LIBRARY MINYAN DRASH

The Hebrew word for family tree and distinguished birth is yichus. It refers to genealogy or pedigree but in common usage it connotes distinguished family and forbears. So one has yichus who has distinguished ancestors. How they are distinguished,varies from culture to culture. If one stems from nobility then one has yichus. In the French movie "Ridicule" family prestige relied on being able to trace one's family ancestry four or five hundred years. Apparently less means less prestige. (Incidentally, the way to earn prestige in the court of the last French king was to have the ability to ridicule other courtesans with rapidity of wit.) Genuine aristocracy earns respect.

In most universities and houses of worship we find labs, halls, buildings and libraries named after a benefactor, someone who has donated a substantial amount of money for their support. These philanthropists are given recognition,and thereby honor, no matter what the source of their wealth is. Many of the old givers like the Rockefellers, the Carnegies were also seen as robber barons of the 19th C. They made their money by ruthlessly exploiting their competitors and employees. Others prospered by illegal methods such as bootlegging or gun running or other unsavory activities that were legal like slave trading , usury or slumlording. Nowadays fortunes are made on the stock market by insider trading or other questionable tactics. These families merit respect because they have money and have turned to more respectable activities like helping the community or by attaining political power that also brings respect and yichus. In order to protect their positions they may find themselves trying to influence legislators through campaign contributions, or is that a form of bribery?

The yichus that these people have earned devolves down to their offspring through the generations with less and less memory of how the money was accumulated so that the philanthropy outweighs the negative feelings that were present originally. The children of the founders had nothing to do with attaining the original wealth so they merit respect for the philanthropy alone. How can we fault a Carnegie who has made the U.S. library system possible? Or a Rockefeller family that endowed research and gave us governors and a senator? And what to make of a M. Milken who gives so much to the Jewish community and a High School as well as Cal State Northridge Education Dept. but he was convicted of insider trading?

In Jewish society it is study, learning and knowledge that is the most respected, although money certainly plays a role in institutions. Those who can claim descent from people of great learning for generations are those with the greatest yichus and are eagerly sought as desirable marriage prospects. The great Rabbi A.J.Heschel was respected for his descent from seven generations of great rabbis but much more for his own accomplishments as a teacher and scholar and thinker. One can therefore say "Well, what would you expect with that kind of background?" This brings in the question of genetics and whether these traits are handed down in the genes. After all why are Jews so outstanding in the professions, the sciences and in literature and music? Is it nature or nurture? The genes or the great stress on education? Or both? Is yichus everything or are personal accomplishments the most important?

Perhaps the Book of Genesis has something to teach us along these lines. According to age old custom the first born son inherits the material estate and the power. It is anticipated that he has the intelligence and ability to learn. However all through Genesis time and again it is the second son who inherits. Cain, the oldest, lost out to Abel whose offering to God was most acceptable.

Abraham was chosen by God over his brothers Haran and Nahor, to be the father of a new nation.

Isaac was born many years after Ishmael who was his father's favorite. Ishmael was sent into the wilderness at the urging of Sarah but with the promise that he too would found a huge nation. He was the son of the concubine Hagar. Thus Isaac was left as the heir.

Jacob was the younger twin of Esau but he got his brother's birthright through forcing him to sell it to him for a mess of pottage and also through the machinations of his mother, and with his full acquiescence. Thus he became a patriarch.

Jacob's older sons proved unworthy to be the leaders of the family. Reuben had disgraced himself by lying with Jacob's concubine Bilhah. Simon and Levi were unfit because of the slaughter that they perpetrated on the inhabitants of Shechem who had raped their sister Dinah but then wanted to marry her. Judah thus became the leader of the family because he was next in line and because he had some compassion for Joseph at the pit. Apparently Judah's affair with Tamar was not held against him. Judah's first born was Er who was evil in the sight of God and he died. The second son, Onan, refused to impregnate Tamar, the widow of Er according to the Levirite tradition. For this he died and we get the term onanism.

Tamar disguised as a prostitute seduced Judah when he became widowed. She bore twins from this affair. The first stuck his hand out and had a ribbon put on to identify the first born but the other pushed his way out first and was named Perez and the second was called Zerah. Perez is remembered as the ancestor of Boaz who married Ruth and who were the great grandparents of King David.

At the end of Genesis when Jacob is dying Joseph brings his sons to visit the old man. Jacob asks Joseph "Who are these?" as if he did not know. What he was really asking was "What is their lineage?" Joseph answers that God gave them to him.

Jacob blesses the sons of Joseph but instead of blessing the older one, Menashe, he deliberately and with great show against the protests of Joseph, crosses his hands and blesses Ephraim the younger. He claims that Ephraim will be greater. Rashi explains that Ephraim spent his life studying Torah with Jacob while Menashe worked for his father helping to run the country. The rabbis are not totally satisfied with this midrashic explanation and feel they have to look further into the boys' lineage by examining the mother, Aseneth, daughter of Potiphar. After all she was an Egyptian noblewoman but they would like to see if that is the whole story. The midrash tells that there was born from the rape of Dina, a girl that they tried to hide by selling her off to a caravan going to Egypt whence she wound up as a daughter in the house of Potiphar just like what happened to Joseph. Jacob had tied a ribbon around her neck saying that she was of the seed of Jacob. When Joseph became a public figure the Torah tells us that he was so handsome that girls climbed up on walls to see him. Aseneth was one of these. She still carried the red ribbon from her birth and she was so enamored of Joseph that she threw it to him. It had some Hebrew words that Joseph saw and so he took her for his wife. Now we no longer need to worry about the family roots of Menashe and Epraim. They have excellent yichus. Their mother was of the seed of Jacob and indeed she was Joseph's niece who he was allowed to marry. So her children are each fit to become the leaders of a tribe in place of their father.

In all these cases the first born is found to lack merit, allowing the power and the leadership to devolve onto the second born or yet younger in the case of Judah. The yichus is not enough. There must be good character and meritorious action to favor granting the family leadership, goods and name to that person.

The patriarchs were all wealthy men and so had power and respect but they were also Torah scholars. Abraham was taught by God. Isaac studied in the yeshiva of Shem after the terrifying experience of the Akedah. Jacob learned from his father. This, along with their family lineage and their faith in God gave them their yichus.

The genetic factor is certainly a part of acquisition of intelligence and love of learning. (Indeed it may be that it is a dominant trait since about half the people received it.) This is why the Torah goes into such detail in giving the generations and the begats. Other personality and occupational traits are also transmitted so it behooves us to pay attention to these lists of the generations.

We learn from all this that yichus depends not only on family background but on ability in learning and leadership as well as character and a good track record.

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