Portion Me Kaytz - a Day After Prison

 

What does a prisoner do the day after he gets out? Especially if he has NOTHING.

 

There was a Jewish guy I knew, who I didn't much like. He was in prison (wrongly) for 4 years fighting with his ex to visit his Down syndrome daughter

(The wife and daughter are both dead now these many years).

He  got out just before Rosh Hashono.

We hung out a bit and he introduced me to some of his friends. One had a shoe store.

He asked the shoe-man for a pair of shoes for Rosh Hashono.

The guy said no!

So I bought him a pair of new shoes.

 

In our portion, there is Joseph, pampered son of rich man Jacob,

still in prison

as world-shaking events are happening

( all around the Great Empire Of Egypt)

 !

And history Always Points to what is happening to the Israelites in Canaan- Israel -

a tiny place with irrelevant tribes-

That the obtuse world is STILL fighting over

Rather than see

The Final Dawn of All Humanity

Where each Tribe contributes to a holy humanity helping each other

 

 (Note – yesterday's Israel news featured

 Israel bringing clean water to scattered places in India

The whole story in this portion also brings out a basis for some 3200-year-old Jewish customs.

Question 1: Did the family mourn Joseph, and how did Jacob react to his son being missing?

: What did "Joseph in prison" view as his lifestyle Personal Challenges? Did he live any differently from before? And

How is it that the the whole story ended up as a musical on Broadway (Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat)? It may be useful to re-read the portion in the Bible this week!

The following is a part of a teaching from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (of blessed memory)– I saw today Via his student Rabbi Sholom Brodt (also sadly ob"m) - and

Thank you Yeshiva Simchat Shlomo that Rav Sholom started in Jerusalem (for sending it out)

"Reb Nachman says something so strong which is based on the Zohar HaKadosh(Likutei Moharan 2, Torah63) –that Jacob/Yaakov Avinu told his sons, "When you go down to … (Egypt), you have to sing (to the cruel leader) … a song… from the Holy Land… After all this, how can he be so cruel to you?

Can you imagine the way the holy tribes (12 brothers) were singing, the way they were harmonizing? …Now listen to this, (Joseph) has not heard his brothers singing … the longest time … At that moment he decided,…" I have to tell them who I am."

… us Yiddelach What do we do when it is dark? We look for somebody else.

, You know what the holiest thing is before Mashiach comes? It's a little bit dark , but suddenly we are aware - who knows? Maybe somebody else is in even more darkness

Reb Shlomo ended saying "Anyways, I just want to wish all of you that whenever you're living in a little bit of darkness, there should always be someone sitting next to you, singing a holy … niggun - a melody out of darkness. Good Shabbos"

What could be more dark than Corona-Times? We need to sing to each other … be there for each other!!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Andy Eichenholz