Ramaz Likrat Shabbat - Miketz

‫לקראת שבת‬ PARSHAT Miketz — ‫מקץ‬ December 16, 2023 Tevet 4, 5784 Candle Lighting 4:11 Havdalah 5:15 A Student Publication of the Ramaz Upper School

Editors–in-Chief Leo Eigen ’25 Avi Flatto-Katz ’25 Editor Ezra Gonen ’27

Faculty Advisor Rabbi Manu Hass

SUMMARY

Aliyah 1: After two years of the wine bearer being released from jail, Pharaoh has two dreams. In the first dream, 7 healthy cows came out of the Nile, and 7 unhealthy cows came out of the river. Then the 7 unhealthy cows ate the 7 healthy cows. In the second dream 7 healthy ears of grain sprouted on a stalk and 7 thin and unappealing ears of grain sprouted on another stalk.

Then, the unappealing ears of grain ate the healthy ears. Pharaoh tried to find someone to interpret his dreams, and finally, the head cup bearer of Pharaoh told Pharaoh about Yosef and how he interpreted his dream and the head baker’s dream. Pharaoh sends for Yosef and has him come before him to interpret his dream.

Aliyah 2: Pharaoh tells Yosef his dreams and Yosef explains that Hashem told Pharaoh the future. There will be 7 years of great agriculture and abundance of food in Egypt followed by 7 years of famine. Pharaoh then appoints people to be in charge of storing food during the 7 prosperous years for the 7 years of famine.

Aliyah 3: Pharaoh appoints Yosef to lead the food saving operation. Pharaoh then appoints Yosef as his second in command, renames him Tzafnat Panecha and gives him Asnat bat Poti as a wife. Yosef was 30 years old and he was in charge of grain collection for the 7 good years and collected an immeasurable amount of grain. Then Yosef has two sons with Asnat, Menashe and Efrayim.

Aliyah 4: The 7 prosperous years ended and a famine began. People who needed food went to Yosef to get food. Yaakov heard that there was food in Egypt and sent all of Yosef’s brothers except for Binyamin to Egypt. The brothers come before Yosef and bow to him. Yosef recognizes them but they do not recognize him. The brothers say they are trying to get food but Yosef accuses them of being spies and tells them unless their youngest brother comes to Egypt, they cannot leave.

Aliyah 5: The brothers leave Shimon behind and return to Yaakov. The brothers tell Yaakov what Yosef told them and Yaakov is distraught but reluctantly allows them to take Binyamin to Mitzrayim.

Aliyah 6: When Yosef saw all of his brothers he told his servants to prepare a meal for him and his brothers. The brothers give Yosef gifts and then Yosef asks about their father. The brothers respond that he is healthy and alive. Yosef then blessed Binyamin.

Aliyah 7: After blessing Binyamin, Yosef exits the room and begins to cry but regains his composition and reenters the room. After the meal, Yosef gives his brothers food and their money back. He also tells his servant to put his goblet in Binyamin’s bag. The brothers leave and Yosef sends his servant after them to find the goblet. The brothers are distraught and return to Yosef. He tells them that only the person who stole the goblet will be imprisoned.

Forgiveness

By Judah Gerber ’26 This week's Parsha starts o with Pharaoh having a dream. He dreams that seven fat cows are being swallowed by seven skinny cows and then seven fat grains are being swallowed by seven skinny grains.

Yosef interprets this dream to be that there will be seven years of plenty, meaning there will be a lot of food and everything will be good, and then there will be seven years of famine. Yosef advises Pharoah to appoint someone to store food during the 7 years of plenty. Pharaoh appreciates this advice, and rewards Yosef by appointing him to that role. Yosef goes from having no power in Egypt, to having the second most control over all the people in Egypt. As the Parsha goes on, Yosef’s brothers, who had once threw him into a pit out of jealousy and then sold him, come to Egypt in order to get food during famine. In Perek 42 Pasuk 8, it says: “ ‫”וַיַּכֵּר יוֹסֵ ף אֶ ת אֶ חָ יו ו ְהֵ ם ֹלא הִ כּ ִֻרהוּ‬. This means that Yosef was able to recognize his brothers, but the brothers weren't able to recognize Yosef. How could it be that the brothers weren't able to recognize Yosef?

