Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset Chase# - San Antonio, Texas 78253

Targum Pseudo Jonathan for:

B’resheet (Gen.) 44:18 – 46:27

And Jehuda came near to him and said, I am imploring my lord, let your servant, I implore, speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and let not your anger grow strong against your servant; for at the hour that we came to you, you did say to us, I fear before the Lord; and now your judgments are rendered like (the judgments) of a prince of Pharoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother?

[JERUSALEM. And Jehuda came near him, and said, In beseeching you, my lord, let your servant now speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and let not your anger be strong against your servant; for at the first time we came down to you into Mizraim did you not tell us, I fear before the Lord? And now your judgments are returned like the judgments of Pharoh your lord, by whom you adjure. Yet I am honorable as you are, and my father is honorable as Pharoh your lord is, by whom you do adjure. Can I not swear by the life of the head of my father, and not lie? For if I draw my sword from within its sheath, I would not return it till I had filled all the land of Mizraim with the slain; to its sheath I would not return it, till I had made all Mizraim desolate of inhabitants, beginning with yourself, and ending with Pharoh your lord, were it not against the will of my father. Or, has it not been heard by you, or not told you, what my two brothers Shimeon and Levi did, who went up against the town of Shekem, while they were dwelling in security, and killed every male by the edge of the sword, because they bad corrupted Dinah our sister, who has not been numbered in the tribes, nor has portion or inheritance with us in the dividing of the land? By how much more then (shall it be done) for Benjamin our brother, who is numbered with us among the tribes, and who has portion and inheritance with us in the dividing of the land? And in force is more unyielding than theirs, because I have become the sponsor for the youth at the hands of my father, saying, If I bring him not to you, and set him before you, I will be guilty with you and be removed from your salutation all the days. Have you not beard, or has it not been told you, that in the land of Kenaan we are kings and princes, as you are?

[19. When Joseph, the beloved and honorable, saw that the strength of Jehuda his brother bad risen up, and that the thoughts of his heart came forth, and that they rent their garments, in that hour beckoned Joseph to Menasheh his first-born, and stamped with his shoe; and all Joseph's palace trembled. In that hour Jehuda said, If it had not been on the side of the house of my father, it would not have been done so. Then began Jehuda to be milder in his words, and he said, My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father, or a brother ?]

And we told my lord, We have an aged father, and a son of his old age, a little one, whose brother is dead, and he only remains of his mother; and his father on that account loves him. And you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, and I will set mine eyes on him for good. [Jerusalem Mine eyes shall be gracious upon him.] But we told my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: for if he leave his father, he will die. Yet you said to your servants, If you bring not your youngest brother down, you shall not again see my face. And it was when we went up to your servant our father, we related to him my lord's words. And our father said to us, Return, and buy us a little corn. But we told him, We cannot go down if our youngest brother be not with us when we go down, for we shall not be able to see the man's face, unless our youngest brother be with us. And your servant our father said to us, You know that my wife bare me two sons. One went forth from me, and I said, Surely he is dead, and I have not beheld him since; and you will now take this other from before me; and if death happen to him, you will bring down mine age with mourning to the house of the grave. Therefore your servant became surety for the youth with my father, saying, If I restore him not to you, let me be guilty before my father all the days. And now let your servant remain, I beseech you, as the slave of my lord, instead of the young man; and let the young man go up with his brothers. For how can I go up to my father, and the young man be not with us lest I behold the evil that will strike my father through!

XLV. And Joseph could not endure not to (be able to) weep, on account of all who stood before him. And he said, Let every man go out from me: and no one stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

And he lifted up his voice with weeping; and the Mizraee heard, and a man of the house of Pharoh heard.

And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph ! Is my father yet alive?

But his brothers could not answer him a word; for they were troubled before him.

And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near, I pray, and examine me. And they came near. And he said to them, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Mizraim. Now, therefore, be not grieved, nor consider it a hard thing that you sold me hither; for the Lord sent me hither before you to preserve you. For these two years has the famine been in the midst of the land, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. But the Lord sent me before you to set you a remnant in the land, and to preserve you by a great deliverance.

And now, it was not you who sent me hither, but it was from before the Lord that the thing was occasioned, that He might set me for a prince unto Pharaoh, a chief over his house, and a ruler in all the land of Mizraim. Make haste, and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus says your son Joseph, The Lord has set me for a chief over all the Mizraee; come down to me, delay not, and you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and be near me, you, and your sons, and your sons' children, your sheep, your oxen, and all that you have. And I will sustain you there, for there are yet five years of famine, lest you and the men of your house, and all that you have be wasted away. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that my mouth speaks with you in the language of the house of holiness. And you must show my father all the honor I have in Mizraim, and all my greatness which you see, and hasten my father hither.

And he bowed himself upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; because it would be that the house of holiness should be built in the portion of Benjamin, and be twice destroyed: and Benjamin wept upon Joseph's neck, because he saw that the tabernacle of Shiloh would be in the portion of Joseph and be destroyed. And he kissed all his brethren, and wept over them, because he saw that the sons of his people would be brought into bondage. And afterward his brethren discoursed with him.

And a voice was heard in the royal house of Pharaoh, saying, The brothers of Joseph are come. And the thing was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants. And he said to Joseph, Tell your brethren, Do this. Lade your beasts, and go, carry into the land of Kenaan; and take your father and the men of your house, and come to me, and I will give you the best of what is desirable in the land of Mizraim, and you shall eat the fat of the land. And you Joseph shall appoint for the honor of your father: therefore tell your brethren, Do this. Take with you from the land of Mizraim wagons drawn by oxen, in which to carry your children and your wives, and bring your father, and come. And your eyes must not look wistfully on your utensils: for the best of what is desirable in all the land of Mizraim is yours.

