TORAH SPARKS
Parashat Vayeshev Shabbat
Mevarekhim Hahodesh December 23-24, 2016 24 Kislev 5777
Annual (Genesis 37:1-40:23): Etz Hayim p.
226-245; Hertz p. 141-151
Triennial (Genesis
37:1-37:36): Etz Hayim p.226-233; Hertz p. 141-145
Haftarah (Amos 2:6-3:8): Etz Hayim p. 246-249; Hertz p. 152-154
By Rabbi Mordechai Silverstein, Senior CY Faculty
in Talmud and Midrash
The Shirley & Jacob
Fuchsberg Center For Conservative Judaism
8 Agron Street, P.O. Box
7456, Jerusalem, Israel 94265
Tel:
972-2-625-6386 Fax: 972-2-623-4127
Who Is That Man Walking
Rabbi Steven Wernick
In his book based on the
Joseph stories, Living a Life that Matters, Rabbi Harold Kushner asks an
interesting question: “Who’s the principle character?”
Is it Jacob who favors Joseph
such that his brothers conspire to kill him?
Is it Joseph who just had to
share his dreams with his brothers, further alienating him from them?
Is it Judah who leads his
brothers in their bloodlust?
Is it Reuven who prevents
fratricide and instead throws Joseph in a pit to rot?
Potiphar? Or his wife? The
Ishmaelites?
If you look closely, the
principle character is anonymous.
You know the story, the
brothers are tending the flock. Jacob sends Joseph to spy on them. He heads
to Schechem when suddenly “a man came upon him wandering in the fields.
The man asked him, What are
you looking for? (Genesis
37:15)
The Torah calls him only Ish
— a man.
From where did this person
come? Why does he approach Joseph? His
question is asked as if he
already knows the answer. And then when Joseph replies that he is looking for
his brothers, this Ish knows not only where they have gone, but more
importantly exactly who his brothers are!
There are certainly minor characters
in the Torah, but no superfluous
characters.
Kushner devotes a whole
chapter to this Ish, “Best Actor in a Supporting
Role.”
Who is this Ish?
Maimonides suggests that this Ish,
like the mysterious being who wrestles
with Jacob a generation
earlier is an Angel. After all, he knows the answer to the question before the
question is even asked!
Ibin Ezra understands him just
to be a man, who happens to be in the
right place at the right time.
A chance encounter, of little significance in and of itself, sets in
motion the rest of Jewish history — slavery, redemption,Torah — all of
it right up to our own time.
Guidelines about Hanukah Candle
Lighting from
Rabbi Mordechai Silverstein of the Conservative Yeshiva
- Preferably candles should
be lit early – at sunset or, according to some opinions, when the stars come
out. But if not feasible then, one may light into the evening (“when the
last people come home from the market”). - Where possible, the hanukiah
should be placed where it can be seen publicly. Ideally by one’s front door on
the left side or in the window facing the public thoroughfare. (Be careful with
curtains.) - Candles should set up from right to left but lit from left
to right, always light
the new candle first.
- You should use candles that will burn for at least a half
hour after dark; note
regarding Erev Shabbat, next
point.
- On erev Shabbat: a) Hanukah candles are lit BEFORE Shabbat
candles and b)
since this is done early, the
candles should be big enough to remain lit for at least a half hour after dark.
- On Motzei Shabbat, while there is a difference of opinion,
many light the
hanukiah before doing havdalah, in order to prolong Shabbat, at
least symbolically.
A Vort for Parashat
Vayeshev
Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, CY Faculty
Vayeshev is a very sad parashah
it is a series of falls and declines. It begins with Jacob seeking to
dwell comfortably in Eretz Yisrael and ends with Joseph in an Egyptian prison.
In between Joseph is cast down into the pit, Judah went down (yered)
from his brothers, and Joseph was brought down / hurad to
Egypt. The late Rav Pinhas Peli pointed out that all 112 verses in Vayeshev
start with the letter vav, a letter of sadness/pain, vai..,
except for nine the number of candles on the Hanukkah Menorah, including the
shamash. Hanukkah, which begins on Motsei Shabbat, occurs roughly at the
winter solstice, when the dark portion of the day reaches its peak. We start
with one candle and add each day, to increase the light in the world
and in our lives. Shabbat shalom v Hanukkah Sameach!
Table
Talk
Vered
Hollander-Goldfarb, CY Faculty
The Joseph story! He has big dreams but the
reality can be tough. He falls low and rises again. God is with him, but his
good looks attract unwanted attention. Joseph s roller-coaster of a life takes
off in this Parasha, with the story of his brother Judah developing
simultaneously.
1) Joseph has 2 dreams that he tells his
brothers (37:5-10). What happens in each dream? How do the brothers understand
the dreams? What is their reaction? What is Yaakov s reaction?
2) Chapter 38 is a break in the Joseph story to
focus on Judah and his family. Judah marries (38:1-5). Who does he marry? How
does this differ from the marriages of his father and grandfather? How many
children does she bear him? Who names the children? Why might it be significant
who names a child?
3) Judah s oldest son marries a woman named
Tamar (38:6-11). Who chooses her to be Er s wife? What happens to her husband,
Er? What happens to her at that point? (This is what is called a levirate
marriage.) What happens to her when Onan dies as well?
4) Back to Joseph: Potifar s wife is very mad
at Joseph s refusal (39:7-15). Holding his garment as incriminating evidence,
she calls in all the servants and tells them (her version) what happens. Look
at what she says: How does she make sure that the servants will turn against
Joseph? Why does she not call Joseph a servant? Why does she call him a
Hebrew ?
5) A careful reading of the rest of the story
will show us that Potifar does not believe his wife (39:16-23). What would
Potifar have done to his slave Joseph if he believed his wife s story about
Joseph s behavior towards her? What does he do? If he does not believe her, why
does he do this to Joseph?