The End of the Story

Parshat Vayigash
Genesis 44:18-47:27

Due to the importance of Chinese food and a movie (it's a holiday, after all, and minhagim, traditions, are a vital part of all family celebrations), JFL will take a short break from this week's parsha.

For an interesting commentary on the end of Joseph's story, check out this Shabbat Table Talk from a few years back, courtesy of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Here's the g-dcast for Vayigash, for your viewing pleasure.

Moving on Up

Parshat Miketz
Genesis 41:1-44:17

Two years have passed since Parshat Vayeishev and Joseph remains in prison. One night, Pharaoh has two dreams w hich no one in his court can interpret. The cupbearer recalls from his own time in prison that Joseph interpreted dreams correctly, and tells Pharaoh of this talented Hebrew prisoner. Pharaoh calls upon Joseph and tells him of his dream. Joseph tells Pharaoh that dreams and interpretation come from God as messages, and that both of his dreams - dreams of fat and skinny cows and dreams of full and shriveled ears of corn - carry the same message - there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh places Joseph in charge of food collection during the years of plenty and the subsequent food distribution during the years of famine. Joseph is given an Egyptian name, Tzaf'nat Panayach, and a wife, Asenat.

Meanwhile, back in Canaan, Jacob, who has since had two more soons, Manasseh and Ephraim, is forced to send his sons to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. Jacob keeps Benjamin at home. When they arrive, Joseph recognizes his brothers but the opposite is not true. Hiding his identity, Joseph accuses them of being spies and decides to test them. He tells them to return to Egypt with their youngest brother, Benjamin. They are given grain, and each is secretly given back his money. Joseph keeps Simeon as a hostage until the brothers come back with Benjamin.

When the brothers return to Canaan and tell Jacob of the demand, he initially refuses to send his beloved Benjamin, until he realizes that the severe famine and their need for food might call for undesirable actions. Benjamin accompanies his brothers on their return trip to Egypt, where Joseph continues the test. After placing grain in their sacks, he again secretly returns their money. However, this time, he also places a silver goblet in Benjamin's bag. When his brothers leave to return to Canaan, Joseph sends his men after them, accusing them of theft. The parsha closes with Joseph declaring that Benjamin must remain in Egypt as his slave, but the other brothers are free to go.

Questions for your Shabbat table:

• The stories of Joseph often revolve around dreams - what makes dreams so interesting? They are often found to be important in many cultures around the world - why do you think this might be?
• Pharaoh, who was impressed with Joseph's ability to interpret dreams, calls him "discerning" and "wise" - what do YOU think makes someone wise?
• Joseph correctly interprets Pharaoh's dream as fortelling of years of plenty and years of famine. What causes famines? Is there anything you can do to help those who suffer from famine?
• When his brothers arrive in Egypt, Joseph decides to test them. Do you think he was acting out of revenge or was he trying to find out if he could trust them?
• Have you ever wanted to get even with someone who did something wrong to you? What did you choose to do? How did you feel afterwards?

For your viewing pleasure, the cartoon version of Miketz, from g-dcast.com:

Do You Believe in Miracles?

The year was 1980, and the Winter Olympics were being held in Lake Placid, NY. The United States’ ice hockey team, comprised primarily of amateur and collegiate players, played in a medal round game against the Soviet Union, who had won every Olympic gold medal in hockey save one since 1956 and whose team was widely considered to be the best hockey team in the world. It was your typical David vs. Goliath situation with the added tension of the Cold War. As in previous games, the Americans fell behind quickly but kept up with the Soviets, never falling more than one goal behind. With ten minutes left in the game, Mike Eruzione was left undefended and managed to get a shot past the Soviet goalie, giving the Americans a 4-3 lead. Jim Craig, the American goalie, withstood a series of Soviet shots to finish the match, and as the clock began to creep closer to the end of the game, the patriotic American crowd, along with Al Michaels, who was calling the game for ABC, was whipped into an unbelievable fervor. With just seconds left in the game, Michaels delivered his famous call, “Do you believe in miracles?”

The American victory over the Soviets, voted the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century by Sports Illustrated, was an amazing, improbable win. But was it, as Michaels stated, a miracle? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a miracle is “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.” There are plenty of examples of God intervening in the physical world; however it is not clear that the Miracle on the Ice was one such example.

We learn, through the story of Hanukkah, that the word nes is typically translated from the Hebrew to mean “miracle” – the phrase nes gadol haya sham, “a great miracle happened there,” is inscribed on dreidels with the first letter of each word in Hebrew adorning each side, possibly to remind us of God’s intervention in human history on behalf of the Jews. The word nes actually means “sign” or “wonder,” so what, exactly, is a miracle?

