Bible

Judah's plea to Joseph is a sign of his personal growth and ability to empathize with his father's grief.

Joseph teaches us to use our material success in the service of those who are needy.

Fear paralyzes us, rendering us incapable of addressing our most pressing problems.

Living after the Civil Rights Movement, we, like the children of Jacob, have the opportunity to carry the ideals of previous generations into the future.

Both Jacob and Joseph understood the importance of imbuing their descendants with a commitment to the Land of Israel.

Joseph teaches us to temper love with a sense of duty and a knowledge of right and wrong.

Despite Jacob's negative experiences with favoritism, he repeats this trait in his own family and home.

Jacob and his family's evolving relationship with God illustrates the complex struggle with faith and monotheism.

Jacob and the Jewish people have learned powerful lessons from the experience of exile.

The brothers could not speak peacefully with Joseph because they allowed their anger and resentment to control them.

We can learn from Jacob's encounter with Esau to meet others as we would meet God.

Parashat Vayeshev teaches us the importance of ensuring that we enact justice in light of the ease with which our systems of justice can be abused.