The narratives of Sefer Bereshit turn now to Yosef, who will be the focus of this week’s Torah reading, Vayeshev, and for the next three weeks as well. The multigenerational instinct of parental favoritism creates even more consternation among Yosef and his brothers, and nearly leads to Cain/Abel fratricide. Meanwhile, Yehudah’s voice as a leader among the siblings is solicited, then rejected. Perhaps he will rise to a position of family prominence again, but he will have his own troubles this week. Meanwhile, the new location of the narrative will be Egypt, where as we know, it’s not easy being a minority subject to the whims of your hosts.