The holiday of Hanukkah celebrates two different miracles. The first is that of the cruse of oil, whose contents, enough to realistically last for only one day, burned steadily for eight full days. The other is the improbable victory of the Maccabees over their oppressors – it is actually this miracle referenced in the Rabbinic prayer for Hanukkah, Al HaNisim, which ignores the oil entirely and speaks of a general phenomenon whereby God helps humans bring about miraculous rescues from historical oppressors. The miracle of the oil is the miracle of amazing events happening to humans, while the miracle of the military victory is the miracle of human action with divine influence.

This is not the miracle of a passive people – the Maccabean victory as an exemplar does not undermine human effort but rather causes it to be redoubled.

What does this mean for us today? Perhaps the best piece of advice can be found in the Talmud: “Do not depend on miracles” (Pesachim 64b). It is a teaching that advocates personal responsibility and action – we should not rely solely on a supernatural event to improve our world or situation. While it is quite a stretch to call the 1980 Miracle on the Ice a miracle, it is obvious that the American team did not passively expect their victory to happen for them – they worked hard for what they earned, with or without any divine intervention. Just as we might not know if we will experience a true miracle in our life, so too should we live a life of personal responsibility and action.

Discuss the following with your family:

• During Hanukkah, we celebrate miracles. What is your definition of a miracle?
• Think about a moment that felt miraculous to you and tell the rest of the family about it. What made it feel so special?
• In II Maccabees, we are told to celebrate the victory of the Jews and the recovery of the Temple and Jerusalem – it is only 500 years later, when writing the Talmud, that the Rabbis tell the story of the miracle of the oil – Why would the rabbis want to stress the miracle of oil over the military victory? Why is that story still so popular?
• If we listen to the Talmudic teaching, “Do not depend on miracles,” and look to the military victory in the Hanukkah story as an example, how does this change your view on personal responsibility to the world around us? What are some things you can do to help make miracles happen?

Hanukkah Hints

When Jewish children are asked to name their favorite holidays, Hanukkah is always a popular choice. This probably does not come as a surprise to any of us. In fact, among the respondents to the 2001 National Jewish Population Survey, 72% indicated they light Hanukkah candles. In terms of Jewish connection, this holiday ritual was surpassed only by “holding/attending a Passover seder,” an act undertaken by 77% of the adults surveyed. For many Jews, children and adults alike, Hanukkah is a holiday that resonates with and excites us. Some people look forward to the aroma of latkes frying in their kitchens or the sound of children playing dreidel with gelt or candy pieces. For others, it is the light of the Hanukkah candles shining brightly for eight nights. Many enjoy the acts of giving and receiving gifts throughout the holiday. Wherever you find your pleasure in this joyful holiday, I invite you to consider some possible ways to add to your holiday of lights celebration this year.

• We light the hanukkiah (menorah) during the darkest time of the year. Before lighting the candles, take your family for an evening walk. Go outside together and feel how dark it is, then come inside out of the cold and light the hanukkiah. It is a great way to feel the contrast between the darkness outside and the brilliance of the Hanukkah lights.
• When considering the tastes and aromas of Hanukkah, many Jews think immediately of latkes frying in oil. A lesser known culinary connection for the festival of lights is the tradition of eating food made with dairy products in honor of Judith. While her story, a piece of midrash found in the Talmud, is not part of the traditional Maccabean tale behind Hanukkah, Judith is honored in two ways. The Shulchan Arukh, the Code of Jewish Law, specifies that while the Hanukkah lights are burning, no one is to engage in work, especially women – some attribute this paying special merit to the valorous role of Judith who saved the Jewish town of Bethulia. We also honor her with the eating of dairy, remembering how she used cheese as part of her plot to overcome Holofernes, the enemy general who was laying siege to Bethulia. This year during Hanukkah, remember the valor of Judith and add some dairy to your holiday menu.
• Gift-giving is a large part of our winter celebrations. There are many in our communities who need a little more help this season, so here are some suggestions on how to give even more:
• Choose one night as the evening on which your family gives to others. Instead of giving gifts to each other, let each family member choose a charity or organization that is important or meaningful to them and make a donation.
• Even though Hanukkah falls a little earlier than Christmas this year, you can still take part in the December 25^th Day of Service with the Washington DC JCC. More than 1,000 volunteers of all ages will serve meals to the homeless, entertain seniors and children, give blood, and paint homeless shelters on this day of service. For more information, contact the Washington DC JCC - http://washingtondcjcc.org/volunteer/). If you do not live in the Washington DC area, contact your local JCC or Federation to find out about volunteer opportunities in your community.

