:וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים
And Israel (Jacob) loved his son Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a fine woolen coat.
Joseph’s story occupies a larger portion of the Torah than any individual patriarch. His narrative begins in Genesis 37, in this week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev, and continues almost uninterrupted until the end of Genesis (Chapter 50). While the other patriarchs and matriarchs are named in our daily liturgy, this detailed, multi-chapter arc of Joseph’s life—including his dreams, betrayal of his brothers, rise to power in Egypt, and reconciliation with his family—receives more textual space in the Torah than any of our other earliest ancestors.
Joseph, as mentioned above, is not only his father’s favorite, but clearly the Torah’s architects also intentionally favored his story through these many verses, reflecting perhaps the importance of Joseph’s role in setting the stage for the Israelites’ descent into Egypt—the key transition from our familial Genesis narrative to the events of the Book of Exodus and Moses’ leadership.
And of course, this is just a near-perfect story. There are so many appealing themes we can relate to: favoritism, family dynamics and conflict, forgiveness and reconciliation, and resilience in adversity. I think, too, the Torah’s authors demonstrate their literary showmanship with Joseph, their deep understanding of creating a rich and instructive narrative in this rags to riches tale that enhances its moral and spiritual lessons and incredible psychological depth. The dramatic plot twists and universal appeal even led to its being transformed into a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which combines vibrant storytelling and diverse musical styles to bring our biblical narrative to life in an energetic and appealing way.
We love Joseph’s story so much because we can all stand in his shoes. As individuals and certainly as a people—perhaps now more so than ever in our lifetimes—we have no choice but to be resilient. Despite internal and external challenges, we Jews continually demonstrate the incredible ability to overcome adversity with faith and perseverance. We are not perfect, and we may not begin from a place of integrity in every single interaction, but when we employ our tradition as a guide, we can always end each chapter of our lives like Joseph: with forgiveness, patience, accountability, and unwavering faith in our Divine purpose to be a light to the world, even in the most darkest of times.
Please join us this Shabbat on Friday evening and Saturday morning, when we’ll study Joseph’s story and enjoy some of the treasures from Lloyd’s beloved musical, which you can listen to here.
—Cantor Emma Lutz