For me, if I hadn’t seen my brother for a long time, I still would have recognized my own brother.

Rashi provides one possible answer. He says that Yosef’s whole appearance had changed; he had a beard and got a little older. However, a beard isn’t really a big appearance change, and the brothers should have still been able to somewhat recognize Yosef.

As the Parsha goes on, Yosef accuses the brothers of being spies and keeps Shimon hostage until they bring all the brothers down to Egypt. Reuven and Yehudah are

forced to go back to their father and bring the youngest child Binyamin. Why does Yosef put his own brothers through all these tests? As the Torah says, Yosef knew that these were his brothers, so what was the point of the tests?

According to one opinion, Yosef performed all of these tests, because he wanted to see if they had changed for the better. Did they change and become better men? Through these tests Yosef wanted to see if they would be willing to sacrifice their own family. The brothers do what Yosef asks of them and Yosef is therefore convinced they have changed. The brothers bring Binyamin and Shimon is now freed and Yosef invites the brothers to a meal.

We can learn from this story that people can change, and we should give even those who may have hurt us a chance to redeem themselves. Just like Yosef did to his own brothers who had once sold him. In our own lives and in Ramaz, We can get a chance to prove ourselves to our teachers, our friends and our parents that we have become better, smarter, more responsible and respectful if given the chance. We also learn that if someone does something that hurts us, we must forgive them just as Yosef forgave his brothers. Shabbat Shalom!

Miketz, Chanukah, and the Power of the Contrary

By Rabbi Aaron Frank Each year as we light our menorahs and focus on Parshat Miketz, the parallel between Pharaoh's dreams and the content of Al HaNisim grabs my attention.

In our Parsha, Pharoah has a disturbing dream. Two sets of cows, seven strong, fat cows and seven thin, gaunt ones appear on the scene. And, we are told, ‫הפּ ָ֔רוֹת‬ ַ ‫הבּ ָ֔שָׂ ר ֚ ֵאת ֶ ֣שׁבַע‬ ַ ‫מּ ְראֶה֙ וְד ַ֣קּ ֹת‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ַ ‫הפּ ָ֗רוֹת ר ָ֤עוֹת‬ ַ ‫ֹאכ ְלנ ָה‬ ֣ ַ ‫ו ַתּ‬ ‫ִיא ֹת‬ ֑ ‫ה ְבּר‬ ַ ְ ‫מּר ֶ ְ֖אה ו‬ ַ ‫ה‬ ַ ‫י ְ֥פ ֹת‬ and the ugly gaunt cows ate up the seven handsome sturdy cows. (Gen. 41:4) ‫יאוֹת‬ ֖ ‫ו ַתִּ ְב ַל֙עְ נָה֙ הַ שִּׁ בּ ִ ֳ֣לים הַ דַּ ֔קּוֹת ֚אֵ ת ֶ ֣שׁבַע ַהֽשִּׁ ֳבּ ִ֔לים הַ בּ ְִר‬ ‫ ו ְהַ מְּ ל ֵ֑אוֹת‬His second dream is similar as seven healthy ears of grain are eaten up by seven thin scorched ones. (Gen. 41:7)

Rabbi Aaron Frank US Principal

While Yosef teaches Pharoah that his dreams are cautionary images, the Al HaNisim echoes a similar literary theme. In this tefilah, we are told that the unexpected dynamic wins the day – the minority, the apparently weak, end up defeating the powerful foe. It reads: ‫ִבּוֹרים ְבּי ַד חַ לָּשִׁ ים ו ְַרבִּים ְבּי ַד מְ עַ טִּ ים‬ ִ ‫מָ ַס ְֽרתָּ ג‬ You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, many into the hands of the few Purim, the other rabbinically decreed chag, also reflects this theme: ‫יהֽם׃‬ ֶ ֵ‫ְהוּדים ֵ ֖המָּ ה בְּשֹׂנְא‬ ֛ ִ ‫וְנַהֲ ֣פוְֹך ֔הוּא אֲ שֶׁ֨ ר י ִשְׁ ל ְ֧טוּ הַ יּ‬ (The very day on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to get them in their power) the opposite happened, and the Jews got their enemies in their power. (Esther 9:1) Most often we expect that nature will take its course. The fittest will survive, the natural flow will emerge, the weak will exit the stage and predictability will win the day. This is exactly why Hanukkah and Purim are so miraculous and also why Pharoah’s dream was so disturbing.

