Torah Parallels

Parshas Vayigash Two-Face By: Daniel Listhaus “ The news was heard in Pharoah's house saying, 'Yosef's brothers have come!' And it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharoah and in the eyes of his servants.” - Vayigash 45:16 After being separated from his family for twenty-two years, Yosef was about to find himself being reunited with his father, Yaakov. The passuk 1 relates that when Pharoah heard that Yosef's family was coming down to Mitzrayim , he was extremely happy. However, the reason he was happy was not because he was sharing in Yosef's simcha of being reunited with his family. Instead, Pharoah was ecstatic for a very different reason. When Pharoah appointed Yosef as second-in-command of the entire country, there were many people who raised an eyebrow. How could Pharoah take Yosef and bring him into royalty? Yosef was not only a slave in Mitzrayim , but a foreigner. It was unheard of that a foreign slave should reach any position of importance. The peopl...

Parshas Miketz and Chanukah See the Light By: Daniel Listhaus “ Then Pharoah said to Yosef, 'Since G-d has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you'.” - Miketz 41:39 After Yosef had interpreted the dreams of Pharoah to Pharoah's satisfaction, he advised that the Egyptian government do something to prepare itself for the years of famine. Yosef advocated that there should be overseers set up to organize gathering food during the seven good years so that they would be able to make it through the seven years of famine. 1 Pharoah immediately demanded that Yosef take the position. He commanded that everyone listen to whatever Yosef tells them to do. Yosef's tale was the ultimate from-rags-to-riches story. Yesterday, he was a slave thrown into prison; today, he has the entire Egypt at his fingertips having to answer to no one but Pharoah himself. One of the most fundamental laws of Mitzrayim (Egypt) was that a slave cannot rule. As a matte...