And the sons of Israel did so. And Joseph gave them wagons according to the word of Pharaoh, and he furnished them with provision for the way. And to each of them he gave vestments and apparel; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver, and five vestments for apparel. And these presents he sent to his father; ten asses laden with wine and the good things of Mizraim, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread, and provisions for his father's journey. And he dismissed his brothers to go, and said to them, Do not contend about my having been sold, lest you quarrel in passing along the way.

And they went up from Mizraim, and came to the land of Kenaan unto Jakob their father. And they declared to him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and is ruler over all the land of Mizraim. But his heart was divided, because he did not believe them. [JERUSALEM. And his heart was divided.] And they told him all the words of Joseph which he had spoken to them. And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to bring him, the Spirit of Prophecy which had gone up from him at the time that Joseph was sold, returning, rested upon Jakob their father. And Israel said, Many benefits has the Lord wrought for me; He delivered me from the hand of Esau and from the hand of Laban, and from the hands of the Kenaanites who pursued me; and many consolations have I seen and have expected to see; but this I had not expected, that Joseph my son should yet be alive. I will go now, and behold him before I die. [JERUSALEM. And Israel said, Many benefits and consolations I had hoped to see; but this I had not expected, that, behold, Joseph my son should be yet alive. I will go and see him before I die.]

XLVI. And Israel journeyed with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Izhak. And the Lord spake to Israel in a prophecy of the night, and said, Jakob! and he said, Behold me. And He said, I am God, the God of your father; fear not to go down into Mizraim on account of the servitude I have decreed with Abraham: for a great people will I make you there. I am He who in My Word will go down with you into Mizraim; I will regard the affliction of your children, and My Word shall bring you up from thence, and cause your children to come up; but Joseph shall lay his hand upon your eyes.

And Jakob arose from Beer de Sheba; and the sons of Israel journeyed, with Jakob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharoh had sent to carry him. They took their possessions and the substance which they had gotten in the land of Kenaan, and came into Mizraim, Jakob and all his sons with him, his sons and his sons' children with him, his daughters, and the daughters of his sons; and all his seed came with him to Mizraim.

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Mizraim. Jakob and his sons. The firstborn of Jakob, Reuben. And the sons of Reuben, Hanok and Phallu Hetsron and Karmi. The sons of Shimeon, Jemuel and Jamin, Ochad, Jakin, Sochar and Shaul: he is Zimri, who made the work of the Kenaanites in Shittim. And the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kehath and Merari. The sons of Jehuda, Er, Onan, Shelah, Pherets, and Zarach. But Er and Onan died, on account of their evil work in the land of Kenaan; and Shelah and Zarach had no children in the land of Kenaan; but the sons of Pherets who went down to Mizraim were Hetsron and Chamul. The sons of Issakar, sages, and masters of reasoning, their names were Tola, Phua, Job, and Shimron The sons of Zebulon, merchants, masters of commerce nourishing their brethren, the sons of Issakar, and receiving a reward like theirs; and their names were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jakob in. Padan Aram, with Dinah his daughter; all the souls of his sons and his daughter; thirty and three. And the children of Gad, Sephon, Haggi, Suni Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. The children of Asher, Yimna, Yishvah, Yishvi, Beriah and Serach their sister, who was carried away while alive into the Garden (of Eden), because she had announced to Jakob that Joseph still lived. It was she who saved the inhabitants of (the city) Abel from the judgment of death, in the days of Joab. The sons of Beriah who went down into Mizraim were Heber and Malkiel. These are the children of Zilpha, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and she bare them to Jakob; sixteen souls. The sons of Rahel, wife of Jakob, Joseph and Benjamin. And to Joseph were born two sons in the land of Mizraim, whom Asenath the daughter of Dinah, educated in the house of Potiphera prince of Tanis, bare, Menasheh and Ephraim. The sons of Benjamin, ten; and their names, according to the interpretation of Joseph his brother: Bela, who was swallowed up from him; Beker, who was the chosen of his mother; Eshbal, who went into captivity; Gera, who became a sojourner in a foreign land; Naaman, who was pleasant and honorable; Achi, who had a (twin) brother, the son of his mother; Rosh, who was a chief in his father's house; Muppim, who was sold into Muph; Chuppim, because at the time that he was separated from him he was the son of eighteen years and was eligible for marriage (Chupha, thalamus nuptialis) ; and Ared, who descended into Mizraim. These are the children of Rahel who were born unto Jakob, all the souls fourteen. The sons of Dan, able men (or armed) and merchants, of whose numbers there is no end (or sum). And the sons of Naphtali, Jakzeel, Guni, Jetser, and Shillem. These are the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rahel his daughter; and she bare them unto Jakob, all the souls seven. All the souls which went into Mizraim with Jakob which had come forth from his thigh; besides the wives of Jakob's sons, all the souls were sixty and six. But the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Mizraim were two souls; and Joseph who was in Mizraim, and Jokebed the daughter of Levi, who was born among the hills in their journey to Mizraim, the sum of all the souls of the house of Jakob who came into Mizraim, seventy.

Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu

B’resheet (Gen.) 44:18 – 46:27

1. Then Judah came near unto him (Gen. 44:18). May it please our master to teach us: Which guarantor is responsible for the repayment of a loan? Thus do our masters teach us: R. Simeon the son of Nanos answered the query: Which guarantor is responsible for the repayment of a loan? It is the one who says: "Lend him the money and I will repay you." When he places it in the hand of the guarantor, he is the one who is liable. [I.e. The lender gave the money because of his confidence in the guarantor.]

