Parshas Mikeitz continues the narrative of Joseph in Egypt. We pick up his story two years after his failed attempt at earning a reprieve via his cellmate, Pharaoh’s butler, who was about to be reinstated to his post as Pharaoh’s side. Joseph is languishing in a dungeon for a crime he did not commit; after being sold to a foreign land as a slave by his own brothers. By the end of the Parsha, Joseph is firmly ensconced as Pharaoh’s viceroy, and is amidst a long back and forth with his brothers who are in town to procure provisions during a fierce famine.

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Our Parsha contains the first act of several interconnected stories: Joseph had dreams of grandeur (literally) and he was placed on a path towards actualizing them. But his story in the Parsha is a series of setbacks that only later on result in him assuming the throne. Judah also has the beginning of a momentous accomplishment: he becomes the father of the forbearer of Messiah this week. But that is not quite known until much later. As leader of the fledgling family of tribes, Jacob is set on a path towards his descendants burgeoning into a great nation. None of these protagonists can achieve their spiritual destiny and apotheosis unless they first hit a spiritual nadir. The lessons for us are powerful and germane.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in honor of a young birthday boy: Eitan Pinchas Sendowski the son of our dear friends Alon and Natalie turned 2 this week. Happy birthday young man! May young Eitan live till 120 and grow and mature into a special person and a special Jew who brings joy to his parents, his community, and his Creator!

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One of the most shocking events in the whole Torah occurs in our Parsha: Joseph's brothers sell him as a slave to a caravan of traveling Ishmaelites. Two of his brothers helped ensure that he wasn't killed. Reuben argued that he should be cast into a pit and not to slaughtered outright, and Judah urged them to sell him as a slave and not allow him to languish in the waterless pit. Why did Reuben and Judah, out of all the brothers, stand up to save Joseph? When we examine the sources, we make some interesting discoveries.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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Not all twins are identical in every way. Jacob and Esau were as different from each other as two humans can possibly get. When Rebecca got wind of Esau's plans to murder Jacob, she sent them away. After being apart from his twin for more than 30 years, Jacob and Esau had a fateful reunion. Jacob had a dilemma: what to do with his very desirable daughter Dina? He was worried that Esau would lay his eyes on her and take her for a wife. Jacob was not interested in being Esau's father-in-law and having his daughter be taken by this monster, so he made a decision. This in this podcast we explore Jacob's dilemma and his decision and the many cascading consequences thereof.

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Parshas Vayeishev contains two intersecting, seemingly scandalous, storylines, that after all the dust has settled we can see are harbingers of the Messiah and Redemption: Joseph is hated by his brothers, and is eventually sold by them as a slave after they nearly killed him. By Parsha end, Joseph is languishing in an Egyptian prison after being falsely accused of attempted rape. Judah is also humbled in this week’s Parsha, after cohabiting with his daughter in law who masqueraded as a prostitute. In the moment, these scandals brought shame; but ultimately we can see the Divine Hand manipulating events to effectuate the salvation of the Jewish family and people.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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Jacob lived a rough life. He perennially had to contend with hostile forces. He was paired with an evil twin Esau who wanted to kill him. He was compelled to flee his vengeful brother and was forced to contend with the wiliest fraudster of them all, his father-in-law two times over Laban. In our Parsha Jacob is heading back to encounter Esau who is still bursting with murderous rage. Along the way, the Torah recounts for us many narratives and storylines of these terrible people. In this very special podcast, we learn how studying these problematic personalities can be quite valuable and instructive for us. After a long and torturous semester in Laban Academy it is time for a semester in Esau Academy. Sharpen your pencils.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in loving memory and leilui nishmas Aharon Ben Yosef who was the father of our dear friend Josh Hedaya. Aharon Ben Yosef’s yahrzeit is the 11th of Kislev, the day that this episode will be released. May his soul be elevated in heaven.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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The story of the Forefathers is well known. The Fouruncles, less so. Intertwined in the story of our nation's progenitors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Genesis, is the story of our nation's uncles, namely Lot, Ishmael, Laban, and Esau. These Fouruncles capture a large share of the narrative of Genesis. Why does the Torah expend so much attention to the Fouruncles? What is the avuncular message that we can draw from the repeated run-ins that the Forefathers have with the Fouruncles? In this interesting episode, we both invent a new word (Fouruncles) and discover a pattern that accompanied our Forefathers' ascent to greatness, one that can be hugely beneficial for us too in our pursuit of greatness.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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What is your elevator pitch for the existence of God? That is a question that was posed to dozens of successful and accomplished people. They were asked to write a short, concise, elevator-trip-length essays on why they believed. These essays were compiled into a wonderful book titled "Elevator pitches for God." The creators of this project, Ron Kardos and Bruce Licht, are dear friends of mine and they asked me to write my elevator pitch too. Authors were asked to limit their essays to a single page of text or fewer than 500 words to be able to be conveyed in an elevator ride, but I was asked to write the elevator pitch for a malfunctioning elevator. If you are in the elevator that breaks down and you're going to be there for a while and you want to strike up a conversation with your fellow travelers about God, you may have some more time than a typical elevator ride. In this podcast, I share my essay on this very crucial topic.

I would highly recommend that you got a copy of this book for yourself . Until the end of the year 2024, this book is 45% off on Amazon at this LINK with the promo code "torchdeal". This is the deal of a lifetime that will provide you with a torch illuminating your path to Faith and to God.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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After successfully escaping the clutches of his deceptive father in law, Laban, Jacob heads back west to the Land of Canaan, and back to his family. The journey back home was a lot more tumultuous and chaotic than anticipated.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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On the way to Charan Jacob stopped at Mount Moriah. He spent the night there and the Torah documents his very fateful dream: he saw a ladder suspended between heaven and Earth, upon which Angels of God were ascending and descending. The commentaries offer multitudes of interpretations as to the symbolism and meaning behind this ladder. In this very special and unique Parsha podcast we briefly survey some of the interpretations, and then delve deeply into two most interesting and arcane interpretations of this ladder. We discover how on one dimension, this ladder descends from Heaven to Earth, and on another dimension it is our means of ascent from Earth to Heaven on high. This is not a podcast you will easily forget!

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in loving memory of Marvin Bentley, the brother of our friend Barb Pudlo, who passed away today. May his soul be elevated in heaven.

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DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

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TORAH 101