A teenager is kidnapped by his brothers and sold into slavery. The youth works his way to freedom and scales his new land's socio-political ladder, eventually becoming the second most powerful man in the country.
Years later, facing a regional famine, the brothers travel abroad to buy supplies from a prominent political leader, who - unbeknownst to them - is the boy they once betrayed. A perfect opportunity for revenge.
What does he do? What would you do?
The drive for revenge seems natural. When someone is wronged, we want justice, to ‘get even’. Some may even see and 'honor' in 'avenging a wrong'.
But it's not that simple in the Torah mindset.
Revenge is a desire to hurt someone, just because that person has done harm. It's not about undoing the damage, it's about inflicting more pain. The desire for revenge doesn't come from a good place, and the Torah forbids it (Leviticus 19:18).
We certainly want Justice, and Justice sometimes hurts; but hurting isn’t the objective. Rehabilitation and moral cleansing, even if only on a soul level, is the goal.
So let's go back to the opening scenario, which actually describes our ancestor Joseph and the Biblical narrative of the interactions with his brothers. He had a great opportunity for revenge.
And how did he respond?
First, he managed to discern whether his brothers had changed. Did they regret what they'd done to him? Had they learned and grown from their negative experience? Once he was certain that they had spiritually evolved, and that they had grown through repentance, he revealed his true identity to them.
Then he shows us a Torah attitude. He tells them (Genesis 50:19:21): “Although you intended to harm me, G-d had a positive plan…”.
Fascinating.
Joseph doesn’t whitewash their behavior. He calls them out as people who had negative intentions. Their intentions weren't good.
At the same time, he looks beyond their choices. He doesn't give others the key to his life. He recognizes that his challenges have a purpose, and that the way he meets those obstacles fulfills his destiny. Joseph endures terrible pain and acknowledges it. But he refuses to be defined by it. He’s not gripped by self-pity or revenge.
Instead he says “G-d, if this happened to me in Your world, there’s got to be a purpose, and I’m going to find it.”
A profile of Biblical proportions.