Parashat Miqetz/Hanukah/Rosh Hodesh
Genesis 41:1-44:17

Our story is about forgetting and remembering. The Chief Butler had forgotten his promise to Joseph for two years, after he had been restored to his position in Pharaoh’s court. But, after Pharaoh cannot find a satisfactory interpretation for the dreams that torment him, the Butler remembers, saying, “It is my sins that I recall today.” (Gen. 41:9) Joseph is raised from his jail cell to hear Pharaoh’s dreams, and Joseph interprets the dreams to be saying that the country will be swept over with seven years of abundance and then seven years of famine. And the famine years will devour the years of plenty, “and all the satisfaction in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will destroy the land.” (Gen. 41:30) Continue reading →

Parashat Vayeshev/Hanukah/Thanksgiving 
Genesis 37:1-40:23

The era of the Patriarchs virtually ends with this Torah reading. The Patriarchal system rested on the myth that all power and control over the destiny of the family and the extended group was in the hands of that central figure. It is a significant organizing myth, even if the reality is always much more complicated. All the Torah’s stories until now have both affirmed this myth but also undermined it in many ways. Fathers decide who their heir will be, who their heir’s spouse will be, who will get the blessing – except, of course, when other factors intervene.
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