Parashat Miketz – 5785

27 December 2024

Week of 22-28 December 2024

Torah portion : Gen. 41 :1-44 :17   Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14-4:7

Theme: A time for everything – God is in charge

Have you ever been at a point in your life, that felt like a dead-end? When all your current circumstances seemed to converge into a situation with no visible way out? Well, last week’s Parasha ended at exactly such a point in the life of Joseph. He finds himself falsely imprisoned in Egypt and on top of that forgotten by Pharaoh’s cupbearer, who promised to help him out. The Torah teaches that there is a time for everything, and that God is always in charge. Even times of distress do not last forever but come to an end after a certain appointed time. Prominent examples would be the 40 days of the flood and 40 years wandering in the desert.

     So Parashat Miketz starts out with this significant Hebrew word “qetz”, which is derived from the root “qatsatz”, meaning “to chop off” – literally or figuratively. Something outdated is being chopped off, to make room for something new to come. It also implies a certain suddenness and unexpectedness.

      This is what Joseph is experiencing. Here he is, sitting in his prison, forgotten by everybody. The text does not tell us, how Joseph survived these many hours in captivity and probably also in inner distress. Did he have the strength to pray and hold on to his God or was he on the brink of despair? We do not know, but God certainly had not forgotten Joseph and in an unexpected way he intervenes in Joseph’s dead-end situation.

 After two years (“miqetz shnataim”) imprisonment, not Joseph but the Pharaoh (!) dreams. Who could have foreseen that? And he dreams neither before, nor after, but right now, at the appointed time by God. As the story unfolds, Joseph is also suddenly remembered by the very cupbearer who had forgotten him before, so Joseph knows that his life is in God’s hand. When interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph gives full credit to God, the true interpreter of dreams and maker of history (cf. Gen 41:25.28.32). It is useless to speculate what would have happened had Joseph been freed from prison two years earlier, right after he had helped the cupbearer (in last week’s Parasha). Then he might never have encountered the Pharaoh in person and might not have been appointed Viceroy, a position which in the end enabled Joseph to prevent many people from starving.

     This week’s Parasha can be a powerful reminder to remember, that God always sees the larger picture and knows all about right timing. Life situations may look completely hopeless with no way out, but since God is in charge – help may come in unexpected ways.

     Parashat Miketz is usually read during the time of Hanukkah, a celebration of light, with oil lasting miraculously for exactly eight days until new oil could be provided. It is a feast of divine providence, reminding us that light will always triumph over darkness. The time of darkness in its various forms will come to an end – definitely.

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. Share a dead-end situation in your life and how it dissolved. 2. Take a moment to remember people in despair, bringing their lives prayerfully before God.

Bibliography: Etz Hayim Thora and Commentary (New York: 1999)

This week’s Parasha Commentary was prepared by
Barbara Kauffmann, Germany, Bat Kol Alumna: 2010,2011,2012

[Copyright © 2024]