Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Congregation, Toronto, Canada

Parasha Overview: Miketz (Videos)

Weekly Sidra: Mikeitz (at the end) Torah Portion: Bereshit / Genesis 41:1-44:17 Haftorah: Zecharya / Zechariah 2:14-4:7 Miketz or Mikeitz (מקץ — Hebrew for “at the end,” the second word — and first distinctive word — of the parshah) is the tenth weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 41:1–44:17. Jews in the Diaspora read it the tenth Sabbath after Simchat Torah. Generally, it is read on the Sabbath of Chanukah. When Chanukah contains two Sabbaths, it is read on the second. In some years, however, Miketz is read on the Sabbath after Chanukah. Last week we read parsha Vayeshev that ended with Yosef, the son of Yakov Avinu, in an Egyptian prison. While there, Yosef correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and baker. Yosef asked the butler to mention Yosef's plight to Pharaoh, but, as the Torah told us, the butler forgot about the matter. This week's parsha, Miketz, takes place two years later, with Yosef still in prison. The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream” (Genesis 41:1). The portion begins with Pharaoh’s portentous dreams, Yosef’s interpretations and his subsequent rise to power over Egypt. When a famine strikes the land of Canaan, his brothers come to Egypt...