The portion hints at the love of a parent by pointing out that Jacob only truly lived the 34 years he was with Joseph. 17 before Joseph was sold into slavery and the 17 years Jacob lived in Egypt.

Jacob makes a special effort to bless Joseph's sons because they were born and raised in the capital of Egypt. Joseph was able to raise them so that they were not influenced by Egyptian culture.

Jacob blesses Ephriam over Menashe, even though Menashe is the oldest. This is to teach that leadership is earned, not given, Just because one is the son of a leader, does not mean that they will inherit the leadership. They have to earn it.

When the family arrives in Egypt Joseph has them settle in Goshen, away from the center of Egyptian society. He does this so that they can build a Jewish society without the Egyptian culture affecting them.

Greek culture regarded beauty above all, regardless of behavior. The torah emphasized moral and ethical behavior about all else. It is not surprising that the two would eventually clash.

Halel is a prayer that we recite on days that we acknowledge God's help. We say it on Hanukah, Israel Independence Day and Jerusalem but on Purim. The reason is that at the end of the story of Purim our status did not change, we simply survived. On the other days our status changed.

We usually overlook the things that are done routinely. The truth is that is what is most important. The routine should be viewed as special. Without the routine we could not live a normal life.

We see that Judah becomes the leader of the family, not Joseph. This is why the royal line of David is through Judah. Joseph was the leader of Egypt, but as we know that did not last long.

When Joseph decrees that Benjamin to remain in Egypt as a slave, Judah challenges his decree. This was a major event. But it shows that we have to stand for our rights, no one else will if we don't.

The commandment to light the Hanukah candles is very strong. We have to make sure that our Hanukkiah are visible to all. The reason is that we have to acknowledge the miracle. To show gratitude to God for His help.