11. Bereishit - Vayigash (And He Came Near)

in which Judah offers himself up as a slave so that Benjamin does not have to leave his father"s side; moved, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, and urges his father to come to Egypt to escape the famine; Joseph"s brothers go back to Jacob and give him the news of Joseph"s survival and success; Jacob travels to Egypt, and on his way, in Beersheba, G-d speaks to him, promising to take him to Egypt and eventually bring him (Israel) back; Jacob"s extended family numbering 70, comes to Egypt, is greeted by Joseph and is overjoyed; Joseph intends to settle his family in Goshen, because that is where shepherds live; Joseph selects five of his brothers for a meeting with the Pharaoh and the Pharaoh offers for them to take the best land in Goshen; Joseph brings Jacob t the Pharaoh and Jacob blesses the Pharaoh; Jacob"s family settles in the best region of Egypt and is fully provided for by Joseph; the famine uses up all the money Egyptians have for food, then Joseph collects people"s livestock for food, the next year of famine the people sell their land and themselves into serfdom for food, and are very grateful to Joseph for saving their lives.The only people who were sustained by the Pharaoh and did not become serfs were the priests. Meanwhile, the fledgling nation of Israel lived in Egypt, in the Goshen district. They acquired property there, and were fertile, with their population increasing very rapidly.


His soul is bound up with the lad’s soul! (Genesis, 44:30)

 Parent’s Lament 

How our souls get bound up with our children. 
How helplessly we flail watching our beloved struggle. 
How we grapple with the question: 

To detach or to remain engaged? There is no answer, no solution…

Do not get agitated along the way. Judith Prays