מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּת הַבַּיִת לְדָוִֽד׃ “A Song for the Dedication of the House, for David.” This verse serves as the superscription to Psalm 30, a psalm which features prominently in our liturgy, appearing every day of the year in Shaharit, though that inclusion traces back only to the 17th century. Much older is the association of…
Category: Mikeitz
Evading Killing Curses and Accepting Responsibility. Mikketz and Hanukkah 5778
Parashat Mikketz ends with Joseph’s elaborate ruse to test his half-brothers and see if they will betray Benjamin just as they had betrayed him. He plants his silver divination goblet in Benjamin’s saddle bags, as well as the silver payment in all of their bags, just as he had done the first time. Haven’t the…
Joseph for Israel, Joseph for All: Mikketz/Hanukkah
Who is Joseph deep within? As the Hebrew youth rises from enslavement to privilege, from refugee status to rulership, what remains of his core identity? This question is central to the story of Joseph’s life, and is also tied to the festival of Hanukkah, with which Parashat Mikketz is always associated. The Hanukkah story begins with…
The Light of Compassion Shines from Within: Shabbat Hanukkah 5775
Around JTS when we cite Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, we refer to the great twentieth century theologian who fled Europe during the Holocaust and spent his final decades teaching Torah at JTS, writing a remarkable series of books that continue to inspire a diverse array of Jewish and Christian thinkers, and practicing social justice activism…
Taking Control of our own Destiny: Mikketz/Hanukah 5774
Each year we eavesdrop on Joseph as he eavesdrops on his clueless brothers. He has placed a “melitz” or interpreter between them in order to extend the ruse that he is a foreign potentate rather than their brother. And so he learns that Reuben tried to rescue him from the pit. This is presumably why…
Rabbi Danny Nevins 