Stories We Tell: Whatever You Do, Don't Bite Off the Pitom
Stories We Tell: Don't Apologize to Me, Apologize to Him
Welcome to Questions
To the familiar "How odd of God to choose the Jews" we might well add, upon reading the story of Jacob/Israel, "But stranger still is Israel/It's odd indeed to be his seed/Part cheat, part mouse, yet we're his house/How come we're known as Jacob's own?"
Wrestling with Man, Not Angel
"Now Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the rise of dawn" (Genesis 32:25).
Hungers of Body and Spirit
This parashah continues the story of Joseph and his brothers that began in Parashat Vayeitzei. The patriarchal and matriarchal narratives that carry us through the Book of Genesis set the stage for the story of Jacob and his four wives and thirteen named children.
Publicizing the Miracle
FOCAL POINT
And Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same: God has told Pharaoh what He is about to do." (Genesis 41:25)
D'VAR TORAH
Transportable and Rooted
As the famine persists, Jacob's sons realize that they must return to Egypt for additional provisions. Jacob is reluctant to send his sons back. He is fearful for their lives and uncertain about their safe return.
Letting God Into Our Lives
In Parashat Mikeitz, we find ourselves in the middle of one of the most complete and compelling human stories in the Book of Genesis. Unlike the narratives about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, however, a large section of the Joseph story contains no mention of God.