Who was one such guarantor? Judah, for he said: Send the lad with me ... I will be surety for him (Gen. 43:8-9). And he (Jacob) said: "My son shall not go down with you ... if harm befall him by the way in which you go (ibid. 42:38). From this verse, you may conclude that Satan brings charges against one who embarks on a journey.

R. Yose the son of Hanina declared: We have learned that women die in childbirth because of three transgressions they commit. But why in childbirth? Because Satan always brings charges against a person in a time of danger. [Highway travel and pregnancy were both considered dangerous, and Satan brings charges against a person when he endangers his life. See Tan. Noah 1, M. Shabbat 2:6.]

Benjamin descended with his brothers. After they had purchased the corn, Joseph commanded his steward to insert the goblet in his sack. When they had gone but a short way, he sent after them, and he said to them: "How could you do this evil deed? Whoever is found to have my goblet in his possession must become my servant." When it was found in Benjamin's sack, each of them turned away. [I.e. They were not responsible because they had not guaranteed Benjamin's safety.] Who, alone, confronted Joseph? The guarantor: Then Judah came near.

2. Then Judah came near (Gen. 44:18). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: My son, if you are become a surety for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands for a stranger, you are snared by the word of your mouth (Prov. 6:11).

When the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to give the Torah to Israel, He asked: "Will you accept My Torah?" "Indeed," they replied. "Then give me a surety that you will fulfill it," He said. "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be our surety," they answered. Whereupon He responded: "Your patriarchs required guarantors for themselves, since Abraham said: Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? (Gen. 15:8); while Isaac loved the one I hated, as it is written: But Esau, I hate (Mal. 1:3); and Jacob declared: My way is hid from the Lord (Isa. 40:27)." "Then our children shall be our guarantors," they exclaimed. The Holy One, blessed be He, immediately accepted them as sureties and gave the Torah to Israel, as it is said: Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings have You found strength (Ps. 8:3). Therefore, whenever Israel neglects the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from the sureties, as is said: You have forgotten the law; I will also forget your children (Hos. 4:6).

What is meant by I will also? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I will also suffer because of them, for I shall be compelled to destroy those who will say each day: "Blessed be the Lord, Who is to be blessed forever and ever." Hence the verse states: If you are become a surety for your neighbor, you are snared, etc. (Prov. 6:1). So too Judah, because he became a surety for Benjamin; only he of all the brothers confronted Joseph, as Scripture says: Then Judah came near unto him.

3. Then Judah came near unto him. Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: The lion, which is the mightiest of beasts, turns not away for anyone (Prov. 30:30).

It happened that R. Hanina the son of Dosa, upon seeing a lion, shouted at it: "O weak king, did I not adjure you not to be seen in the land of Israel?" It fled immediately. Thereupon R. Hanina ran after it, shouting: "Forgive me for calling you weak when He who created you called you mighty," as is said: The lion, which is the mightiest among beasts (ibid.).

R. Joshua the son of Nehemiah posed the query: Who can prevail over an ox? Only a lion. Since Joseph was an ox, as it is said: His firstling bullock, majesty is his (Deut. 33:17), and Judah was a lion, as is said; Judah is a lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9), who confronted the ox? The lion, Judah, as it is said: Then Judah came near unto him.

R. Judah explained that whenever Judah's anger increased, two hairs would protrude from his heart, and pierce through his garments. When he wished to intensify his anger, he would place in his mouth a copper coin as large as a bean, which he always carried in his money purse, and would grind his teeth on it. Then his anger would become intense.

Observe how powerful Judah was: It is written concerning him: The wrath of a king is as messengers of death, but a wise man will pacify it (Prov. 16:14). The wrath of a king refers to Judah, and a wise man will pacify it alludes to Joseph, as is said: There are none so discreet and wise as you (Gen. 41:39). When Joseph realized that Judah's anger was mounting, he said: "Now Egypt will be destroyed."

R. Simeon the son of Lakish stated: To what may this situation be compared? To two who are wrestling. When one of them realizes that he is about to be defeated, he says to himself: "He is going to defeat me, and I will be disgraced in the sight of all." What does he do? He kisses his opponent's hand and the anger of the stronger wrestler is assuaged. Similarly, when Joseph saw that Judah's anger was mounting, he was afraid that he would be humiliated before the Egyptians, and so he called out immediately: I am Joseph, your brother (Gen. 45:4).

Then Judah came near unto him (Gen. 44:18). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: And the envy of Ephraim shall depart (Isa. 11:13). Concerning whom did Isaiah utter this verse? He said it with reference to Judah and Joseph.

R. Samuel the son of Nahman stated in the name of R. Jonathan that while Joseph and Judah were quarreling, the ministering angels called out: "Come, let us descend to Egypt and watch the ox and the lion attack each other." Normally, an ox fears a lion, but in this instance the ox and the lion confronted each other. Jealousy will exist between them until the Messiah comes. Therefore Scripture states: And the envy of Ephraim shall depart.

Wisdom is a stronghold to the wise more than ten rulers that are in a city (Eccles. 7:19). This verse refers to the wisdom of Joseph. In what way did Joseph reveal his wisdom? In that he did not desire to fight with his brother. In fact, when he beheld the ten powerful men standing before him, any one of whom could destroy ten cities, he was terrified. His wisdom alone saved him, as it is said: Wisdom is a stronghold to the wise.

What did Joseph do? First he stationed watchmen at each of the gates, as described in the portion At the end of two full years (Gen. 41:1). He then seized Simeon and bound him, for it was Simeon who had hurled him into the .pit. Furthermore, he wanted to separate him from Levi, lest they conspire together to kill him. Simeon cried out to his brothers: "You permitted this to happen to your brother Joseph, and now you are permitting the same thing to happen to me." "What can we do?" they asked, "Our people will die of hunger" (if we resist). "Do whatever you wish," he shouted, "but I challenge anyone to imprison me."

