blogs/rabbi-huberman

I want to ask you, as we consider the legendary events of this week's Torah portion: “Who is your Ish?”

Ish is the Hebrew word for “man.” But it can just as easily mean ishah or “woman.”

I'm going to introduce you to a remarkable ishah later.

But first let me ask: Is there someone in your life-a mentor, or some perhaps someone you met through a random encounter-who completely changed your destiny?

In this week's Torah portion, Vayeishev, Joseph meets such an ish, one who literally alters his life direction-and perhaps the fate of the Jewish people.

As this week's Parashah opens, Jacob, his wives, and his thirteen children have settled in the land of Canaan, the place we call Israel today.

Joseph is sent by his father to spy on his brothers working in the field, and delivers “bad reports” back to Jacob.

Strike one.

His father, who deems Joseph his favorite, orders a multi-colored coat for him. Joseph flaunts it in front of his brothers.

Strike two.

Then Joseph shares with his family two dreams. Each predicts that, in the future, he will “reign” over them. The brothers hate him even more.

Strike three.

One day, as Joseph prepares to surveil his brothers, he loses track of where they are. The Torah tells us he encounters an anonymous Ish, and asks, “Could you tell me where my brothers are pasturing?”

The man, whom some rabbis teach was the angel Gabriel, tells Joseph that his brothers are shepherding in Dothan.

And the rest is history-or at least the stuff of Broadway musicals.

Joseph is thrown in a pit, eventually sold to passing traders, and ends up working