Vaera

Exodus 6:2−9:35

By Rabbi Rabbi Avraham Fischer, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Brothers Bringing Redemption

Moses and Aaron play complementary roles in communicating God's message of redemption to both the Children of Israel and to Pharaoh.

Things have gone from bad to worse.  As intense as the slavery had been, now the Children of Israel must produce their quota of bricks without being provided with the straw they need.  Although at first they believed that the redemption was imminent, now they have lost hope.  Moses repeats God’s promises to save them, “but they did not hearken to Moses out of impatience and out of hard bondage” (Exodus 6:9).

The Narrative is Interrupted

And, when God insists that Moses return to speak to Pharaoh, Moses’s reaction is understandably full of frustration:

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Sh'mot

Exodus 1:1−6:1

By Rabbi Daniel J. Moskovitz, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Pharaoh Didn’t Know Joseph And Perhaps We Forgot Him Too

The textual reference to forgetting Joseph raises questions about the extent to which oppression is linked to a minority group's involvement and commitment to the larger society.

•     The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)
•     A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10)
•     Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)
•   Moses marries the priest of Midian’s daughter, Zipporah. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)
•     God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)
•     Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)

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Va-y'chi

Genesis 47:28–50:26

By Rabbi Rabbi Rabbi Yaakov Pollak, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

What Is Your Blessing?

Jacob blessed his sons, not only according to each of their characters, but also with a unique piece of himself.

How much importance do we attach to blessings that we receive from others? How seriously do we take them? Our Sages established that "everything depends upon the one who gives the blessing and the one who receives it."

What if God Himself gives the blessing?

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Vayigash

Genesis 44:18−47:27

By Rabbi Yitzchok A. Breitowitz, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Preparing For Exile

Joseph used his position of rulership to help his brothers develop coping skills for their upcoming exile.

Joseph’s interaction with his brothers is one of the most perplexing stories in the Torah, one that has puzzled generations of readers for thousands of years.

Why does Joseph conceal his identity? Why did he wait so long to tell his father that he was in Egypt?

Even if one follows the view of the Abarbanel (15th-century Spanish/Portuguese commentator), that, as a slave, Joseph had no means of informing Jacob and, after his ascension to political power, he still could not do so lest he be accused of disloyalty, questions abound.

Explaining His Actions

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Mikeitz

Genesis 41:1−44:17

The Deeper Meaning Of A Name

In naming his sons, Joseph communicates his thoughts on living in Egypt, alone and distant from his family.

By Rabbi Avraham Fischer, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com
Joseph’s transformation from imprisoned Hebrew slave to vizier is sudden and dizzying. Based on his initiative and his abilities as a dream-interpreter and adviser, he is taken from the dungeon of Pharaoh’s prison and placed at Pharaoh’s side as second-in-command. Pharaoh says:

"You shall be over my house, and according to your word shall all my people be sustained; only by the throne will I be greater than you" (Genesis 41:40).

During this critical period in Joseph’s life, the "master of dreams" (37:19) becomes the center of a world of public action. Pharaoh appoints him as supervisor of the national food collection and distribution project, and endows him with all the trappings of service to the king:

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Vayeishev

Genesis 37:1−40:23

Leadership Traits

Yehudah merits the position of kingship because of his ability to acknowledge and overcome his mistakes.

By Rabbi Chaim Landau, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com
Upon reviewing the stories of two of Jacob’s twelve sons, Joseph and Judah, one may wonder why Judah’s descendants were ultimately crowned with the kingship of Israel rather than those of Joseph.

Stories regarding their chastity are told of both. After her first and second husbands died, both sons of Judah, Tamar dressed as a prostitute and seduced her former father-in-law. Joseph, on the other hand, when confronted by his master Potiphar’s wife, who propositioned him in the privacy of her mansion, ran away. Judah acceded to temptation; Joseph resisted.

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Vayishlach

Genesis 32:4−36:43

By Rabbi Rabbi Avraham Fischer, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Living With Threat

Yaakov sends Esav the message that despite having lived with Lavan, he has managed to keep the commandments and learned to stand up to powerful figures.

The last time the twins were together, Esau was so consumed by his hatred for Jacob that he prayed, “May the day of my father’s mourning approach so I may kill my brother Jacob,” (Bereishit27:41). And so, Jacob left to learn in Yeshiva and then live with his uncle Laban in Padan-Aram, where he married and raised a family.

Now, more than 30 years later, how does Esau feel? Has his hatred subsided, or has it intensified? Returning home to such an ambiguous situation Jacob realizes that a confrontation with Esau is inevitable, and consequently prepares for whatever might happen.

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