When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special. This week I learned about Parashat Mikeytz (Genesis 41:1 through 44:17), the tenth weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah readings. According to Wikipedia, Mikeytz contains 7,914 Hebrew letters, 2,022 words, 146 verses and 255 lines of the Torah Scroll. The Parashat has the distinction of including the most letters of any of the weekly Book of Genesis Torah portions.
Miketz, Mikeytz or Mikeytz (מִקֵּץ), translated as “at the end“, includes Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt and Joseph’s testing of his brothers..
Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on this week’s Torah reading, Mikeytz, for Shabbat December 16, 2023 aka the 6th of Tevet 5784:
“This week’s Torah portion begins with the words, “and it happened that two years had passed”. This refers to the two years of Joseph’s life in the prison of Egypt. Can you imagine what life was like for Joseph? Most of us could not survive 2 days under such harsh conditions. He could have remained there, forgotten and forlorn, except for the exceptional gift he was given- the amazing ability to understand and interpret dreams. Finally, after 2 years, Pharaoh’s chief butler, whose dream he interpreted, remembered this “young Hebrew” and he is brought out of the dungeon and brought to the palace to face Pharaoh.
There, amazingly, Pharaoh relates his dreams to an unknown Hebrew slave, who, with G-d’s help, interprets the dreams to Pharaoh’s satisfaction that no other wise diviner can understand. Our thoughts must be constantly mindful of our fellow Jews who are in captivity in Gaza, in the most dire of circumstances, captive and in threat of death at any moment, to begin to comprehend what Joseph’s life was like.
We know from the narrative what Joseph’s fate was. He is elevated by Pharaoh to become chief administrator of Egypt to oversee preparations for the 7 years of plenty and the 7 years of famine. The fate of those still held in captivity in Gaza is not so certain. Our role, is to work to our utmost ability to help free our brethren – innocent men, women, and children, from the hell they are experiencing and to assist them in reuniting with their families and rehabilitating them from the horrible situation they have been subjected to. We must raise our voices against those whose moral compass is vacant and make the world accept responsibility for their plight so that the dehumanizing conditions they have suffered may never occur again and that those responsible be brought to immediate and decisive justice!”
Questions to Discuss:
- Why does Joseph have to remain in the dungeon for 2 more years
after interpreting the dreams of the butler and baker? - Why is the butler’s life restored and the baker’s life taken?
- Why did Joseph bear no grudge against his brothers?
- Why does Joseph imprison Shimon?
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his shicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
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