Kislev 28, 5785 / December 27-28, 2024
Parashat Miketz
Torah: Genesis 41:1 - 44:17
Maftir: Numbers 7:24-29 (Shabbat Hanukkah)
Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7 (Shabbat Hanukkah)
--------------------------------------------------------
This d'var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful life partner Lynn Kronzek, on the occasion of our 44th (!) wedding anniversary on Shabbat, December 28. It seems like only yesterday!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of our son, Robert Flom, who will be observing the 17th anniversary of his bar mitzvah by chanting his haftarah this Shabbat at Temple B'nai Hayim.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. Due to scheduling conflicts, we'll be on hiatus until January 6. On January 6, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Vol. 3, Chagigah, p. 22 (BT Chagigah 14a):
"... ונתתי נערים שריהם"
"And I will set up boys as their princes ..."
Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:
----------------------------------------------------------
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESPAIR AND HOPE IN THE CORN
"Now Jacob saw that there was food (shever) in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, 'Why are you looking at each other?' And he said, 'Behold I have heard that there is food (shever) in Egypt. Go down there and buy (shivru) for us from there, and we will live and we will not die.'" Gen. 42:1-2
The Midrash goes to great lengths, using multiple puns and misspellings, to teach us that Jacob was prophetic. The word "shever" means both "food" and "brokenness" (literally, "rupture"). "Shivru" comes from the same root as "shever". And the Hebrew word "sever" (spelled with the letter "sin" rather than "shin") means "hope". In an unpointed Hebrew text, such as a Torah scroll, "shever" and "sever" are identical.
"Now Jacob saw that there was food (shever) in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, 'Why are you looking at each other?' And he said, 'Behold I have heard that there is food (shever) in Egypt. Go down there and buy (shivru) for us from there, and we will live and we will not die.'" Gen. 42:1-2
The Midrash goes to great lengths, using multiple puns and misspellings, to teach us that Jacob was prophetic. The word "shever" means both "food" and "brokenness" (literally, "rupture"). "Shivru" comes from the same root as "shever". And the Hebrew word "sever" (spelled with the letter "sin" rather than "shin") means "hope". In an unpointed Hebrew text, such as a Torah scroll, "shever" and "sever" are identical.
"It says that Jacob saw brokenness (and hope) in Egypt. There was brokenness, that was the famine. There was hope, that was the plenty. There was brokenness, that Joseph had gone down to Egypt. There was hope, that Joseph was in charge. There was brokenness, that there would be slavery and poverty. There was hope, that afterward they would come out with great wealth... For it had been revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive." Midrash B’reishit Rabbah 91
The Glory of Joseph (1896-1902, James Tissot)
Jacob is not only prophetic; he also gives a valuable
lesson. One can find hope even in despair. Both despair and hope somehow arise
in the same place, as a kernel within our souls. The result, despair or hope,
really depends on how we nurture the seed. Even when we think there is no hope
– there is hope.
Hanukkah Sameach! Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B'nai Hayim
.אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם? הַלוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם
Who is wise? One who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!
Cyber Torah list management:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.
To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.
