We left off last week with Joseph’s pronouncement that he was keeping Benjamin as a slave for stealing his wine cup. Judah steps forward to challenge the decision and offers himself as a slave instead of Benjamin. Joseph is overcome with emotion, clears the room of all Egyptians and then reveals his identity to his unsuspecting brothers. The brothers are shocked! They suspect Joseph’s intentions, but
Pharaoh dreams of cows and sheaves and demands for someone to interpret his dreams. The wine butler remembers Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams. They bring Joseph from the jail. Pharaoh acknowledges the truth of Joseph’s interpretation (that there would be seven good years followed by seven years of famine) and raises Joseph to second-in-command of the whole country with the mandate to prepare for the
This week’s portion includes four stories: 1) The selling of Yosef(Joseph) as a slave by his brothers — which eventually positioned Yosef to be second in command in Egypt and enabled him to save the known world from famine 2) The indiscretion of Yehuda (Judah) with Tamar (Tamar) … 3) The attempted seduction of Yosef by Potifar’s wife, which ends with her framing Yosef and having him imprisoned 4) Yosef interprets
Rivka (Rebecca) gives birth to Esav (Esau) and Ya’akov (Jacob). Esav sells the birthright to Ya’akov for a bowl of lentil soup. Yitzchak (Isaac) sojourns in Gerar with Avimelech (Avimelech), king of the Philistines. Esav marries two Hittite women bringing great pain to his parents (because they weren’t of the fold). Ya’akov impersonates Esav on the counsel of his mother in order to receive the blessing
