This week’s Parshah, seems to have little to connect it with Hanukah, on which it is almost always read. Yet a closer examination of both may yield a similar theme. One of the underlying plots of the Joseph story is the attempt of the parties to escape from their destiny. Joseph seeks to integrate himself in his new life in Egypt, while seemingly forgetting his family background. Indeed he even names his eldest son after this amnesia. The brothers have seemingly forgotten about Joseph, carrying on with their lives and suppressing the memory of their past crime. Even Jacob, for all his grief over Joseph, has transferred his affection to his youngest son, Benjamin, and hopes merely to live out his life in peace. Yet it is precisely in this Parshah, that all these plans unravel. Joseph comes face to face with his brothers and is forced to deal with the problem of his family. His brothers, trapped by the Egyptian viceroy, are forced to confront their past actions and their consequences. And Jacob is compelled to relinquish his youngest son to the vagaries of fate. In the background, all the actors are required to play their part in G-d’s grand plan for the Jewish people, starting with the sojourn in Egypt. The Torah marks this compulsion of destiny in an interesting way. It is well known that the Torah uses the names Jacob and Israel interchangeably; Jacob symbolising more the individual, Israel the national destiny. Precisely at the point when Jacob, with great reluctance, finally accepts the need to send Benjamin to Egypt, he is suddenly called Israel, as he is to the end of the paragraph. Here the inescapable destiny of the Jewish people, Israel, is begun to be fulfilled, by individuals who can no longer escape their fate. The same process took place at the time of Hanukah. Many Jews at that time were quite happy to assimilate into the surrounding Greek culture, even to the extent of trying to hide their circumcision. They sought to escape the destiny of Israel and live their lives as Greeks. Yet in the end, they were forced to confront their origins and their fate. They Seleciud attack on Judaism left them no choice but to face their Jewish destiny. And created a renewed Jewish life among the people. Today, the renewed wave of Jew-hated, centred on Israel, is causing many who had thought themselves immune from such matters, to question their relationships and their true values. As in those days, so in our times, we will emerge strengthened in our common destiny..

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS 

Rishon	Pharaoh has dreams he can‘t understand and calls Joseph to interpret them.
Sheni	Joseph explains that 7 years of plenty will be followed by 7 years of famine, so food should be hoarded.
Shelishi	Pharaoh makes Joseph his Vizier and he marries and has children while putting his program into action.
Revi’i	The famine begins and Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt to buy food. He accuses them of being spies.
Chamishi	Joseph imprisons Shimon and demands they bring him Benjamin. Reluctantly Jacob agrees.
Shishi	Joseph is overcome upon seeing Benjamin.
Shevi’i	After eating lunch together, Joseph hides his goblet in Benjamin’s sack, so he is then accused of theft.
Maftir	The Princes’ offering for the 4th day of the Dedication of the Tabernacle.
Haftorah	Zechariah: 2;14-4;7: G-d’s spirit, not physical strength will triumph.

Sidra Statistics

Parshat Miketz

·         has 146 verses ;

·         is the 10th in Genesis, 10th in the Torah

·         5th longest in Genesis, 7th longest in the Torah

·         has no mitzvot.