Then Joseph sent a message to Pharaoh, saying: "Send me seventy of your most powerful men, for I have apprehended some highwaymen, and wish to put them in chains." He sent them at once. Joseph's brothers understood what he intended to do. Joseph told the powerful men: "Carry this man into the prison, and bind his feet in chains." As they were approaching him, Simeon let forth a roar, and when they heard the sound, they fell to the ground, and their teeth were shattered: The lion roars, and the fierce lion howls—yet the teeth of the young lions are broken (Job 4:10).

Manasseh, Joseph's son, was sitting at his side at the time. His father turned to him and said: "Arise, you must do it." Manasseh arose at once, struck a single blow, dragged Simeon into prison, and put him in chains. Whereupon Simeon called out to his brothers: "Would you say this was the blow of an Egyptian? It is none other than the blow of one from our father's house." When Joseph's brothers saw that Manasseh was able to drag Simeon into prison and bind him with chains, they became terrified.

They returned to their father, and then brought Benjamin with them and stood him before Joseph. Joseph asked: "Is this your youngest brother, to whom you have referred?" They replied: "Yes." Joseph said to Benjamin: "Do you have children?" "Yes, I have ten," he answered. "What are their names?" asked Joseph. "Bela, Becher, Ashbel," etc. "Whoever heard of such names?" said Joseph. "I have called all of them by these names because of my brother, the son of my mother: Bela, because he was swallowed up (bala) among the gentiles; Becher, because he was a firstborn (bekhor); Ashbel, because he was taken captive (shevi); Gera, because he became a stranger (ger); Naaman, because he was gentle (na'im); Ehi, because he was my brother (ahi), my mother's son; Rosh, because he was my superior (rosh); Muppim, because he was exceedingly handsome and fair (meyupeh); Huppim, because he did not see my marriage canopy (hup-pah), and I did not see his; and Arad, because he went into exile while his countenance was still like a rose blossom (vered).

"From the day my brother Joseph disappeared, my father forsook his bed, and sat and slept only on the ground. Furthermore, whenever I saw my brothers sitting side by side, while I was forced to sit alone, my eyes welled up with tears." At that moment, Joseph's compassion toward him was stirred, as it is said: And Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned for his brother (Gen. 43:30). R. Nahman the son of Isaac explained: He then arranged a banquet for them at which he decided to have Benjamin sit at his side, but he did not know, at first, how to accomplish it. Whereupon, he took the goblet, struck it, and said to them: "I was of the opinion that Judah was the firstborn, since he was the first to speak, but now I discover that Reuben is the firstborn, and that Judah is simply a garrulous individual." And he sat Reuben at the head of the table. Then he took the goblet once again, struck it, and told Simeon: "Sit alongside of him, for you are the second son." He likewise seated Levi, Judah, and all the rest according to their ages. Then he took the goblet once again, struck it, and declared: "I have discovered through this cup that you are all the sons of one father, but that your father had a number of wives." He then told Dan and Naphtali to be seated according to their ages. At last, only Benjamin remained unseated. "I see that this one had a brother, from whom he is separated, and that he is an orphan (their mother, Rachel was already dead). I too had a brother from whom I am separated. He is an orphan, and I too am an orphan. Let him come and sit beside me." And he sat him at his side, as Scripture says: And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth (Gen. 43:33).

And portions were taken unto them from before him, but to Benjamin he also gave his portion (ibid., v. 34). At first Joseph gave each of them, including Benjamin, a single portion of food. Then he gave his own portion to him, and Asenath took his portion and gave it to Benjamin, and Ephraim and Manasseh likewise took their portions and gave them to Benjamin. That is how Benjamin obtained five portions in all, as is said: But Benjamin's portion was five times so much as any of theirs (ibid.).

5. Another comment on Then Judah drew near unto him. He came near him and said huskily; "Oh, my lord, do not transgress the laws of justice because of us. Let your servant, I pray, speak a word in my lord's ear" (Gen. 44:18). It would have been more fitting if he had said: "in the presence of my lord." Hence these words teach us that he spoke both harshly and gently.

"For you are even as Pharaoh (ibid.). Your master, Pharaoh, loved women and wanted to possess them, and so you longed to have Benjamin as your servant, when you saw how handsome he was. [Pharaoh is accused in Jewish tradition of sexual perversion. See Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews 2:103; Bereshit Rabbah 93:6. He implies that Joseph is like Pharaoh in that regard.]

Another comment on For you are even as Pharaoh. Just as you and Pharaoh are highly esteemed where you reside, so we are highly esteemed where we dwell.

My lord asked his servants (ibid., v. 19). That is, he said to him: "From the very outset you practiced subterfuge toward us. Men have come to Egypt from numerous provinces to purchase grain, but you did not ask them, 'Perhaps you have come to marry our daughters, or maybe you want to wed our sisters.' Nevertheless, we withheld nothing from you."

Joseph retorted. "Why do you speak in behalf of all your brothers? I have discovered through this cup that you do have older brothers, and that you are, indeed, a garrulous creature." Judah replied: "What you see is correct, but I am compelled to speak because I pledged myself as a surety for my brother." "Then why were you not surety for your brother when you sold him to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver, and why did you distress your father by telling him Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces (Gen. 37:33)? Joseph did you no evil, but this one sinned in stealing the goblet. Go tell your father: The rope has followed after the bucket." [That is, Benjamin suffered the same fate as Joseph.]

When Judah heard this he cried out bitterly in a loud voice: How shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? Lest I look upon the evil that shall come on my father (ibid. 44:34). Whereupon Joseph said: "Come, let us consider the matter between us. Tell me what you think and present your arguments."

