My Weekly Drash (a mini d'var Torah) -- Miketz (3)
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel on December 17, 2009 | Tags: Miketz
As Joseph plays out his elaborate ruse with his brothers, there's a moment where he has something else on his mind. In Parshah Mi-Ketz we read, "He greeted them, and he said, 'How is your aged father of whom you spoke? Is he still in good health?'" (Gen 43:27). The rabbis see this as an example of performing a mitzvah, since it is only by finding if someone is in ill health that we are then able to respond by visiting and comforting them. Ignorance is not bliss. However in terms of the story it is a revealing moment though the brothers don't know it. Why should this important Egyptian official inquire after some old man he's never met? Quite simply, it's because while he has ensured that people will eat during the years of famine, Joseph is starved for news of his family. If you've haven't spoken to parents and/or kids recently, here's a good excuse to do so.
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Daniel M. KimmelJoined: October 2, 2007 Daniel M. Kimmel is a Boston area film critic, lecturer and author. He does these weekly mini-lessons for the Mishkan Tefila Brotherhood's newsletter. You are free to use them for similar purposes. Divrei Torah (117) |
