The second portion of the story of Joseph begins with the dramatic release of the young Hebrew slave from an Egyptian prison. He interprets Pharaoh's dreams and is immediately promoted to viceroy, second-in-command of Egypt.
Joseph's redemption is incomplete, however. Though his reputation is restored, and he has achieved the impossible in terms of his personal wealth and power, he has yet to mend ties with his family. The pain continues, decades later.
He is reunited with his brothers -- though they do not recognize him -- when they come to Egypt, seeking food. Their father, Jacob, refuses to allow Benjamin, the only surviving son of Rachel (he thinks), to accompany them.
Jacob sends them away, holding Simon as a hostage until they return with Benjamin. Eventually, they do, but Jacob has his servants plant a goblet in Benjamin's sack, so he can frame him for theft and imprison him in Egypt.
This sets up the ultimate test of the brothers' repentance: would they once again abandon a favored son to Egypt? Would they once again look after themselves alone, or would they spare each other, and their father's heart?
The portion ends on that cliffhanger. It is deeply moving to read the text's descriptions of the emotional turmoil Joseph endures, even as he is putting his brothers to the text in an exceptionally difficult way, physically and emotionally.
One lesson (among many) in this portion comes from Joseph's meeting with Pharaoh. Joseph didn't just give Pharaoh his analysis: he also offered him a solution. He didn't just apply for a job; he also made a case for a policy plan.
At the same time, Joseph did not claim credit for the insight behind these ideas. He credited God. This showed Pharaoh that Joseph not only had great ideas, but was humble enough to be trusted. Useful career tips, even today!
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
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This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
