Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 27 Kislev, 5784
Parsha Mikketz (Genesis 41:1 -44:17)
First Portion: Genesis 41:1 – 41:14

Good morning! It is a new week with a new Parsha!  Today we begin “Mikketz” which means “At the end.” In context – let’s look at the Parsha’s recently:

We went from: Descendants (Toledot) to And He Departed (Va-Yetze) to And He Sent (Va-Yishlah) to And He Settled (Va-Yeshev).

We’ve been on quite the spiritual journey, haven’t we? If we have been engaged with the Torah for the past few weeks, we are likely descending towards growth and change.  We had to leave our comfort zone and depart.  We had to be sent (or send away) that which was keeping us stuck, and then we had to settle in a new place.  This shift is now coming to an end (in my opinion).

This week’s portion connects us the “the end.” This can have MANY different meanings for us:

• The end of the descending and hitting the bottom of the check mark – and we are about to jump higher.
• The end of something that was keeping us stuck, that we have grieved and are now ready to shift forward on
• The end of our spiritual freedom for a while – heading into a place of slavery in Egypt
  • Where we can trust we will be freed

My guess? How we entered Toledot? Is likely where we will find ourselves this week:

• If we were feeling good back in Toledot (which we read November 12, 2024 this year) we likely have had a rough month and it’s coming to an end (hopefully).
• If we were stuck back in Toledot – we are coming to the end of feeling stuck
• If we were feeling free – and missing something we need to learn that was subconsciously causing us to stop growing? We are likely coming to the end of that freedom and will come face to face with a lesson we need to learn moving forward.

Regardless.  Change is coming.  This week we read “At the end.”

And – if that weren’t enough? This week also ends Kislev. And it ends Hanukkah.

So we have a TON of endings this week.

With this in our minds and hearts, let’s dig into today’s portion:

1It came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.

2And behold, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, of handsome appearance and robust flesh, and they pastured in the marshland.

3And behold, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, of ugly appearance and lean of flesh, and they stood beside the cows [which were] on the Nile bank.

4And the cows of ugly appearance and lean of flesh devoured the seven cows that were of handsome appearance and healthy; then Pharaoh awoke.

5And he fell asleep and dreamed again, and behold, seven ears of grain were growing on one stalk, healthy and good.

6And behold, seven ears of grain, thin and beaten by the east wind, were growing up after them.

7And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears of grain; then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, a dream.

Two years passed since the cupbearer and baker incident. The cupbearer forgot his promise. Joseph served two more years. But the end was coming for Joseph’s imprisonment.

And. The beginning of our slavery in Egypt was just beginning.

And. The ending of our slavery in Egypt through Moses was just beginning.

Every ending is a beginning. We need to remember this. Our lives are not constant – nor stable. They are always in motion.

So what does Pharaoh do?

8Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called all the necromancers of Egypt and all its sages, and Pharaoh related to them his dream, but no one interpreted them for Pharaoh.

He wants an interpretation. But nothing suffices.  Then – finally, the cupbearer ends his forgetfulness:

9Now the chief cupbearer spoke with Pharaoh, saying, “I call to mind my faults today.

10Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me in prison, in the house of the chief slaughterer, me and the chief baker.

11And we dreamed a dream on the same night, I and he; each one according to the interpretation of his dream, we dreamed.

12And there with us was a Hebrew lad, a slave of the chief slaughterer, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; [for] each [of us], he interpreted according to his dream.

13And it came to pass that just as he had interpreted, so it was; me he restored to my position, and him he hanged.”

The end is near for Joseph. And. Let’s be real. In this moment – we can’t be sure Joseph will interpret in a way Pharoah will appreciate. Joseph may (will likely) give Pharaoh an ACCURATE interpretation of the dream – but how will Pharoah RECEIVE it? Pharoah could hear it and get angry and put Joseph to death for all we know (spoiler alert: that’s not what happens).  But either way – Joseph is not likely headed back to prison after facing Pharoah.  This is a crucial crossroads. The portion ends:

14So Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they rushed him from the dungeon, and he shaved and changed his clothes, and he [then] came to Pharaoh.

Joseph got himself ready for Pharaoh.  And we are left with a cliffhanger on this third day of Hanukkah!

What is our takeaway?

For me? It’s self-assessment.  Where are we? Where am I spiritually? Am I moving towards the end of my descending and heading towards a shift of abundance? Or am I in abundance heading towards the end and will begin my descending? Or is it both/and? Are there areas of my life that are going in different directions? These are the self reflecting questions I journal and consider for myself.

How about you?

Here are my thoughts from the last two years:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 24 Kislev, 5783

Happy Hanukkah! Tonight at sundown starts the Festival of Lights! As we start this journey in the Torah towards the enslavement in Egypt, it is interesting that it is juxtaposed with the light of the miracle of Hanukkah!

Tonight at 6pm, Oneonta has a lighting of the giant menorah in Meuller Plaza! Hope to see you there!

Today’s thoughts for this new Parsha which means “at the end” we have to remember every end is a beginning. We are in a great time of transition as a collective right now. Things are shifting and changing all around us. There are endings and new beginnings. Where are you? What are the things we need to let go of in order to turn the page and begin a new?

That is our message for Hanukkah! That is the light! Like Joseph; who spent years in Prison, the end of that was a new chapter of wealth and abundance in Egypt. And. That chapter was the beginning of the slavery of the Jewish people. So we need to trust whatever is happening in our lives is for our good.

Those are my thoughts today! What are yours?

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Kislev 24, 5782

Hanukkah starts at sundown tonight, so I want to begin with wishing everyone who celebrates a Happy Hanukkah!

This week’s Torah portion is “Mikketz” (meaning ‘at the end’) which tells the story of our enslavement in Egypt.

From the Torah I am reading;

“The idea is beyond physical, however; Spiritually speaking, “enslavement” is the complete identification of ego with the physical world; a loss of your (our) connection with the limitless!”

Yesterday we left off with Joseph in prison two additional years because he did not trust Hashem.

At the end of two years, Pharoah had a dream. It really concerned him.

Rabbi Moses Alshekh writes “Pharaoh’s dream is the beginning of the story of Egyptian exile. The dream predicted a famine which eventually caused Jacob and his family to settle in Egypt, where, a generation later. They were enslaved.

Pharaoh then had a second dream. He required an interpretation.

He sent for all his sorcerers and sages – none gave him a good interpretation. Then, Pharaohs cupbearer FINALLY remembered Joseph. He shared his story about what Joseph did while in prison. Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

Joseph cut his hair to make himself presentable for the King.

I reflect on this portion and can see how Joseph really struggles and went down to a very low point in his life. Judaism talks a lot about “going down, in order to go up.” The sages taught “life is like a turning wheel” when a point on the wheel reaches the lowest degree, it is bound to turn upwards again.

Where are you (we) at on our wheel? Can we trust the turning?

What are your thoughts going into tonight’s “festival of lights?” Are we living in darkness and needing to shine our light? What do you think?