Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather round, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the days to come…. And Jacob finished…breathed his last, and was gathered to his kinfolk.  On some of his children Jacob is very tough, it’s as if he’s saved the worst to last. The harshest things he has

Joseph told his brothers: It is not you who sent me here but God, and He has made me father to Pharaoh and lord to all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Joseph was soft on his brothers. To them he made no mention of the hardships he endured, instead he

And the name of the second Joseph called Ephraim, meaning, God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering. After enjoying every success in Egypt and raising a family there, Joseph continues to refer to it as the land of my suffering.  Here was a message for all generations.  Freedom in Egypt can

Joseph dreaming of power and glory is how our parasha begins, but it ends with him in an Egyptian prison. Over there he goes from being a dreamer, to helping others understand their own dreams. Eventually Joseph’s dreams all come true, but this can only happens after he helps others with their dreams. Sometimes before

Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn... Jacob asked and said, “Tell your name, pray.” And he said, “Why should you ask my name?” The man who wrestled Jacob never reveals his name – who was he? Malbim explains that he was Jacob’s inner demons and points of