Dream a little Dream

Parshat Vayeishev
Genesis 37:1-40:23

Vayeishev, the ninth parsha in Breishit, the book of Genesis, begins its final extended narrative: the story of Joseph.

Joseph was the beloved son of his father Jacob - in fact, the Torah says that Jacob/Israel loved him best of all his son, and, accordingly, had made for him an ornamented tunic, the better with which to show his affection. When his brothers saw this preference, they hated the boy so much that they could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers, after which they hated him even more. In this dream, Joseph and his brothers worked in a field binding sheaves of wheat, when his sheaf stood up and remained upright. His brothers' sheaves gathered around and bowed low to his sheaf. His brothers, quite angered by this image of their younger brother ruling over them, confronted him, asking if Joseph thought he was better than them and that he would one day rule over them.

Unfortunately he dreamed another dream, this time consisting of celestial objects in the sky - the sun, the moon, and eleven stars, all bowing down to our friend, Joseph. He, of course, relayed his dream to his father and brothers, and Jacob berated him, saying "What is this dream you have dreamed? Are we to come, I, your mother, and your brothers, and bow low to you to the ground?" Again, his brothers' hatred grew even more, and this time, even Jacob was keeping an eye on the situation.

Joseph's brothers, by this point, had quite enough of their boastful youngest brother, and they found a way to sell him to a passing caravan heading for Egypt for twenty pieces of silver. They took Joseph's special garment, the evidence of Jacob's favoritism, and smeared it with the blood of a young goat, making it look as if the boy had been horribly mauled by a wild beast. They brought this tunic back to their father, who mourned the death of this favored child, unaffected by their attempts to comfort him. Meanwhile, Jacob was carried away to Egypt by the Midianites, who sold him to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.

Even though he was in a strange land, Joseph began to prosper. He became Potiphar's personal assistant, eventually putting him in charge of all his household. Unfortunately, Mrs. Potiphar also appreciated Joseph, trying to lure him into compromising situations. Joseph rebuffed her advances, causing her to accuse him of taking advantage of her. Potiphar, believing his wife, cast Joseph out and had him emprisoned.

While in prison, Joseph met up with two men who had served the Pharoah - a cupbearer and a baker - but had unfortunately angered him to the point of being emprisoned themselves. Both of these former servents and dreams that confounded them; one morning, Joseph came upon them and asked what was the matter, for they seemed distressed. They shared these troubling dreams, and Joseph, quite a whiz with dreams and interpretation, helped the men find the meaning behind the dreams. Ultimately the dreams fortold of the reinstatement of the cupbearer to Pharoah's palace and the unfortunate demise of the baker - both of these prophecies came true. And while the poor baker lost his life, the cupbearer was reinstated to his position, and the parsha concludes with the cliffhanger, "Yet the cupbearer did not think of Joseph; he forgot him." What happens to Joseph? Does he stay in prison forever? Does the cupbearer remember his helpful friend? Tune in next week for Parshat Mikeitz, the continuation of the Joseph story.

Questions for your Shabbat table:

• This parsha, we are told, gives us the story of Joseph at the tender age of seventeen, and can be seen as a story of a young, immature teenager, especially in how he treats his brothers. Give an example from the past week/month when you felt or acted very maturely, and one in which you felt or acted immaturely. Describe what was different between these two experiences and why you acted in these ways.
• Based on the events read in this parsha, do you think Joseph's brothers regreted their actions? Why or why not?
• Do you remember your dreams? Do you ever tell them to other people? Do your dreams make sense to you, or are they difficult to understand?

In honor of this week's portion, we'll skip g-dcast for the week (don't despair - you can still view it, in a hip hop style, here), and instead, enjoy this related video, from the film version of Jacob and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat:

Celebrating Hanukkah at Home

Not quite sure how to light the chanukiyah during the Festival of Lights? Need directions for the dreidel game? Want to know more about the story behind Hanukkah? Check out this handy guide to Celebrating Hanukkah at Home!

The (Real) Story of Chanukah

Whether you spell it Chanukah, Hannukkah, Hanukkah, Channukah, or any other variation thereof, the holiday of lights is one holiday that is familiar to every Jewish kid around. When asked, most people will call upon the miracle of the long-lasting oil as the big story behind Chanukah, but is that all there is to it? Check out g-dcast.com's video on the story of Chanukah - you might learning something new!

The People of the Book

Jews are known as the people of the book, and for good reason (there's even a blog called that!). Judaism encourages continued learning, an endeavor that is not intended to end with an elaborate ceremony held at the cusp of adulthood. Synagogues and Jewish institutions everywhere hold innovative programming throughout the lifespan of every Jew, and many people embark on learning adventures alone, with a partner (chevruta in Hebrew, from the word chaver, "friend"), or in a class setting.

