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Jodi Samuels

Listening In


I have been feeling so overwhelmed and even more so confused about what I want to do and where I am going. My husband calls it the troop of monkeys who chatter in my head. Each one have their own conversation and opinion. It’s actually quite funny hearing him describe these conversations. Each monkey has a name and their view. Mother Mary the guilt monkey, the Bouncing off the walls monkey, the Neurotic monkey and the FOMO (fear of missing out) monkey! There are others but you get the message!


In this weeks Torah portion we continue to learn about Joseph’s encounters with his brothers. Judah approaches Joseph to plead for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave to the Egyptian ruler instead if Benjamin. Upon witnessing his brothers’ loyalty to one another, Joseph reveals his identity to them.“I am Joseph,” he declares. “Is my father still alive?”

The brothers are overcome by shame and remorse, but Joseph comforts them. “It was not you who sent me here,” he says to them, “but G‑d. It has all been ordained from above to save us, and the entire region, from famine.”


Joseph’s ability to forgive was based on his belief in God and understanding that even though he suffered tremendously this was part of a greater plan that took him on a journey that allowed him to have a role in saving the region and his family from famine.


God has a plan for all of us. The events in our lives are conversations. When we listen to the messages and understand what it is we are supposed to do with the cards we are dealt, then the game becomes a lot more fun.

Shabbat shalom

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