וַיֵּרְד֥וּ אֲחֵֽי־יוֹסֵ֖ף עֲשָׂרָ֑ה לִשְׁבֹּ֥ר בָּ֖ר מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
     Ten of Joseph's brothers went down to Egypt to get rations of grain. 
                                                           Genesis 42:3

In this week's Torah Portion, Miketz, all the drama and music in Andrew Lloyd Weber's 'Joseph & His Amazing Technocolour Dreamcoat' is playing out. Pharoah has a dream that Joseph is able to explain with God's help. A seven year famine is foretold and Egypt is able to prepare for it. The famine affects the whole fertile crescent of the Middle East and Jacob and his family hear about the stores of grain in Egypt and decide to make the journey to purchase provisions. The scripture above tells us that all the sons, except one are travelling to Egypt on this mission. The son left behind is the youngest son, Benjamin. Benjamin and Joseph were the only children born of Jacob's wife, Rachel, and she died giving birth to Benjamin. These offspring of the beloved wife that Jacob worked 14 years to marry are dear reminders of her and at this point in the story Jacob believes that Joseph was killed by wild animals. There is no way he is allowing Benjamin out of his sight. 

What is interesting about the scripture above at Genesis 42:3 is that the Torah always references people by their parents. Here the men are referred to as the brothers of Joseph. It's unusual because these ten men did not treat Joseph as a brother, with kindness, patience and understanding. They bullied him, thought about letting him die and ultimately sold him into slavery. It doesn't get much darker than that, but here we see them referenced as the brothers of Joseph. In The Book of Legends/Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, pg 53, we learn some of the Rabbinic stories that are written to explore between the lines of this tale. Here we find that the Rabbis wondered on this verse in Torah and determined that the brothers must have changed significantly from the time they betrayed Joseph in the wilderness. They must be carrying a burden of regret and a resolve to make things right. Indeed, they imagine that when the brothers determine that they need to travel to Egypt to save their family, it is also an opportunity to find their long lost brother Joseph and reunite him with their father, Jacob.

In this season of sharing light in the darkness it is a blessing to know that people can change and grow. May we look at those places in ourselves and find ways of expanding our compassion and understanding of our fellow humans.
 
May the Lights of Chanukah continue to illuminate your path,