Among the responses to last week’s column on forgiveness, one praised a lifelong hero of mine, and even set the stage for seeing another of my heroes, Time magazine’s runner-up for 2012 Person of the Year, in a new light.
Among the responses to last week’s column on forgiveness, one praised a lifelong hero of mine, and even set the stage for seeing another of my heroes, Time magazine’s runner-up for 2012 Person of the Year, in a new light.
My first hero is Joseph, of biblical fame, about whom Calgary coffee companion Sandy Corenblum wrote:
“I am in constant awe of people who are able to forgive and forget, just as Joseph, my favourite biblical character, was able to forgive his brothers for selling him into slavery. ”
Joseph, dreamer and interpreter of dreams, was the boastful favoured youngest of (then) 11 sons of Jacob and great-grandson of Abraham. His brothers resented him so much that they got rid of him by throwing him into a well and selling him into slavery in Egypt, where he experienced more betrayal and imprisonment.
God, however, had a plan for him, having him at the right place at the right time to interpret a troubled Pharaoh’s dreams, who in turn elevated Joseph to second in command in Egypt at a time of famine. That’s when his brothers came seeking food and were forced to meet Joseph once more, face-to-face. And after testing them, Joseph forgave them (Genesis 37ff).
The story of Joseph is important for all four major religions that trace their roots back to Abraham, not just for my own, Christianity. So, I asked three area experts in the other faiths for their opinions.
Rabbi Shaul Osadchey, of Calgary’s Beth Tzedec Synagogue, responded:
This story is a prelude to the impending enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt. The narrative in contemporary Judaism is not primarily about the concept of forgiveness, which is a theme more of interest to Christians.
For Jews, the story continues the Genesis motif of sibling rivalry with the realization of the horrible consequences when jealousy becomes predominant. The reconciliation of the brothers is the more favourable outcome which we find in the section of Genesis.
However, forgiveness is predicated on whether there has been a change in the heart and behaviour of the brothers against Joseph. The tests that Joseph enacts are meant to determine whether they are sincere in their remorse for what they had done to their brother.
On the other hand, Joseph has also matured in his thinking as he assumes responsibility for his arrogance and demeaning behaviour towards his brothers. For that reason, he does not unleash his power that can exact revenge upon his brothers. Thus forgiveness in Judaism is a reciprocal turning of the heart so that reconciliation can occur.
Cochrane reader Zabi Behin, of the Baha’i religion, responded:
For me, Joseph has been a symbol of courage and righteousness, a young brilliant character who always remained hopeful as a result of his absolute faith in the powers of his Lord. He rewarded jealousy with forgiveness, oppression with patience, and temptation with uprightness and steadfastness. His galvanizing example had a profound impact on my teenage life.
Muslim author David Liepert had his own take on Joseph/Yousuf (spelled Yusuf in the Qur’an, which declares his to be “the most beautiful of stories ”):
I think the aspect of forgiveness that most resonates through the Qur'an's recounting of the events of Yousuf's life relates to why he was so forgiving towards his brothers.
He forgave them because of his faith in God-Most-High, that faith also informing every decision he made. No matter what happened to him, he knew that it was part of a bigger plan that he didn't completely perceive, and that it was all pre-okayed by his God. So he saw his place as one of responding the best he could to his situation at the time, and that other people's roles were simply to act as the agents of God, whether they knew it or not. It meant that he was responsible for his decisions no matter how limited his choices were.
He’s one of my favorite prophets; that's why I named my second son after him!
I’ll close with David’s praise of Time’s runner-up for 2012 Person of the Year, Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot and nearly killed by Taliban gunmen because of her stand for women’s rights.
Her family name reflects her Pashtun ethnic heritage, David said. “Yousafzai means ‘Son of Yousuf.’ ” And like ancient Joseph, “attempts to derail her dream helped that dream come closer to reality! Would Yousuf have saved his brothers from the famine and helped found Israel if he’d never been put in the well? ”
. . . and would failure on his part to forgive his brothers have compromised God’s saving plan?
