Shlomo's Thoughts On The Torah

The lesson of the statement that there arose a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph, or that after all the good that Joseph did for Egypt, when it suited them, the Egyptians forgot about him. We should do the right thing because it is right. Just don't expect gratitude.

Treating Your Fellow - The 10th of Tevet is the anniversary of the Babylonians laying siege to Jerusalem, the beginning of the end of the 1st Temple. The reason for the destruction was the mistreatment of Jews to the fellow Jews.

Simon & Levi come under criticism for their actions in defending their sister Dina. But Jacob understands that they did not commit their deeds our of malice but due to their love of their family.

Before his death, Jacob blesses his sons and gives us insight on the future of the Jewish people. Especially Judah. He notes that the royalty will stem from Judah. We have to remember that Judah's name infers that we should be humble before God. Especially our leaders.

The portion hints at the love of a parent by pointing out that Jacob only truly lived the 34 years he was with Joseph. 17 before Joseph was sold into slavery and the 17 years Jacob lived in Egypt.

Jacob makes a special effort to bless Joseph's sons because they were born and raised in the capital of Egypt. Joseph was able to raise them so that they were not influenced by Egyptian culture.

Jacob blesses Ephriam over Menashe, even though Menashe is the oldest. This is to teach that leadership is earned, not given, Just because one is the son of a leader, does not mean that they will inherit the leadership. They have to earn it.

When the family arrives in Egypt Joseph has them settle in Goshen, away from the center of Egyptian society. He does this so that they can build a Jewish society without the Egyptian culture affecting them.

Greek culture regarded beauty above all, regardless of behavior. The torah emphasized moral and ethical behavior about all else. It is not surprising that the two would eventually clash.

Halel is a prayer that we recite on days that we acknowledge God's help. We say it on Hanukah, Israel Independence Day and Jerusalem but on Purim. The reason is that at the end of the story of Purim our status did not change, we simply survived. On the other days our status changed.

We usually overlook the things that are done routinely. The truth is that is what is most important. The routine should be viewed as special. Without the routine we could not live a normal life.

We see that Judah becomes the leader of the family, not Joseph. This is why the royal line of David is through Judah. Joseph was the leader of Egypt, but as we know that did not last long.

When Joseph decrees that Benjamin to remain in Egypt as a slave, Judah challenges his decree. This was a major event. But it shows that we have to stand for our rights, no one else will if we don't.

The commandment to light the Hanukah candles is very strong. We have to make sure that our Hanukkiah are visible to all. The reason is that we have to acknowledge the miracle. To show gratitude to God for His help.

The Haftorah this week has to do with David handing the power over to Solomon. The connection to the portion is clear since Abraham is handing leadership over to Isaac. Broth want to make sure that the power will not be abused. Thus their choices.

At the end of the portion this week Isaac and Ishmael come together to bury their father, Abraham. they put their differences aside to perform this duty. This shows that they might have major differences, but they are united in their moral principles.

The Torah states that Isaac first married Rebecca and then he loved her. For a marriage to work the love between husband & wife has to grow over time. Romance will come after the wedding.

Eliezer's is sent to find a suitable wife for Isaac. He arrives in Haran and Rebecca offers him and his 10 camels water. He realizes that she is the only one for Isaac because of her caring not only for him but his camels as well.

The Torah makes it a point that Abraham bought the burial site for Sarah and himself. That even though he was offered the site for free, he wanted everyone to know that it legally belonged to him. This teaches that we have to be careful in all our actions.

Before the Torah mentions the death of Sarah, we read of the birth of Rebecca. This is to teach us that there is always the next generation and that our duty is to train them to take over leadership of our people.

We learn that Abraham's major trait was compassion. This was a major reason that God chose him to be the father of the Jewish people. But sometimes compassion can be carried too far, as in the case of Abraham trying to save Sodom.

Lot's daughters took drastic measures because they thought the world was destroyed. Later they found out that they were wrong in their actions. Instead of acknowledging that they were wrong they choose to blame others.

Israel Independence Day is on Iyar 5, this year it will be celebrated on May 14. It occurs during the Omar, a period of mourning over the loss of the Bar Kochba Revolt. It is no accident of history but God's hand in the world.