This Week’s Torah Portion: Mikeitz – מִקֵּץ (Genesis 41:1−44:17)
“And Pharaoh called Josef Zaphenath-Paneah, and gave him Asenat, daughter of Potifera’, priest of On, for a wife.” Genesis 41:45)
Joseph gets an Egyptian name, an Egyptian wife who is an Egyptian priest’s daughter, swears by Pharaoh’s name (Pharaoh is also a god), and dresses like an Egyptian. Thanks, God, for allowing him to forget his ancestral home.
Joseph is the paradigm of assimilation, and yet he is also the paradigm of success, saving his family’s lives and saving the entire world from hunger.
Parsha Mikeitz – מִקֵּץ Torah Summary:
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s two dreams and predicts seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine. (41:1-32)
Pharaoh places Joseph in charge of food collection and distribution. (41:37-49)
Joseph marries Asenath, and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. (41:50-52)
When Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy food during the famine, Joseph accuses them of spying. He holds Simeon hostage while the rest of the brothers return to Canaan to retrieve Benjamin for him. (42:3-42:38)
The brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin and for more food. Joseph continues the test, this time falsely accusing Benjamin of stealing and declaring that Benjamin must remain his slave. (43:1-44:17) Mikeitz – מִקֵּץ
“And Pharaoh called Josef Zaphenath-Paneah, and gave him Asenat, daughter of Potifera’, priest of On, for a wife.” Genesis 41:45)
Joseph gets an Egyptian name, an Egyptian wife who is an Egyptian priest’s daughter, swears by Pharaoh’s name (Pharaoh is also a god), and dresses like an Egyptian. Thanks, God, for allowing him to forget his ancestral home.
Joseph is the paradigm of assimilation, and yet he is also the paradigm of success, saving his family’s lives and saving the entire world from hunger.
