Congregation Beth Shalom

Torah Portion: Miketz
Book of Genesis
Chaps. 41:1-44:17  
December 23, 2011

The story of Joseph occupies the final 13 chapters of the Book of Genesis.  Joseph, not God, is the center of attention in this dramatic narrative.  In fact, God does not intercede at any point in the story, but remains noticeably in the wings!

Joseph is both easy to identify with and difficult to understand.  He angers his brothers with dreams of grandiose self-importance causing them to toss him into a pit only to be sold down to Egypt as a slave.  Still, he dreams.  In an Egyptian jail he becomes known as an interpreter of dreams and is brought before Pharaoh.  Pharaoh becomes so impressed with his prophetic acumen that he makes Joseph his chief advisor.  As Joseph rises in the hierarchy of Egyptian culture he takes on an Egyptian name (Zaphnat Paneah), marries the daughter of an Egyptian priest (Asnat) and, by all appearances, adopts the Egyptian life style.  Joseph, the first assimilated Jew!  Or is he?

The story of a Jew making it in the non-Jewish world by trading his identity for another is an all-too familiar one.  For Joseph, the story does not end here.  He and his wife give birth to two sons.  They are named Ephraim and Manasseh.  Both names are Hebrew, not Egyptian.  At the most critical moment in his life, the birth of children, Joseph convinced his wife their children must be raised as Jews.  Despite appearances, Joseph had not abandoned his people (even though his brothers had abandoned him) or his heritage.  Egyptians might have known him as “Zapnat Paneah”, but we would always know him as “Joseph.”

Joseph’s message to the modern Jew is “you can have your cake and eat it, too!”  One can enjoy the pleasures and privileges of America without compromising their identification as a Jew.  Joseph was put in charge of distributing food during a time of famine in Egypt and Canaan.  His brothers, believing Joseph had perished, came to Egypt to bring food back to Canaan.  After revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph also informed Pharaoh of his continued allegiance to his family and Jewish heritage.  This Pharaoh understood and made a place for Joseph’s family in one of the finer areas of Egypt.  We live in a country that also understands who we are.  The challenging question before us today is, do we?

Rabbi Howard Siegel