Judah said forthwith to Naphtali: "Go and count the number of central markets in Egypt." He hurried away, and on his return informed Judah that there were twelve markets in Egypt. Judah told his brothers: "I will destroy three of them, and each of you will destroy another. Do not permit a single soul to survive." His brothers retorted: 'Judah, Egypt is not Shechem. If you were able to devastate Egypt, you would destroy the entire world by doing that." From that moment on Joseph was no longer able to restrain himself.

R. Samuel the son of Nahman remarked: Then Joseph placed himself in an extremely precarious position, for if his brothers had killed him, not a single person would have been aware of it. Why did he say: Cause every man to go out from me (Gen. 45:1)? Joseph had said to himself: "I would rather die than shame my brothers before the Egyptians."

Judah railed at Joseph: "You know that from the very beginning you brought false charges against us. First you said to us: You are spies. Then you charged: You have come to see the nakedness of the city. And finally you declared: "You have stolen my cup. I swear by the life of my righteous father, and you may swear by the life of the wicked Pharaoh, that if I should draw my sword from its sheath, I will fill Egypt with corpses." "Draw your sword from its sheath," Joseph retorted, "and I will wrap it around your neck." Judah replied: "If I but open my mouth I will consume you." And "If you open your mouth, I will stuff it with a stone," retorted Joseph. Then Judah asked Joseph: "What shall we tell our father?" "Tell your father, Joseph told him, "that the rope has followed the bucket."

Judah said to him: "You have judged falsely." And Joseph replied: "Did you not judge your brother falsely when you sold him?" Judah answered: "The fire of Shechem burns in my heart." And Joseph said: "I will extinguish the fire that burns within you for your daughter-in-law Tamar. "I am consumed by anger, and no one believes me," cried Judah. And Joseph retorted: "I will break your anger." "I shall go out," said Judah, "and dye the marketplaces of Egypt in blood." "All your life," replied Joseph, "you have been dying things in blood, even as you and your brothers dyed your brother's coat of many colors in blood and then told your father: Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces (ibid. 37:33)."

When Joseph realized that they had agreed to destroy Egypt, he said to himself: "It is better to make myself known to them than to risk the destruction of Egypt." And he said to them: "You said, did you not, that this one's brother is dead? The fact is that I have purchased him. I will summon him and he will come to you." He began to call out: 'Joseph son of Jacob, come to me, Joseph son of Jacob, come to me, and speak to your brothers who sold you." They stared into every corner of the house, until Joseph said to them: "Why do you look all around you? I am your brother Joseph." They all fainted at once, unable to reply.

R. Yohanan declared: Woe unto us on judgment day, woe unto us on the day of rebuke, for if Joseph could cause them to faint by saying "I am your brother Joseph," what will happen when the Holy One, blessed be He, arises to judge us, since it is written about Him: Who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when he appears? (Mal. 3:2), and For no man shall see Me and live (Exod. 3:20)? If a mere human could confound his brothers, how much more so will we be confounded when the Holy One, blessed be He, examines us concerning our arrogance toward the commandments and our transgressions of the Torah.

Then the Holy One, blessed be He, performed a miracle by restoring their souls to them. Joseph said: "Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks unto you (Gen. 45:12); for I am speaking to you in Hebrew." They would not believe him until he bared his body and showed them the sign of the covenant (i.e., his circumcision). Why was all that necessary? When he (was sold into slavery and) left them, he did not possess any signs of maturity but now he stood before them like a king, with the mark of maturity upon him (his beard).

When at last they recognized him, they sought to kill him. An angel descended and scattered them to the four corners of the room. At that moment, Judah screamed so loudly that all the walls of Egypt toppled, all the animals of Egypt gave birth prematurely, and Joseph and Pharaoh tumbled from their thrones. Their teeth fell out, and the heads of the powerful men standing at Joseph's side were reversed and remained so until their deaths, as it is said: The lion roars, and the fierce lion howls—and the teeth of the young lions are broken (Job 4:10). Hence Scripture says: The voice thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house (Gen. 45:16). The voice here refers to the voice of Judah, as it is said: Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah (Deut. 33:7).

When Joseph saw that they were extremely embarrassed, he said to them: Come near to me, I pray you (Gen. 45:4). As each one of them approached, he kissed him and wept with him, as is said: And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them (ibid., v. 15). Just as Joseph comforted his brothers while they were weeping, so the Holy One, blessed be He, will redeem Israel while she weeps, as it is said: They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble (Jeremiah 31:9).

Ashlamatah: Jeremiah 30:21 – 31:5 + 19

21 And their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me; for who is he that has pledged his heart to approach unto Me? says the LORD.

22 And you shall be My people, and I will be your God. {S}

23 Behold, a storm of the LORD is gone forth in fury, a sweeping storm; it shall whirl upon the head of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until He have executed, and till He have performed the purposes of His heart; in the end of days you shall consider it.

25 At that time, says the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people. {S}

1 Thus says the LORD: the people that were left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I go to cause him to rest.

2 'From afar the LORD appeared unto me.' 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with affection have I drawn you.

3 Again will I build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel; again shall you be adorned with thy tabrets, and shall go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

4 Again shall you plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall have the use thereof.

5 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim: arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto the LORD our God.' {P}

6 For thus says the LORD: sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout at the head of the nations; announce, praise, and say: 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.'

7 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travails with child together; a great company shall they return hither.

8 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born. {S}

9 Hear the word of the LORD, O you nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say: 'He that scattered Israel does gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.'

10 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and He redeems him from the hand of him that is stronger than he.

11 And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of the LORD, to the corn, and to the wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not pine any more at all.

