TORAH READING FOR 7 TEVET 5783 Dec 30-31, 2022

December 30, 2022 by templekol

MEDITATION

From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur” p.145

ENTRANCES to holiness are everywhere.

The possibility of ascent is all the time,

even at unlikely times and through unlikely places.

There is no place on earth without the Presence.

PARSHA

From ReformJudaism.org https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/vayigash

Vayigash (וַיִּגַּשׁ— Hebrew for “And [Judah] Approached [Joseph]”) – Gen. 44:18-47:27

Judah now approached him and said, “By your leave, my lord, please give your servant a hearing, and do not let your anger flare up at your servant–for you are like Pharaoh”. – Genesis 48:18

SUMMARY:

Judah pleads with Joseph to free Benjamin and offers himself as a replacement. (44:18-34)
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and forgives them for selling him into slavery. (45:1-15)
Although the famine still rages, Pharaoh invites Joseph’s family to “live off the fat of the land.” (45:16-24)
Jacob learns that Joseph is still alive and, with God’s blessing, goes to Egypt. (45:25-46:33)
Pharaoh permits Joseph’s family to settle in Goshen. Pharaoh then meets with Jacob. (47:1-12)
With the famine increasing, Joseph designs a plan for the Egyptians to trade their livestock and land for food. The Israelites thrive in Egypt. (47:13-27)

HAFTARAH

Ezekiel 37:15-28

From The Haftarah Commentary, Gunther Plaut/Chaim Stern UAHC Press 1996 p.108

Connection of haftarah and sidra:

The sidra tells us of the reunification of Joseph with his brothers. Ezekiel foretells that the lost ten tribes will be reunited with the tribe of Judah, which, with Benjamin, had formed the Southern Kingdom. [Ezekiel is listed as the third of the “Major Prophets”.]

RECOMMENDED READING

From ReformJudaism.org https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/vayigash

The Soul Bound up with Mine

By: Rabbi Stacy Rigler

STRUGGLING WITH TORAH and REFLECTION

For Torah Study, instead of the portion from the Book of Genesis that is read on this Shabbat, we will read the Haftarah (a selection from the prophets) following this portion, Ezekiel 37:15-28. You can read this week’s Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.44.18-47.27 and the Haftarah we will be studying at https://www.sefaria.org/Ezekiel.37.15-28

From “The Torah / A Women’s Commentary” edited by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D.

ויגש Vayigash – Genesis 44:18-47:27

Another View – by Esther Fuchs, p. 275

THIS PARASHAH DESCRIBES the successful deliverance of the extended family of Jacob from hunger in Canaan to prosperity in Egypt and the emergence of the tribal arrangement of the nation of Israel out of Jacob’s twelve sons. The circumstances that enable the physical and social survival of the family are described in some detail. The physical survival of the family is made possible by the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers–which leads to a reunion between Joseph and his father. Yet the family’s renewed solidarity and cohesiveness does not include any of its female members. Thus for example, Dinah, whose rape and rescue by her brothers is described in some detail in Genesis 34, was omitted from the list of Jacob’s offspring already in parashat Vayishlach (35:23–29).

Our parashah, which gives us insight into the emotional state of Jacob, Joseph, and his brothers, offers us no information about the emotional state of Dinah, the only daughter and sister to be explicitly mentioned here (46:15)–and no story of rehabilitation, reconciliation, nor restitution for her. Eliminated from the tribal list–whether by virtue of her gender, her rape, or association with a foreigner–Jacob’s daughter is thereby punished in a way that his sons are not. Note that Joseph has two sons by Asenath, the daughter of the Egyptian priest Potiphera, and is not censored in any way by the narrator.

The detailed genealogical list in our parashah (46:8–27) makes only brief references to Rachel, Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah–Jacob’s four wives. To be sure, Rachel’s special status is echoed somewhat in 44:20 and 27, and Asher’s daughter Serah is mentioned by name in 46:17, but neither mothers nor daughters appear as significant names in the family or tribal genealogies. (On women in lineages, see also at 6:1, 6:10; 10:1; 17:19; 22:20–24). Similarly, barely any information is offered at all about Asenath, Joseph’s wife and the mother of Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph fathers two tribes in the nation of Israel. In other words, women appear in our parashah as relatives of significant fathers, husbands, and sons, or as nameless relatives as in “your wives” (45:19) or “their wives” (46:5).

