I hope everyone is having a great week! I know that with the hustle and bustle of school, there’s not much time to stop and read about the latest Torah portion, but here’s a brief summary and how it could relate to your life! Please feel free to comment—I’d love to hear your take on it!

 

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev, we learn of Joseph and his coat of many colors. Joseph’s story is well-known by children and adults everywhere—he is one of twelve brothers, and his father gives him this coat to signify that he loves Joseph more than his other sons. Joseph recalls two of his dreams about ruling over his siblings, and enraged, his brothers throw him in a pit. He is sold to the Ishmaelites, and his brothers stage a scene to make Jacob believe that Joseph was killed by a lion. Joseph is taken to Egypt and he is eventually thrown in jail, where he uses his dream interpretation skills to become friends with the Pharaoh’s former baker and butler.

 

Okay, so what does this have ANYTHING to do with you? There are a ton of lessons to be learned from this Torah portion. First of all, it’s an obvious comment on sibling relationships. This isn’t the first story in Genesis about siblings (Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau), and it teaches us that we can’t just assume love between a family. Think about why, even after seeing their father cry for months and months, none of the brothers even attempt to locate Joseph. The portion also teaches us about jealousy and favoritism. Jacob’s favoritism towards Joseph made his other sons jealous and caused a riff in their relationship. Think about your actions towards others and the impact they will have on someone else. It’s important to remain humble, even if you are being praised for something by a parent or a loved one.

 

Those are just a few of the short lessons in the parsha. Can you think of any more? How do you interpret this? Have you ever felt jealous of a sibling or a friend? How did you deal with it? Respond by posting a comment below!