12 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

13 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD. {S}

14 Thus says the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not. {S}

15 Thus says the LORD: Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

16 And there is hope for your future, says the LORD; and your children shall return to their own border. {S}

17 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: 'You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf untrained; turn You me, and I shall be turned, for You are the LORD my God.

18 Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.'

19 Is Ephraim a darling son unto Me? Is he a child that is dandled? For as often as I speak of him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart yearns for him, I will surely have compassion upon him, says the LORD. {S}

Ketubim Targum Psalm 37

1. Of David. Have no desire for malefactors, to be like them; and do not be jealous of those who commit oppression, to join with them.

2. Because their end will be like plants, quickly will they wither; and like the green grass they will fall away.

3. Trust in the word of the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and be strong in faithful obedience.

4. And you will delight in the Lord, and he will give you the requests of your heart.

5. Reveal to the Lord your ways, and trust in his word, and he will act.

6. And your righteousness/charity will come out like light, and your judgment like noonday.

7. Be quiet in the presence of the Lord and wait for him; do not desire the wicked man who prospers his way, the man who follows the counsel of sinners.

8. Wait without anger and forsake wrath; do not long indeed to do evil.

9. For those who do evil will be destroyed; but those who hope in the word of the Lord – they will inherit the land.

10. And yet a little while, and there is no wicked man; you will look carefully at his place, and he is not.

11. But the humble will inherit the land; and they will delight in the plenitude of peace.

12. The wicked man plots harm against the righteous/charitable man, and grinds his teeth against him.

13. The Lord will laugh at him, for he has seen, for the day of his ruin has come.

14. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bows to kill the humble and lowly, to slaughter the upright of way.

15. Their blade will enter their [own] heart, and their bows will break.

16. Better in the presence of the Lord is the smallness of the righteous/charitable man than the multitude of many wicked men.

17. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the word of the Lord supports the righteous/charitable.

18. The days of the blameless are known in the Lord’s presence, and their inheritance will last forever.

19. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they are satisfied.

20. For the wicked will perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of young sheep that at first are fattened but finally slaughtered – likewise the wicked will perish and be destroyed in the smoke of Gehenna.

21. The wicked borrows and does not repay; but the righteous/charitable is compassionate, and gives.

22. For those who are blessed by his word will inherit the land; but those who are cursed by death will be destroyed.

23. In the presence of the Lord the steps of a man are made firm, and he will favor his ways.

24. For when he falls into sickness, he will not die, because the Lord is the helper at his hand.

25. I was a boy, but have grown old; and I have not seen the righteous man abandoned or his sons seeking bread because of want.

26. For all the day he is compassionate and lends; and his seed is for a blessing.

27. Turn from evil, and practice kindness, and abide for eternal life. Another targum: Turn from doing evil, O righteous/charitable man, and do good; because of this you will abide forever.

28. For the Lord loves justice/charity and will not abandon his pious ones; they are protected forever; but the sons of the wicked will be destroyed.

29. The righteous/charitable will inherit the land, and will dwell on it forever.

30. The mouth of the righteous/charitable murmurs wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice/charity.

31. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not stumble.

32. The wicked man observes the righteous/charitable man and seeks to kill him.

33. The Lord will not abandon him into his hand, and will not find him guilty when he is judged. another targum: When he stands in judgment.

34. Hope in the word of the Lord, and keep his way, and he will raise you up to inherit the land; you will see the destruction of the wicked.

35. I have seen the wicked man, strong and mighty, like a native and leafy tree.

36. And he ceased from the world, and, behold, he is no more; and I sought him but he was not found.

37. Preserve blamelessness, and behold honesty; for the end of [such] a son of man is peace.

38. But rebels will be destroyed together; the end of the wicked is destruction.

39. But the redemption of the righteous/charitable is from the presence of the Lord, their strength in the time of trouble.

40. And the Lord helped them and saved them, he saved them from sinners; and he will redeem them, for they trusted in his word.

Ketubim Midrash Psalm 37

1. [A Psalm] of David. Fret not yourself because of evil-doers, neither be envious against the workers of iniquity (Ps. 37:1). These words are to be considered in the light of the verse Let not your heart envy sinners (Prov. 23:17). Of whom should you be envious? Only of those who have the fear of the Lord all the day (ibid.).

Do not envy the lamp of the wicked. It is nothing at all. How much oil is in it? An eighth, at most a fourth, of a log? But the lamp has no after-glow. When the oil is consumed, the lamp goes out at once, as it is said The evil man will have no future, the lamp of the wicked shall be put out (Prov. 24:20). Hence David said: Neither be envious against the workers of iniquity? Rather be envious of that lamp which will never go out, and whose light will never fail. What lamp is that? The one spoken of in the words The commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light (Prov. 6:23).

Therefore, in saying Be not the rival of sinners (Prov. 23:17a), the Holy One, blessed be He, meant: "Be My rival!" If it were not for such rivalry, the world could not endure, for no man would take a woman to wife, nor build a house. If Abraham had not sought to rival God, he would not have become possessor of heaven and earth. When did Abraham seek to rival God? When he asked Melchizedek: "On account of what righteous act did you and your kin come forth alive from the ark?" and Melchizedek answered: "Because of the alms which we gave in the ark." Abraham asked: "What occasion did you have for giving alms in the ark? Were there poor people there? Were not only Noah and his sons there? To whom did you give alms?" Melchizedek replied: "We gave alms to the cattle, to the beasts, and to the birds. We did not sleep because all night we were setting food before this one and before that one." Thereupon Abraham reflected: "Had they not given alms to the cattle, to the beasts, and to the birds, Noah and his sons would not have come forth alive from the ark; it was only because they gave alms that they came forth from it alive! Therefore, if I give alms to the sons of men, how much greater the deed!" At once Abraham planted an SL in Beer-sheba, that is, he gave food, drink, and escort to all the sons of men.

