This parsha is the second of three in a row
that follow the story of Joseph.
Which makes Parshat Miketz sort of like
the "Empire Strikes Back" of Torah portions.
This episode begins with Joseph
in a dungeon in Egypt,
where he’s been for twelve years.
In prison, Joseph became known for his ability
to interpret dreams for the other prisoners.
Coincidentally, the Pharaoh of Egypt
had a couple of disturbing dreams,
and happened to be looking
for a dream interpreter.
Through word of mouth,
Pharaoh heard about Joseph,
Pharaoh told Joseph that in his dream,
he was standing by the Nile when he saw
seven healthy cows emerge from the river.
Then, seven starving cows emerged
and stood by the healthy ones.
They looked so hungry, they could eat a cow,
and they did. Pharaoh watched in horror
as the starving cows ate the healthy ones,
and then he woke up. He fell back to sleep
and dreamed of seven plump and delicious
ears of grain and seven ears of grain
that were withered and wind burnt.
Just like the cows, the seven sickly ears
swallowed the seven healthy ones.
Joseph explained that the dreams indicated
that God was about to bring seven years
of abundance followed by
seven years of severe famine.
Joseph recommended that in response
to the prediction, Pharaoh find a wise man
to oversee the process of grain collection
during the years of plenty to avoid
the years of famine.
Pharaoh liked the plan, and decided that
Joseph should be the guy to make it happen.
Joseph was appointed as the viceroy,
Pharaoh’s supreme representative.
It was like a dream come true for Joseph:
Pharaoh dressed him in fine silk robes
and gave him jewels. He gave him
an Egyptian name and Egyptian wife.
For seven years, Joseph oversaw
the collection and storage of crops
for the Pharaoh, and made a killing
selling it back to the starving Egyptians
who had grown it in the first place.
The famine was so widespread that
starving people even started traveling
from other countries to buy food in Egypt.
Among them were Joseph's brothers,
who came all the way from Canaan.
He'd been away from them for 20 years…
and, in those twenty years, he never called,
he never wrote…
the dysfunctional family dynamics ran deep.
So you can imagine how freaked out he was
when his family showed up asking to buy food
like everybody else.
Joseph’s appearance had changed so much
that his brothers didn’t recognize him,
and he didn’t let on. He saw the opportunity
to make his childhood dream come true –
to finally have the power to make his brothers
bow down before him.
Joseph had come so far -- he went from a
penniless prisoner to one of the most
powerful men in Egypt. His life was like
a dream but it all disappeared in an instant
when his brothers showed up.
It was pretty much a nightmare. He acted like
a manipulative jerk to them, and then
he was nice, and then he was a jerk again.
And in the midst of all this, he had to leave
the room a few times because he didn’t want
his brothers to know that he was crying.
His external transformation hadn't
prepared him for the internal drama
brought about by the unexpected appearance
of his family.
Despite Joseph’s extreme makeover --
the clothes, the jewelry, even the new name --
he hadn’t changed as fully as he’d hoped.
His transformation turned out to be
more dream than reality despite
his determination to put his past behind him.
He’d even chosen names for his sons that
proclaimed that he was new and improved:
Menashe, the oldest son,
means something like: “God made me
completely forget my hardship
and parental home.”
The younger one he named Ephraim,
which means: “double fruitfulness.”
But proclaiming he had changed,
and dressing differently wasn’t enough.
Real change is about changing how you act.
Today, some Jewish parents follow the custom
of blessing their children on Friday night.
To their sons, they say: “May God make you
like Ephraim and Menashe.”
Unlike Joseph and his brothers,
Ephraim and Menashe didn't let
their sibling rivalry get out of control.
And now, thousands of years later
during Shabbat each week, Joseph's sons
are still acknowledged
for the righteous way they acted.
It’s a parent's dream come true.
Producer: Sarah Lefton
Animation Director: Nick Fox-Gieg
Animation: Jeanne Stern
Editorial Director: Matthue Roth
Theme Music: Tim Cosgrove
Written and Narrated by: Tobin Belzer
Sound Recording: Gregory Butler