parshat Miketz

Learning from Yosef how a leader should behave and should look ahead.

In this week's Torah portion of Miketz, we encounter Yaakov's sons Yosef and Yehuda, two leaders in Israel who appear to represent two different approaches...What is very interesting is that we find in the writings of the saintly Rav Kook that the roles of Yosef and Yehuda seem to actually be reversed. Rav Kook deals with the concept of two Messiahs, one to be followed by the other; Messiah ben Yosef and Messiah ben David (descended from Yehuda)...

The encounter between Joseph and his brothers is the fifth in a series of stories in which clothes play a key role. What all five cases have in common is that they facilitate deception. In each case, they bring about a situation in which things are not as they seem.

"…what cannot be solved by wisdom, will eventually be solved by the passage of time." It seems that time is never neutral, and that its passage certainly influences decisions and events that take place in human society.

Paul O'Neill's tenure at ALCO Aluminum Company as CEO from 1987 to 2000 increased the value ofthe company's shares five times, and its market capitalization by $27 billion. How did he do it?

In the middle section of Parashat Miketz, that root is “shever.” Not only is it used many times, but it is also used with different meanings. We will take a look at several of the contexts and learn more about this important and versatile root.

An explanation of why Yosef referred to Egypt as the "land of my affliction" even when he was one of the most powerful and wealthy individuals living there. (Hint: It's connected to the fact that Egypt is not Israel)

The Torah teaches that the second time the brothers came down to Mitzrayim, Yaakov told them to bring treats from Eretz Yisroel with which to woo Pharoah. Of course, they had no chocolate to bring, but we can discuss a different royal treat that the Aztecs considered a royal beverage.