Post-biblical Interpretations – by Judith R. Baskin, pp. 275-276

“give your servant a hearing” (44:18). In the Hebrew, what Judah literally asks is to speak a word in Joseph’s ears. Midrash B’reishit Rabbah 93.6 understands this locution as implying that Judah was relaying a private caution to Joseph–warning him of violent consequences, both human and divine, if Benjamin were to be enslaved in Egypt. All of the examples Judah uses to back up his threats (according to the Rabbis) refer to episodes of retribution in the lives of female family members–starting with Sarah and Rachel: “Because Pharaoh took Benjamin’s great-grandmother for only one night (12:15), he and his household were afflicted with plagues (12:17).” Moreover, “[Benjamin’s] mother died only because of his father’s curse, But the one with whom you find your gods shall not live (31:32). So take heed lest he hurl a curse against you–and you die!” Judah goes on to warn Joseph that two of his brothers once entered a large city and destroyed it (Genesis 34); “And if they did so much on account of a woman–their sister Dinah–how much the more so would they do when it is on account of a man [namely, their brother Benjamin], the beloved of the eyes, the one who gives hospitality to the blessed Holy One, as is said: Of Benjamin he said; Beloved of the Eternal, / He rests securely beside [God], / Who protects him always, / [God] dwells amid his slopes (Deuteronomy 33:12).” This valuing of a man over a woman is reflective of the social ordering of human beings in rabbinic literature, where women are seen as a secondary creation, both lesser and other than men. Nevertheless, the Rabbis did not view the women of Israel as nonentities; as each of the examples cited makes clear, their reputations, their words, and their actions were highly valued.

“your servant made himself responsible for the lad… how can I go home to my father without the lad …? (44:32–34). The Rabbis very much admired Judah’s loyalty to Benjamin and to the pledge he had made to Jacob. Contrary to the biblical narrative, in which Judah speaks to Joseph with cautious and even obsequious words, the rabbinic sages imagine so mighty a confrontation between “Judah the lion and Joseph the bull” that even the angels descended from heaven to witness the dispute (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayigash 4, 5).

His sons and his sons’ sons were with him, his daughters and his sons’ daughters (46:7). In B’reishit Rabbah 94.6, Rabbi Judah bar Ilai noticed that this verse includes both the sons and daughters of Jacob’s sons but not his daughters’ children, and commented: “The daughters of one’s sons are as one’s own children, whereas the sons of one’s daughters are not as one’s own sons.” This statement reflects a frequent situation in ancient times where daughters left their birth families at marriage and became part of their husbands’ households. Thus, their children were less likely to spend time with their maternal grandparents. In rabbinic halachah (that is, legal traditions), a married woman received a dowry from her father’s resources at the time of marriage but did not automatically inherit anything from their father’s estate.

Asher’s sons … and their sister Serah (46:17). This is the first biblical mention of Serah bat Asher. She reappears in Numbers 26:46 among Asher’s descendants who participated in the Exodus. Some rabbis linked these passages and imagined that Serah’s lifetime spanned not only the four hundred years of Israel’s captivity in Egypt but extended far beyond. Her remarkable longevity is attributed to a powerful blessing of praise that her grandfather Jacob bestowed on her when she informed him in song that Joseph was still alive (Midrash HaGadol and Sefer HaYashar on 46:8). At the time of the Exodus, Serah showed Moses where Joseph had been buried, so that his coffin might return with the Israelites to the land of Israel (M’chilta, B’shalach on 13:19; BT Sotah 13a). Other rabbis identify Serah with the “wise woman” who negotiated with David’s general Joab in II Samuel 20:16–24, another four hundred years after the Exodus (B’reishit Rabbah 94.9; Midrash HaGadol on Genesis 23:1). In the 13th-century Yemenite compendium Midrash HaGadol, Serah is further linked with Proverbs 31:26, “Her mouth is full of wisdom, her tongue with kindly teaching” (on Genesis 23:1). Other medieval sources claim that Serah “did not taste death” but entered Paradise alive (Alphabet of Ben Sira 20-21).

PRAYERS

From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:

FOR OUR COUNTRY p.516

THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.

O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.

FOR HEALING

We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds especially directed at individuals and specific communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!

YAHRZEITS/ANYOS

We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.

This coming week, 7 Tevet through 13 Tevet, we lovingly remember:

Sarah Levy

TKH Memorial Board, mother of the late Marvin Levy, husband of Iris Adler

Domicinda Espinoza

Mother of TKH member Mary Caron

Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.

“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.

TORAH STUDY AND SHAZOOM

We will meet as usual at the regular times for Torah Study and Shazoom this evening, Friday, December 30, 2022. For the next few months we will read and discuss the Haftarah, each selection from the prophets following the weekly Torah Portion.

Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this evening with wine/grape juice for Kiddush and Challah for Motzi.

Topic: Torah Study – Haftarah Vayigash: Ezekiel 37:15-28

Time: Dec 30, 2022 06:00 PM Arizona

and/or

Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service

Time: Dec 30, 2022 07:30 PM Arizona

To join Torah Study and/or Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09

Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854

Passcode: 4NrMk0

Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.

Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat/Gut Shabbos

-Ruben

PS – About the Book of Ezekiel: