Day: December 14, 2018

One of my favorite women of Tanach makes her first appearance in this week’s parsha. Serach, the daughter of Asher, is named as one of the “70 souls” who accompanied Jacob to Egypt — but she is one of only two women listed (the other one is Dinah), and the only granddaughter of Jacob to have a name in the entire book of Genesis. She appears only once more in the Torah — as one of the few individuals named in the census taken in the Book of Numbers, chapter 25, just before entering the Land of Israel. Over 200 years passed between the two mentions of her name, making her remarkably long-lived (for comparison, Moses lived for 120 years, Joseph for 110 years, and Jacob for 147).

Although Serach gets nothing more than a namecheck in the written Torah, the Oral Torah gives her far greater importance. From reading midrash, it is clear that Serach is the master of the power of speech, using it to repair vital broken connections within the nation of Israel.

According to the midrash, when the brothers returned home after Joseph’s revelation, they grew scared about breaking the news to Jacob. How could they suddenly tell their father, who was old and frail, that Joseph was alive, and the second in command over Egypt? They were anxious that the shock might kill him.

Read the full article on the Times of Israel

At one time, schoolchildren were taught that they would be drilled in the “three R’s” (reading, [w]riting and [a]rithmetic). In the Torah readings of recent weeks, we have come across a different series of “R’s” that Joseph’s brothers seemed to have been schooled in: reviling, rage and rivalry. As many of us are familiar with, the elder brothers reviled their younger brother whose dreams predicted he would lord over them, and whose multicolored coat evoked rage and rivalry. Their hatred was so intense that it led them to throw Joseph in a pit, debating the merits of whether to kill him or sell him.

Judah failed to rise to the challenge, do the right thing, and save his brother. He said, “Let’s sell him.” But what to tell their elderly father Jacob?

They hatched a scheme whereby they took Joseph’s multicolored coat, and dipped it in goat’s blood. Bringing it to their father, they asked Jacob, “Haker na,” “Do you recognize this?” This phrase, “do you recognize,” will be one that not only haunts Jacob, but the brothers throughout the Joseph saga.

Read the full article on the Times of Israel