PARASHAT VAYESHEV

Saturday 13^th December 2025    Mevorchim Chodesh Tevet    23^rd Kislev 5786

PARASHAT VAYESHEV                                                      Rabbi Yitzchak Zweig

Torah: Genesis 37:1-40:23; Prophets: Amos 2:6-3:8; Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25

The second law of thermodynamics deals with the concept of entropy and states that the total entropy of an isolated system never decreases. Entropy, in simple terms, is the natural process of everything in the universe tending to become disordered.

Some examples of this would be ice melting (water is easily subdivided into “micro states,” ice is not), putting cream into coffee (the mixture has infinitely more “micro states” than coffee or cream individually), and, of course, your child’s bedroom constantly devolving into “micro states” – otherwise known as chaotically messy.

The natural process of the universe moves everything toward states of higher entropy. Systems do not spontaneously become more ordered without external energy – your child’s room does not spontaneously become orderly without an exertion of effort.

In the body this is accomplished through metabolism – taking in nutrients (by breaking down foods) to provide energy to repair natural devolvement in cells, and eliminate toxins and waste from the body, etc. As we age this process continually degrades and results in the ultimate expression of entropy – death.

Because systems do not spontaneously become more ordered without external energy, everything tends to continually devolve. In other words, if we aren’t moving forward then we are being pushed backward. If we don’t exert energy to maintain our health it naturally deteriorates; the same is true of our relationships, our finances, and every other aspect of our lives.

Maintaining a superstructure guards against the natural process of entropy and prevents our lives from becoming disordered. This concept, I believe, is the secret to the survival of the Jewish people.

The Torah, which the Almighty gifted to the Jewish nation, is the ultimate superstructure. Almost every element of Jewish life is highly organized and structured: our daily prayers, what we eat, key elements of our marriages, etc.

Why is it that the Jewish population since 1960 has only increased by 19% while the rest of the world’s population has increased by 160%? Because Jews, en masse, have abandoned this superstructure. When critical elements of the structural construct of the Jewish people are discarded or even slightly altered it leads to assimilation, disconnection, and eventual dissolution. It doesn’t take many threads to be pulled from a beautiful tapestry for it to totally unravel.

This message is highly relevant to secular, modern society as well. From the insane ignorance of basic science by debating how many genders there are, to pushing for normalization of every element of society’s ever-increasing confusion and depravity, the very foundations of a healthy society are slowly but surely being eroded. Not every misguided (and often twisted) opinion should be taken into account: Just because I choose to believe that I am doing something for the right reasons doesn’t make it so, and it certainly does not justify the act.

We find this very message exemplified in several places in this week’s Torah portion.

Some forty years ago I heard Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, one of the pre-eminent sages of the late 20th century (and a renowned expert on Jewish philosophy), make a curious statement. He said that the ultimate proof of the Divine authorship of the Torah is that it includes episodes of such horrific lapses in moral judgement by our revered ancestors, that it seems the Torah could only have been authored by a rabid antisemite.

The word history has been termed “his-story.” Meaning, histories are written by the victors, and their slant always leans heavily toward their “impressive actions,” while completely ignoring and omitting any negative details, wrongdoings, or unimpressive elements.

This is not so in the Torah; it faithfully includes all the failings of our ancestors and leadership class – it recounts the stories in their entirety, warts and all. This week’s Torah portion contains at least three such occurrences.

We find Jacob’s sons being jealous of their brother Joseph and hating him for the preferential treatment he received from their father. They plan to kill him, but decide to “just” sell him instead. Even though, as the sages explain, they convened a court and convicted Joseph of being a danger to them all, they themselves admit that they behaved improperly (see Genesis 42:21-22). According to the Midrash, ten great sages in Israel were later murdered by the Romans due to their actions.

The brothers then orchestrated a ruse to fool their father into thinking that Joseph had been mauled and killed by a wild animal. They dipped the special multicolored coat that Jacob had given Joseph in goat’s blood and presented it to him. Jacob recognized the bloody coat: “And he recognized it and said, it is my son’s coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn in pieces” (37:32-33). Jacob was devastated by the loss of his favoured son and went into mourning.

Later, when the brothers were faced with their father’s grief, they turned on Judah whose idea it was to sell Joseph in the first place. They blamed his leadership for the pain caused to their father and they basically ousted him from the brotherhood. Judah left his ancestral home, married, and had children. After some time, his wife died and on his next business trip he found comfort in the arms of a prostitute (whom he impregnated and whose children become the forebears of the Davidic royal dynasty). For space considerations I have left out many of the details and the full context of what took place, but the facts are what they are.

Meanwhile, as slave in Egypt Joseph is propositioned by his master’s – Potiphar’s – wife. While he consistently turns down her advances, she is relentless and eventually resorts to force. According to the sages, this is what Jacob alluded to when he said, “an evil beast has devoured him.” The issue is that the sages classify her as “acting for the sake of heaven” (see Rashi 39:1) – meaning she actually thought she was doing the right thing! How can it be that she thought she was doing the right thing and yet the Torah characterizes her as “a wild animal”?!

The answer is that we can delude ourselves and try to justify actions that are totally immoral, and then act as if they are the right thing to do. Sadly, we see examples of this all the time. But the key is to admit that what we did was wrong and ultimately take responsibility for our mistakes. In fact, in this week’s portion both the brothers and Judah take responsibility for their wrongdoings.

Potiphar’s wife was trying to do something “for the sake of heaven” (a misguided attempt to fulfill a prophecy), but she neglected to ask the most important question; is this what God really wants? Am I supposed to act in an adulterous manner and force Joseph into something that he feels is wrong? If she had honestly asked herself those questions, she would have known that while her intentions were good, the act was absolutely wrong and abusive. She is therefore likened to a “wild animal.”

Analogous to this are the movements that decided to “improve” and “modernize” traditional Judaism. When they decided to bring “innovation” to synagogues and abrogate certain Shabbat observances, their intentions were, undoubtedly, “for the sake of heaven.” Clearly, they felt that these “improvements” would enhance the synagogue experience and attendance. After all, if they simply wanted music then they could go to a concert, and if they wanted to just be with their families then they could have stayed home. Their “innovations” were implemented because they really thought they were improving the synagogue experience by adding instruments, microphones, and mixed seating.

But they forgot the critical question; is this really what Judaism is supposed to be? More importantly, what will happen if we dismantle the superstructure put in place by God in the Torah?

Unfortunately, the result has become clear; you fall victim to the universal law of entropy. This lack of properly forecasting what may come if we dismantle the binding structure of Judaism has led to the disappearance of many Jewish communities and to the assimilation of many millions of Jews. It is the very definition of entropy and a roadmap of how we got to where we are.

The only answer to the challenges of what the future of the Jewish people holds lies in resisting the forces of entropy by adding to our lives, bit-by-bit, the daily observances and laws found in the Torah.

It is this expenditure of energy that will fulfill the second law of thermodynamics and allow for the continual survival – and thriving – of the Jewish nation.

Each of us can participate – and you already are by currently reading this weekly bit of Torah! I encourage you to share with your friends and family and work with me to build a stronger Jewish nation.

(Comment: as I have often suggested, you cannot improve that which is already perfect because it was ‘breathed’ by HaShem and therefore, Spirit inspired)