December 21, 2024 · ה״פשת
A PEEK AT THE PARSHA
Parshat Vayeshev begins with Yaakov settling in the land of Canaan, where his father Yitzchak had lived. Yaakov had twelve sons, but he loved Yosef the most because Yosef was the son of his old age and because he was righteous and helped his father. To show his special love, Yaakov gave Yosef a ketonet passim, a beautiful coat of many colors. Yosef’s brothers became very jealous because they felt Yosef was treated better than they were, and this made them angry.
Things got worse when Yosef told his brothers about his dreams. In the first dream, Yosef saw himself and his brothers tying bundles of wheat in a field, and his brothers’ bundles bowed down to his bundle. In the second dream, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars all
ONE BIG IDEA
In this week’s parsha, we learn about Yosef and the challenges he faced. Yosef was sold as a slave, taken far away from home, and wrongly thrown in jail. Even though everything seemed to go wrong, Yosef never gave up hope and trusted in Hashem. Yosef, understandably, could have been angry or sad. We can learn from Yosef that sometimes things don’t go the way we want. It’s easy to feel upset, but we should remember Yosef’s story, that Hashem is always with us and He has a plan, even if we don’t see it right away. In the end, Yosef’s challenges led to something amazing he would help save his family and all of Egypt!
bowed down to Yosef. The brothers believed Yosef was saying that one day he would rule over them, and they grew even more upset. Even Yaakov was surprised by Yosef’s second dream but kept it in his mind, wondering what it could mean. One day, Yaakov sent Yosef to check on his brothers who were far away, tending their flocks. When the brothers saw Yosef approaching, they said, “Here comes the dreamer!” Some wanted to hurt him, but Reuven stopped them and suggested throwing Yosef into a pit instead. Reuven planned to secretly save Yosef later. The brothers stripped Yosef of his special coat and threw him into an empty pit. Then Yehuda saw merchants traveling to Egypt and suggested selling Yosef as a slave instead of leaving him in the pit. The brothers sold Yosef for twenty pieces of silver, and he was taken to Egypt.
To hide what they had done, the brothers dipped Yosef’s colorful coat in goat’s blood and brought it to Yaakov. When Yaakov saw the coat, he believed a wild animal had killed Yosef. Yaakov was heartbroken and mourned for Yosef, refusing to be comforted. Meanwhile, in Egypt, Yosef was sold to Potiphar, an important officer of Pharaoh. Yosef worked hard, and Potiphar trusted him completely. But Potiphar’s wife lied about Yosef, and he was thrown into prison. Even in jail, Hashem was with Yosef. Yosef earned the respect of the prison warden and later helped interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s butler and baker. His interpretations came true, showing Yosef’s wisdom and connection to Hashem.
PARSHA STATS DID YOU KNOW…?
Mitzvot………………………….. 0
Lines in the Torah ..............190 (28th most)
Pesukim .............................112 (24th most)
Words ................................1558 (24th most)
Letters................................5972 (24th most)
Year(s)................................2216-2226
(Source: OU Torah Tidbits)
Dreams come up many times in the book of Bereishit. Most of them are about the future and they, in fact, come true! Did you know the following about dreams:
• Longer dreams happen in morning hours.
• The better (or the longer) the sleep, the more likely you will remember your dreams.
• While most dreams are pictures without sound, some people only dream in black and white.
• Science hasn’t been able to explain why we dream or what purpose it serves for us.
CHECKLIST
To be filled out after shabbat and brought in Monday.
Called someone to wish them a “Shabbat Shalom”
Went to shul
Participated in Hadlakat Nerot/Kiddush/ Hamotzi/Birkat Hamazon
Sang zemirot/songs
Wore Shabbat clothing
Helped prepare our home for Shabbat
Full Name: ______________________________
Class: __________________________________
Parent Signature: _________________________
QUESTIONS
1. What is the most common size ranking of Parshat Vayeishev?
2. True or False: Some people dream in black and white (no color)
3. True or False: Yosef’s life was so difficult that he gave up hope.
4. Thought question: What are the differences between Yosef’s 2 dreams? Find at least 3.
5. Question to research: When did Yosef leave Egypt?