So it should not surprise anyone that one of the more amazing ventures in the American Jewish community is The PJ Library, a program supporting Jewish families in their Jewish journey by sending Jewish-content books and music on a monthly basis to children from age six months to five, six, seven or eight years depending on the community. Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, The PJ Library is a national program implemented by local communities.

With Chanukah starting in only a few evenings from now, consider giving your family the gift of Jewish books and literature. If you live in a PJ Library community (click here to see if yours is one), you can register your child(ren) for free. If you do not (unfortunately, Washington DC is not one of the communities), your child can receive a Jewish book every month for an annual subscription of only $60 (the link to purchase a gift subscription can be found here).

If you are interested in finding a Jewish book (or a book written by a Jewish author, or having to do with topics related to Judaism, etc.), many can be found in your local book stores. Check out these two great resources - each has lists upon lists of fantastic, award-winning possibilities: Association of Jewish Library (has many lists, age-specific and genre-specific, of books) and the Jewish Book Council. I'm off to read Dara Horn's latest - All Other Nights, set during the Civil War. Happy Reading!

Wrestling with God

Parshat Vayishlach
Genesis 32:4 - 36:43

"Jacob sent (vayishlach) messengers ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir..."

Our story continues 20 years after last week's parsha, Vayetze, where Jacob left Canaan for Haran, meeting Rachel and entering into a problematic betrothal agreement with her father, Laban, that ended with his marriage to both Rachel and her older sister, Leah. In Parshat Vayishlach, Jacob decides to return to Canaan with his large family, and begins to nervously prepare for his reunion with his estranged brother Esau, whose land they must pass through during their travels. His messengers return with the report that Esau is bringing 400 men to his meeting with Jacob. Obviously threatened by this news, Jacob divides up his family and flocks into two camps, hoping that one will survive if the other faces what Jacob considers to be an inevitable attack. After sending Esau a lavish gift of animals, Jacob begins the process of moving along his entourage. Once he safely sees the last across a river, Jacob was left alone. That evening, he wrestles with a mysterious "man" who injures Jacob in the thigh, leaving him with a limp, and bestowing upon him a new name, Yisrael, meaning "one who has struggled/wrestled with God." Eventually, Jacob and Esau meet without incident and peacefully go their separate ways.

After a brief detour through Shechem, God tells Jacob to travel on to Bethel and to build an altar there. Once they arrive in the appointed place, God appears to Jacob and confirms upon him this new name of Yisrael and reaffirms with him the covenant made between God and the family of Abraham. Rachel dies in childbirth (with Benjamin) and is buried along the road to Ephrat. Isaac dies at the ripe old age of 180, and both Esau and Jacob do their duty by their father and bury him. The parsha concludes with the recitation of the genealogy of Esau's descendants.

A few questions for your Shabbat table:

• Jacob's new name was Yisrael, or Israel, which means to struggle with God. What does it mean to struggle with God? Have you ever struggled with God?
• A person's name is very important, sometimes telling what the person is like. In the Torah, when someone's name is changed, it means that the person has changed too. How do you think Jacob changed when he became Yisrael? What does your name teach you?
• Part of Parshat Vayishlach shows us the tension Jacob anticipated in his meeting with Esau. Have you ever had a fight with anyone in your family? How did you feel? What feelings did you have to wrestle with in order to make peace with each other?
• Jacob received his new name after he wrestled with a man (ish, in Hebrew), but his new name says that he wrestled with God, not a man. Why do you think this is? Was the mysterious wrestler a man, or perhaps something else?
• Many synagogues are called "Beth El," like the site in this parsha where God tells Jacob to build an altar. Beth El literally means "a house of God" - what do you think makes a synagogue like a house of God?

And for your viewing pleasure, this week's parsha from g-dcast.com, narrated by incomparable Dara Horn, one of the Forward 50*...

* Just a note that Sarah Lefton, founder and producer of g-dcast, is also one of the Forward 50. Check out the other 48 at the link above.

Getting Ready for the Lights

We have officially reached December, and the holiday decorations are out in full force, many having adorned retail establishments since long before families sat down to feast last week. So, while Chanukah does not begin until next Shabbat evening (check back later for a guide to celebrating the Festival of Lights at home), this article has been referenced in several places on the internet. While it is a relatively minor holiday, religiously speaking, Chanukah has become one of the holidays most widely celebrated among American Jews (of those responding to the National Jewish Population Survey in 2000, 72% reported lighting candles for Chanukah). Accordingly, one can find all sorts of decorations and items to accessorize your holiday. So, take a read and report back - how do you ready yourselves and your homes for this festive holiday?