#57.2 Joseph and His Brothers

#57.2 Stories from the Tanakh

Joseph & His Brothers

 

#1 Read and Learn: The Story of Joseph & His Brothers

Jacob was called by two names – Jacob and Israel. He had twelve sons and they were called the Children of Israel. Most of his sons spent their days taking care of the goats. But Joseph was Jacob’s favorite, and Jacob took special care of him. Indeed, one day Jacob gave Joseph a wonderful gift – a coat striped with colors, the kind of coat that kings wore.

Now Joseph’s brothers were jealous of Joseph and his marvelous coat. They said, “Let’s send him away. We can say that a wild animal ate Joseph.” But Reuben, the oldest brother, said, “No. Let’s just throw him into a deep hole.” And Reuben thought, “Later tonight, I will return and rescue Joseph.” When Joseph came to see his brothers, they grabbed him and threw him into a hole so deep that he could not climb out.

Just then, they heard the jingling of camel bells. A group of traders was passing by on the way to Egypt. Judah said, “Let’s sell Joseph to them!” And they did. Then they told their father that Joseph had run away, and Jacob was very sad for the loss of his son. And the traders took Joseph to Egypt where they sold him into slavery.

One night, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a dream. None of his wise men could tell him what it meant. But one of the servants said, “There is a man called Joseph in the palace. He can tell you what your dream means.” So Pharaoh sent for Joseph and Joseph explained the dream. “There were seven good years,” said Joseph, “followed by seven years of hunger.” Then Pharaoh said, “Your God has given you wisdom. From now on, you and I will rule Egypt together.”

Seven years passed. The harvests were good and Joseph put the grain in big storehouses to keep it fresh. Then came seven years of bad crops, and the people were hungry. But Joseph opened the storehouses and gave out food so that the people would not starve.

In those years, all the known world came to Egypt to buy food. Jacob and his sons also needed food. One day, Jacob said to his sons, “Go to Egypt and buy food so that we may live.” And the brothers saddled their donkeys and left. When the brothers arrived in Egypt they were taken to see Joseph. Many years had passed and Joseph had changed. They did not know that the man they were speaking to was their brother. Yet Joseph knew them at once. “How many brothers do you have?” he asked them. And they answered, “Our father had twelve sons, but one is gone and we are very sorry for that.”

Suddenly Joseph stood up and said, “Do not be sad any longer! I am your brother, Joseph! You sold me into slavery. But really it was God sending me ahead to save many people from going hungry.” Then the brothers returned home with food in their sacks and joy in their hearts. They said to Jacob, “Joseph is alive! He rules over Egypt! He wants all of us to join him and live there.”

And that is how the Children of Israel came to live in the land of Egypt.

#2 WATCH: Parshat Miketz: Joseph Interprets Dreams

#3  Watch and Reflect: Finding Peace

#4 Watch and Learn: Parents Blessing for Children – A Tradition

#5: Review and Response

  1. How many sons did Jacob have? Can you name the 12 sons of Jacob?
  2. Why do you think Joseph’s brothers were jealous of the relationship he had with their father?
  3. Is it hard to get along with your siblings or close friends all the time? Are there times where you have a hard time agreeing on things? How do you resolve these conflicts/challenges with your siblings or friends?
  4. How could Joseph’s brothers make different decisions to help their relationship with Joseph become better?
  5. Have you ever been in a situation where you thought it was going to be to hard to be successful? Did you decide to give up or to keep trying until you succeeded? What is a way that you can help yourself and others keep a positive outlook when facing hard times?
  6. Why do you think Jewish parents bless their children?

Need some help? We’re here for you. At any time, if you have any questions, please contact one of our teachers so we can help you. Also, at the end of the session, remember to review your responses in your Tamid Workbook so you can get credit for this lesson. Behatzlacha (Hebrew for good luck)! You can reach Christina and Chesney at (646)360-0689 or [email protected]