JHP S1E6 Yosher/Integrity: holding the line

Jewish Heroism Project

Yosher is integrity, the ability to hold the line. This class introduces yosher as the sixth path of Jewish heroism. The quality of integrity guides us in forming a right relationship with self, other and world – all the facets of truth uncovered on the path of emet. The class begins by touching on how integrity is a quality of heart, and then goes on to an exploration of the root definitions of yosher as it appears in the Torah and the broader Jewish tradition. The second half unpacks the story of Joseph as the archetype of integrity. It traces the arc of his development from a young man who couldn’t hold all the gifts he had been given, to one who becomes the viceroy of Egypt and a model of righteousness. His heroic journey teaches us that “life is the pits,” a phrase whose meaning shifts depending on whether you choose the posture of victim, villain or hero in your own life journey.