This week's portion begins the story of Joseph, the longest (and in my opinion the best) story in the Torah, continuing over four weeks of readings. The story opens in the Land of Israel, where Jacob has finally settled with his family.
Joseph, we are told, is Jacob's favored son, and incurs the jealousy of his brothers. They conspire to kill him, but sell him slavery in Egypt instead. He proves his worth as a slave but is jailed on wrongful claims of sexual misconduct.
In prison, Joseph again excels, and is a natural leader of the inmates. He interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's butler and baker -- one for freedom, the other for death -- and his interpretations are fulfilled in reality.
There are two insights in the portion that I want to highlight. One is in the beginning of the portion, when "a man" (37:15) finds Joseph lost, looking for his brothers. The unnamed man played a key role in the unfolding drama.
This, according to the late UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, points to the importance of every individual. This anonymous person was destined to play a key role in the history of the world simply by giving Joseph directions.
The second insight is my own, and concerns Joseph's request of the butler that he remember him when he is freed. Joseph refers to the prison as a "pit" (40:15), which is the same word the Torah uses to describe the hole in which his brothers threw him.
The butler does not remember Joseph, and Jewish tradition teaches that Joseph served another two years because he placed his trust in a man, rather than in God.
However, I think Joseph served two additional years because he saw himself as still in a "pit," as if he had made no progress at all beyond the first pit into which his brothers had thrown him. One can understand why, but he did not see his own growth -- and therefore had more growth to do.
This Saturday also coincides with the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere -- the shortest day, with the least sunlight. It may seem a "pit" of darkness, but from this point forward, the days lengthen and light increases.
We're a little light on guests at the moment, and it gets tougher as we head into the holidays, but there's no shortage of topics to discuss. The most pressing issue this week is whether Israel will attack Iran's nuclear sites. It's ready.
We'll also talk about California's new senator, Adam Schiff -- a total embarrassment to the country, who has the nerve to accuse Kash Patel of conspiracy theories when it was Patel who disproved Schiff's "collusion" hoax.
Schiff not only spun the false "Russia collusion" story, abusing his position on the House Intelligence Committee to do so, but he also falsely claimed that President Donald Trump had not been targeted by the Obama "wiretaps."
We'll also talk about what protests could look like, as the Democrats struggle to resurrect their so-called "resistance" from eight years ago. And, yes, we will talk about the drones, which remain a mystery even after weeks of appearances.
One special guest: Adam Swart, of Crowds on Demand, about protests....
This week's Torah reading tells the incredible story of the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau. Jacob wrestles with an angel, and prevails; at the end, he receives his new name, Israel, which describes a struggle with God -- perhaps the best description of the ongoing Jewish philosophical orientation to the world.
Jacob and his family continue into the Land of Israel, and a disturbing incident takes place, in which his daughter Dinah is kidnapped and raped by Shechem.
Her brothers pretend to deal with the local residents to allow her to marry Shechem, the local prince. But they soon rescue her instead -- slaughtering the entire town along the way. Jacob is horrified by their behavior and worries that it will make him more vulnerable to attack by other inhabitants of the land.
Instead, however, the aggressive tactics of the brothers cause others to fear Jacob and his family, despite their small number -- a tale with resonance today.
Despite his family's overall success, Jacob loses ...
What a week, and what a weekend. Just seven days ago, President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, before jetting off to Angola. And this week, Syrian rebels advanced rapidly until toppling Bashar al-Assad this morning.
Meanwhile the incoming Trump administration continued to name appointees and to prepare the way for a new era in American politics. Pete Hegseth fought for his nomination at DOD, while Musk and Ramaswamy promoted DOGE.
Oh, and Bitcoin hit $100k, with good news for investors on other fronts, even if the November jobs report was relatively weak. There's a sense that things can't get worse, but that they are just about to get much, much better.
What's next?
We'll ask:
Matthew Boyle - Breitbart News political editor, on the Hegseth nomination
Emma-Jo Morris - Hunter Biden laptop journalist, on the sweeping pardon
Jerome Hudson - Breitbart News entertainment editor, on Hollywood revivals
Tevy Troy - author of "The Power and the Money," on Trump and business
Tune...
