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SURVIVAL IN THE WILD

As we read this week’s Parsha, Vayigash, the incredible righteousness of Yosef is revealed. To appreciate the depth of his character let us spend a paragraph reviewing what transpired so that we can appreciate Yosef’s reaction.

Yaakov showed favoritism to Yosef by choosing him from the other sons in grooming him to be the leader. As a result, his brothers harbored a deep hatred and jealousy for him. This jealousy moved them to convict Yosef to be sold into eternal slavery. Once a person was enslaved in Egypt there was never a hope of being freed.

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THE CLOUD

In this week’s Parsha, Vayigash, Yaakov and his family make their fateful move to Egypt to be with Yosef because of the famine that ravaged the land of Israel. It was fateful on account that this would be the beginning of a 210 year exile which would include over 80 years of bitter enslavement and would conclude with the Exodus. Before the making this move Yaakov sent his son, Yehudah, to establish an academy of Torah study so that when the family would arrive the Yeshiva would already be set up.