Soon we see Joseph harnessing the awesome intellect he has been given and navigating complicated social situations to become the vizier where he saves his family and all of Egypt.
After the brothers sell their brother into slavery their father is heartbroken, and soon the brothers regret their actions. Pharaoh, who promotes Joseph, benefits – his nation is saved from famine. From this we learn that the community that includes others will reap benefits; a community that excludes others will face problems. With this new understanding, the Joseph narrative isn’t an oddly placed addendum to the three avot (fathers) – it is a moment of transition. It teaches us how we behave in our Jewish society. We need to include everyone. And by doing so we will have a holy, successful, and strong community.
Joseph also shares his dreams with his brothers. In them, Joseph rules not only over his brothers, but his father as well. Joseph appears as a braggart, seeking to demean his brothers. But Abarbanel brings up an important question: how could Joseph, being wise and intelligent, tell his dreams to his brothers, knowing that they would hate him and could not speak peaceably to him? The answer is simple – Joseph is an intelligent individual, but as an Autistic person, social intelligence doesn’t come easy to him. He grows up without the support he needs; he is unaware of the effects that his actions have on others.
Here is a picture of an autistic Joseph, making mistakes that are not his fault. It isn’t until his time in Mitzrayim (Egypt) that he begins to develop the coping and social skills necessary for him to truly succeed. Soon we see Joseph harnessing the awesome intellect he has been given and navigating complicated social situations to become the vizier where he saves his family and all of Egypt.
After the brothers sell their brother into slavery their father is heartbroken, and soon the brothers regret their actions. Pharaoh, who promotes Joseph, benefits – his nation is saved from famine. From this we learn that the community that includes others will reap benefits; a community that excludes others will face problems. With this new understanding, the Joseph narrative isn’t an oddly placed addendum to the three avot (fathers) – it is a moment of transition. It teaches us how we behave in our Jewish society. We need to include everyone. And by doing so we will have a holy, successful, and strong community.
Shabbat Shalom.