Colors have been on my mind. Last week JCHS students competed in Color Games. This week's Torah portion features a coat of many colors. And when Chanukah begins this coming Sunday night, some of us have customs for how will we mix or match candle colors on different nights.
Sometimes colors are random, decorative, or superficial, or even silly. Even then it is human nature to give deep meaning to different colors. For instance, one graduate student held a workshop to explore subconscious associations with the different colors of M&M candies. It is true that those who favor blue M&Ms are trendsetters? Or brown are favored by traditionalists? Red represents confidence?
At other times, the meaning of colors goes much deeper. In this week's Torah portion, we are told, Jacob favors one of his children so much, loves him so powerfully, that Jacob gives that son, Joseph, a coat of many colors. None of his siblings receive that favoritism or get a similar gift. This fires their jealousy toward Joseph. Their dark jealousy is so consuming it turns to hatred; a hatred that makes them incapable of speaking peaceably with Joseph. (Genesis 37:3-4.) Their dark jealousy is so powerful it erases family bonds and destroys their humanity.
Colors and jealousy also are core to favorite Ghanaian folktale*
Once upon a time there was a very wise woman named Nunya. Her fame at giving great advice spread far and wide. People would come from miles around for her wisdom. So many people went to see Nunya that hardly anyone consulted any longer with the tribal chief. The people treasured Nanya’s wisdom so much, no one wanted to get advice from the tribal chief any more.
This made the chief very jealous. Very!
He tried to think of a way to bring down Nunya; to discourage others from seeking advice from her. The chief made a plan to so embarrass Nunya that she'd seem too foolish to go to for advice. .
The chief summoned Nunya and said to her, “Nunya, I hear you are very wise. But I am not so sure. If you want to keep giving advice to others, I need you to show me you are truly wise. To do that, you will need to present me with a cow."
"Oh," thought Nunya, "this will be easy. My village is filled with cows!" But the chief continued, “But, Nunya, listen well. The cow cannot be black, it cannot be white, it cannot be brown or yellow, or spotted or any color at all. Present me a cow of no color in 3 days time or you will be barred from ever giving advice!”
Nunya returned to her village, stunned. Nunya thought, "No way. There's no such thing as a cow of no color. I am about to be destroyed on account of the chief's jealousy. What can I do?"
Then a solution came to her. At the end of 3 days, Nunya sent a child from her village to see the chief. The child said, "O Chief, Nunya asked me to repeat these exact words: 'I have your cow of no color. Come to my village to take it. But don't come in the morning, don't come in the evening. Don't come at dawn or twilight or midnight. Don't come at any time. You can have your cow of no color at no time at all.'"
The chief was speechless. And more people than ever turned to Nunya for wisdom and advice.So it is with us, jealousy takes us to a dark place. We are easily distracted by colors. The darkness of jealousy is seen in the bright light of privilege excluding others. The darkness of jealousy is seen in the bright lights of celebrity and false attention that blind us to the genuine needs of others.
Which brings us to Chanukah. It comes this year just after reading about the dark jealousy that consumed Joseph's family. Lighting Chanukah candles or flames in the dark of winter reminds us of the uniquely human capacity to bring light to a dark world. At this season of darkness, we fill our homes with light. At this season of cold, we invite others into our warm homes. We put Chanukiot (Chanukah menorahs) in our windows to encourage others to do bring more light and warmth to the world at this season.
May we have the strength to bring light to places of darkness -- even to shine through the dark jealousy that alienates us from others. May we have the wisdom to discern between superficial markers of color that divide us and authentic differences marked by colors that distinguish us.
May your Chanukah be filled with much light and many latkes.
=====
* This telling of the folktale is adapted from Nina Jaffe and Steve Zeitlin's collection, The Cow of No Color: Riddle Stories and Justice Tales from Around the World (1998). Cover illustration pictured above by Whitney Sherman
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment Here