The parasha this week features huge dramatic motion and emotion – Joseph, favored by his father Jacob, dreams of ruling over his brothers, who sell him into slavery in Egypt. This was terrible, but not as bad as their earlier intent to kill him! Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute in order to conceive a child with her father-in-law, Judah. This sounds terrible, but in context of the rest of that story, she is the heroine. In Egypt, the wife of Joseph’s owner tries to seduce Joseph, and when he rejects her, she accuses him of trying to rape her and has him sent to prison. This too is terrible, but in the end, Joseph will say that everything that happened was part of God’s plan to place him in the position where he was able to save the people from famine.
Our Judaism undoubtedly teaches responsibility for our actions. But this thread of our story places in front of us questions about causality, as well as about the possibility of teshuvah, forgiveness, and our ability to change the course of our lives even when we are in dire straits. This parasha in particular teaches us to read for nuance and to allow the text to ask us questions.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller
Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) Torah Reading Dec. 13, 2025: The Power of Perspective
December 11, 2025 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah
The parasha this week features huge dramatic motion and emotion – Joseph, favored by his father Jacob, dreams of ruling over his brothers, who sell him into slavery in Egypt. This was terrible, but not as bad as their earlier intent to kill him! Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute in order to conceive a child with her father-in-law, Judah. This sounds terrible, but in context of the rest of that story, she is the heroine. In Egypt, the wife of Joseph’s owner tries to seduce Joseph, and when he rejects her, she accuses him of trying to rape her and has him sent to prison. This too is terrible, but in the end, Joseph will say that everything that happened was part of God’s plan to place him in the position where he was able to save the people from famine.
Our Judaism undoubtedly teaches responsibility for our actions. But this thread of our story places in front of us questions about causality, as well as about the possibility of teshuvah, forgiveness, and our ability to change the course of our lives even when we are in dire straits. This parasha in particular teaches us to read for nuance and to allow the text to ask us questions.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller