For nearly four decades, the Torah that is read during the month of Kislev—known to Hebrew Bible scholars as Sippurei Yosef, the Stories of Joseph or the Joseph Narrative—has been particularly meaningful to me. It was one of the first biblical texts I studied in Hebrew with the poet and professor David Rabeeya z”l at Bryn Mawr College and, more than 20 years later, I revisited these stories with my younger daughter who celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on Shabbat Hanukkah. This year, I found the text of Genesis 37, Joseph being thrown into the pit by his brothers, resonated deeply with me as we pray for the return of the hostages still in captivity. I invite you to read my d’var torah* Emerging from the Pit that appeared on The Wisdom Daily this week.
*An abbreviated version was also published in last week’s Jewish Voice.