And so when Solomon said, Again, I considered all labor and all excelling in work, when it is merely man's rivalry with his neighbor, it is vanity and striving after wind (Eccles. 4:4), he meant Be not the rival of sinners.

2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb (Ps. 37:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to David: The wicked are nothing at all. Their hope is grass. Scripture says likewise, When the wicked spring up as the grass (Ps. 92:8)—that is, the wicked nourish like grass. In Job also, it is said The hope of the godless man shall perish . . . he is green before the sun (Job 8:13b, 16). Green for how long? As long as the summer sun does not come. When the summer sun comes, the grass withers, and is cut down like thorns. And whither go the thorns? Into the fire, for it is said As thorns cut down shall they be burnt in the fire (Isa. 33:12). Hence it is said The workers of iniquity . . . shall soon be cut down like the grass.

3. Trust in the Lord, and do good (Ps. 37:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to David: When you see that I do good to the wicked, let not your heart grieve. But go on doing good— that is, turn to the Lord, as is said "Return unto the Lord. Say unto Him, forgive all iniquity; accept that which is good" (Hos. 14:3). If I do good to the wicked who vex Me and profit Me not. if I do good to them, then for you who trusts in Me, who are diligent in the study of Torah, who does justice and righteousness/charity, as Scripture bears witness, David executed justice and righteousness/charity unto all his people (2 Sam. 8:15)—for you how much more and more shall I do if you continue to trust in Me. Hence it is said Trust in the Lord, and do good.

With whom may David be compared? With a laborer who worked all his days for the king. When the king did not give him his hire, the laborer was troubled and said: "Am I to go forth with nothing in my hands?" Then the king hired another laborer who worked for the king but one day, and the king laid meat before him, gave him drink, and paid him his hire in full. The laborer who had worked all his days for the king said: "Such reward for this one who did no more than work but one day for the king? For me who have been working for the king all the days of my life, how much more and more my reward!" The other laborer went away, and now the one who had been working all his days for the king was glad in his heart. So David said, You have put gladness in my heart, from the time their corn and their wine increased (Ps. 4:8). That is to say, when is there gladness in my heart? When I see what You have done for the wicked: their corn and their wine increased.

R. Eleazar said: From the prosperity of the wicked in this world, you can tell the reward of the righteous in the world-to-come. If so much for the wicked, how much more and more for the righteous! Hence it is written You have put gladness in my heart from the time their corn and their wine increased. Hence also Oh how abundant is Your goodness, which You have laid up for them that fear You (Ps. 31:20).

Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 6:5-6

5. At the appointed time you pray, do not raise your voice, and do not be like the mournful painted ones who love to pray the Amida with lofty words in the synagogue and in the corner of the courtyards so that men might hear them and praise them. Amen, I tell you, they have already received their reward.

6. But when you pray the Amida enwrap yourself in your Tallit (prayer closet), and when no one can see your face, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father who sees in secret, shall reward you openly.

Commentary

In this week’s Ashlamatah we find an interesting expression in Jeremiah 31:5. The first two clauses of this verse in the Hebrew reads: “KHI YESH-YOM – For there shall be a day” and “QAR’U NOTS’RIM B’HAR EFRAYIM - that the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim.” In most Bibles the Hebrew word “NOTS’RIM” is translated as “watchmen,” but this term can equally be translated as “Nazareans,” and thus read:

“For there shall be a day (season) that NAZAREANS shall call upon the mountain (government/kingdom) of Ephraim …”

Two questions thus arise. First: Who and what are the Nazareans? And, secondly: what is their mission as defined in this passage? In Biblical usage the Hebrew root verb “NATSAR” has the meaning of: to watch, guard, keep, preserve, guard from dangers, observe, guard with fidelity, and to keep secret. – in other words, the Biblical record indicates that the NOTS’RIM are those who keep, watch, observe and preserve the written and oral Torah. Interestingly the Latin version of the Bible translates the Hebrew word “NOTS’RIM” as “CUSTODES” and which rendered back to English has the meaning of “CUSTODIANS.” This meaning perfectly agrees with Psalm 25:10, which reads: “All the paths of Ha-Shem are loving kindness and truth to such as keep [‘natsar’] his covenant and his testimonies.”

The message that these NOTS’RIM take to the Ephraimites is: simply: “arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto Ha-Shem our G-d.” Now the word for “arise” in Hebrew is “QUM” which also means “stand up.” And thus a synonym for the Hebrew root verb “AMAD “ from where we get the Hebrew word AMIDA – the central prayer of the Jewish services which is said standing. The message thus of the Nazareans to humanity is “Let us help you to understand and faithfully recite the Amida and let us go to the Esnoga (Synagogue) to worship and learn from Ha-Shem our G-d!.”

A variant of this message is dealt with in the portion of the Midrash of Matityahu for this week:

The Psalmist this week also alludes to the Amida prayer when he states:

39 But the salvation of the righteous/just/charitable is of Ha-Shem; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

40 And Ha-Shem helps them, and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked (lawless), and saves them, because they have taken refuge in Him.

The Amida is the prayer par-excellance, whereby the person who recites it and meditates on it takes complete refuge in G-d. Therefore, the need to say the prayer whilst totally enwrapped in the Tallit and where the prayers are said in secret to G-d who dwells in secret.

