The Book of Exodus begins with the statement that there was a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. Basically, he was denying Egyptian history. This is what those who wish to do evil do. They deny their own history when it does not suit their plans.

As we begin the Book of Exodus, we meet an anti-Semite with power. He believes that the Jews are powerful and will take over Egypt. That there is no evidence of this doesn't matter to him.

David stresses to his son, Solomon, that leadership is not a right, it is a duty. That a leader has to set a moral example for the nation.

Ephriam and Menashe were the first Jews who grew up in the Exile and had to deal with the Egyptian culture. Joseph made sure that they had a solid Jewish education and for that reason they were considered special.

One of the interesting things to remember is that leadership in the Bible does not necessarily go to the first born. Yehuda is the 4th son, yet he is the leader of the brothers. This is a theme in the Bible; it is stressing that leadership has to be earned.

Today is the anniversary of when the Babylonians laid siege on Jerusalem, meaning the beginning of the end of the First Temple. We are reminded that this happened because we did not treat each other morally or ethically.

George Washington was inaugurated in New York on a opened to Genesis 49. When Jacob blessed his sons. His idea was, just as Jacob had 12 sons, each with his unique attribute, so too, there were 13 states. each with its own unique attributes.

The story of Chanukah is that the Jews refused to be "modern". They obeyed God's commandments. They view all people as being in the image of God. The Greeks loved beauty and hated disabled people. This is the reason that Jews were against Greek culture.

The Torah informs us that Joseph's goal was to see if his brothers would behave toward Benjamin the way they behaved toward him. When he saw that they would not he revealed himself to them.

In this week's Torah portion Joseph is raised from the prison to be the viceroy of Egypt. At no time does he deny is Judaism. That is the lesson that we should be proud of our heritage.