This year, I have been thinking a lot about a word that echoes this idea–the word is ‫–אַדְ ַרבָּה‬which means, contrary, or opposite. It comes to push against the expected momentum and flip reality on its head.

Tragically ‫ אַדְ ַרבָּה‬has taken on a new meaning for me this fall. On Nov. 10, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, 44, was killed in battle in northern Gaza. Rav Yossi, as he was a ectionately called, was an educator, principal and a person of incredible midot and passion for the Jewish people and Medinat Yisrael.

Rav Yossi served as the principal of the ORT Pelech High School for boys in Jerusalem and lived in the West Bank settlement of Gva’ot, in Gush Etzion.

Rav Yossi also served for a number of years on shlichut in the US where he was my son’s teacher in middle school. Rav Yossi took countless students under his wings and, with care and love, helped to shape their passion for Torah.

Rav Yossi’s father, during the shiva, spoke about how his son embodied the need to be humble and to judge all other Jews favorably no matter their level of observance or affiliation. He spoke about a famous tefila called the Aderabba and encouraged everyone to say it regularly. This prayer was written by R Elimelech Of Lizhensk, (born 1717—died 1787), one of the founders of Ḥasidism. It reads: ‫תצילנו מין קינאת איש מרעהו שלא יעלה קנאת אדם עלינו ולא קנאתינו על אחרים‬.

God, save us from our tendency to have envy of others and save us from their envy. On the contrary, grant in our hearts that each of us recognizes the fullness of our brethren, and not their deficiencies.

And that every one of us speaks with their fellow in the straight and desired way before You. And may there not arise in our hearts any hatred between one of us and their fellow, ever.

And strengthen us in our love for You, as it is revealed and known to You. May everything be pleasing unto Your spirit.

Amen - may it be Your will.

(cont. on next page)

‫ תֵּ ן ְבּ ִלבֵּנוּ שֶׁ נ ְִראֶ ה כָּל אֶ חָ ד‬,‫אַד ַרבָּה‬ ְ ‫מַ עֲ לַת חֲ ב ֵ​ֵרינוּ ו ְֹלא חֶ סְ רוֹנָם‬ ‫ו ְשֶׁ נְדַ בֵּר כָּל אֶ חָ ד אֶ ת חֲ בֵרוֹ בַּדֶ ֶרְך הַ י ָשָׁ ר‬ ‫ שׁוּם‬,‫ ו ְאַל י ַעֲ לֶה ְבּ ִלבֵּנוּ‬.‫ו ְהָ ָרצוּי לְפָ נֶיָך‬ ‫שִּׂ נְאָה מֵ אֶ חָ ד עַ ל חֲ בֵרוֹ חָ לִילָה‬ ‫וּתְ חַ זֵק אוֹתָ נוּ בְּאַהֲ בָה אֵ לֶיָך‬ .‫ לְפָ נֶיָך‬, ַ‫ גָּלוּי וְי ָדוּע‬,‫כַּאֲ שֶׁ ר‬ .‫ נַחַ ת רוּחַ אֵ לֶיָך‬,‫שֶׁ יְּהֵ א הַ כּ ֹל‬ .‫ כֵּן י ְהִ י ָרצוֹן‬- ‫אָמֵ ן‬

Making the world a better place often requires us to ask God for the strength to internalize the message of ‫– וְנַהֲ ֣פוְֹך ֔הוּא‬the message of ‫אַדְ ַרבָּה‬, to be contrary to the trends of nature and of society and look at our personal and public lives with light and positivity.

Embracing the world of aderabba will perpetuate the legacy of Rav Yossi who recognized the holiness in others and focused their energies to spread love, light and unity among our people even in the darkest of times.

Wishing everyone a Shabbat shalom and a Chanukkah of positivity, peace and light.

Wishing everyone in our community a Shabbat Shalom!