This theme of secret reconciliation is also dealt with in our Torah Seder for this week. The first verses of Genesis, chapter 45, read:

1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.' And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

2 And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

3 And Joseph said unto his brethren: 'I am Joseph; does my father yet live?'

It is interesting, that we can read the last sentence of verse one as: “And there stood no Gentile man with him, while Mashiach ben Yosef made himself known unto his brethren.” Perhaps here is a message for those who want to convert Jews to a Gentile religion: Mashiach is within Torah for Torah and Mashiach and the Jewish Rabbis are one and in total agreement!

“What shall we then do?” – Towards a Nazarean Halakhic Code

Marqos 1:23-28

1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with you, you Yeshuah of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are, the Holy One of God.

1:25 And Yeshuah rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him.

1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

1:27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? What new teaching is this? for with authority he even commands the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

1:28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about the Galil.

On the last section we found that the people around the Galil were astonished at the profound and intimate knowledge of the Torah that the Master of Nazareth had, and how he presented himself as an expert authority in Torah matters. In this subsequent section we find the Master of Nazareth also presented as an expert mental healer, as well as the interdependence of Torah knowledge and obedience with general good mental health. Here, in this instance, a man suffering either from schizophrenia and/or multiple personality disorder attending a synagogue service, is disturbed with the presence of the Master of Nazareth (the physical embodiment of the Written and Oral Torah). This disturbance is apparently caused by the realization of the ill man that the Torah presented a formidable challenge against his mental illness. Therefore the exclamation: “Have you come to destroy us?”

The acute awareness and perception of the mentally ill man is remarkable, but what is even more remarkable is that the Master of Nazareth has no room for “personal confessions of faith,” for faith expressed in words without deeds in conformance with the Torah are totally useless, and the Master of Nazareth has no use for such nuisance. What the Master demands is faithful obedience to Torah, and not just embellished expressions of faith. As the Master’s brother, Hakham Ya’aqov Ha-Tsadiq (James the Just) put it:

22 But be doers of the Torah [obey the oral message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

23 For if anyone only listens to the Torah without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;

24 For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

25 But he who looks carefully into the faultless Torah, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys it], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience). [James 1:22-25]

Attending to Synagogue services is indeed a great Mitzvah (commandment) but even far greater Mitzvah is studying Torah and being careful to be obedient to Torah in a generous and noble spirit.

Now the question must be asked if it takes a very special and unique person to have command over mental illnesses and cure those being affected by it, or if this gift is accessible to all who comply with certain prerequisites. Many believe that only a supernatural being can do such thing, others believe that it is a matter of how much faith a person has, yet the naked reality is that all who diligently study Torah and put it into practice given the right opportunity and circumstance they too can heal persons afflicted with mental problems.

Here also in this passage of Marqos there is a hint at the sad reality that unless a person who fills his mind with Torah to such an extent that his life, passions and feelings are totally under the dominion of the Torah (both Written and Oral), such person is opening him/herself to become a candidate for suffering some form of mental pathology and/or mental impairedness. This passage thus posits the idea that perfect mental health can only be found in the midst of Torah which is continually studied, embodied, and practiced.

Thus, from this passage of Maqos we learn:

That all men are under the obligation to retain the knowledge of G-d and Torah in their mind, and practice what is learned faithfully in order to preserve a healthy mind. Otherwise as Hakham Shaul has taught: “And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge G-d or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, G-d gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome,” (Romans 1:28).

Study and practice of Torah is not an option for humanity but a command and necessity to make the human mind function at its optimum level and capabilities as Hakham Shaul counsels: “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude derived from the faithful study and practice of Torah], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of G-d, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]” (Romans 12:2).

That every human being is responsible before his/her Creator, most blessed be He for what he/she allows to dwell in his/her mind, as is stated: “So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Master [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds. Their amoral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the lack of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]” (Ephesians 4:17-18).

That Torah is all comprehensive dealing with all aspects of human behavior, learning, aspirations, and endeavors. Knowledge of Torah, therefore comprehends also the knowledge of the various scientific disciplines and arts. Torah is not just a religious belief or persuasion, but rather a comprehensive way of life, learning and practice. Torah devoid of mathematics, anatomy, astronomy, law, psychology, physics, chemistry, law, education, etc. is a defective one, for Torah comprehends all of science, and the arts as well as law and human behavior. Thus we find today, that most of what we call scientific advances were already proposed or stated by our Torah Sages many centuries ago. Thus legitimate science or the art can’t be devoid from Torah nor can Torah be emptied from the sciences and the arts, as Hakham Ya’aqov HaTsadiq has stated: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

That the best form of therapies for mental ailments are those in which both Torah and science are integral parts of the therapeutic process. To do otherwise is to exchange one form of madness for another, as it is written: “You must walk in all the ways which Ha-Shem your G-d has commanded you, that you may live and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land which you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33).

Shabbat:	Torah Reading:	Weekday Torah Reading:
ויגש
“Vayigash”	Reader 1 – B’resheet 44:18-23	Reader 1 – B’resheet 46:28-30
“And came”	Reader 2 – B’resheet 44:24-30	Reader 2 – B’resheet 46:31-33
“Y vino”	Reader 3 – B’resheet 44:31-34	Reader 3 – B’resheet 46:30-34
B’resheet (Genesis) 44:18 – 46:27	Reader 4 – B’resheet 45:1-3
Jeremiah 30:21 – 31:5 + 19	Reader 5 – B’resheet 45:4-7
	Reader 6 – B’resheet 45:8-13	Reader 1 – B’resheet 47:1-4
Psalm 37	Reader 7 – B’resheet 45:14-18	Reader 2 – B’resheet 47:5-7
	Maftir – B’resheet 45:16-18	Reader 3 – B’resheet 47:8-10
N.C.: Matityahu 6:5-6	Jeremiah 30:21 – 31:5 + 19