Watch this special Torah study from Shabbat, Saturday, December 27. This Shabbat is the Shabbat of the great reconciliation. After twenty-two years of separation, Joseph and his brothers finally stand together again.
Our Sages teach that this moment offers a glimpse of the messianic times — a time when brothers and sisters will be reconciled, when divisions will be healed. The story of Joseph and his brothers is dramatic and deeply moving, yet the reconciliation it presents is not entirely complete.
Joseph tells his brothers that although they intended to harm him when they sold him so many years earlier, God intended it for good. Still, the Torah never states explicitly that Joseph forgave them, as it tells us explicitly after the sin of the Golden Calf, when God says clearly to Moses, “I have forgiven, as you have asked.” This distinction invites us to reflect more deeply on what true forgiveness and reconciliation require. Healing may begin, but it often unfolds in stages.
This Shabbat we will explore what final reconciliation looks like, and how our Torah portion connects to the future prophecies of Jerusalem that point us toward a future in which fractured relationships are truly restored. Rabbi Gadi Capela