And He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make you there into a great nation. I Myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I Myself will bring you back, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
When I first began studying [...]
I’d like to apologize to our readers for my lack of commitment to Radical Torah as of late. There are a few factors which have contributed to this scenario, primarily business: I have been busy with paying work and I have been busy with other Matzat-related projects. (Matzat is my non-profit startup, which [...]
Late in this week’s portion, Mikets, there is an intriguing conversation between Joseph — by now, in command of Egypt’s storehouses, and second only to Pharaoh in the power structure of the land — and his brothers.
The first time the brothers visit Egypt in search of food, Joseph gives a secret order that their money-bags [...]
This week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev, begins the “Joseph novella” — the surprisingly lengthy story of Joseph, which sets in motion the Israelites’ presence in Egypt, which in turn is a precursor to the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt. It’s a beautifully cylical story; just like the Israelite people, Joseph has to go down in order to [...]
Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn [...]