TORAH IN REAL TIME, THE TORAH PORTION MIKETZ: JOSEPH, EGYPT, LEADERSHIP & WORLD HUNGER (Audio)

Welcome to Torah in Real Time, the podcast with Rabbi Shlomo Gemara and where ancient text meets the urgent moral questions of the present moment. This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Miketz, opens with one of the most cinematic scenes in Genesis: Pharaoh’s unsettling dreams, Joseph’s sudden rise from prison to power, and the appointment of an outsider as steward of an empire on the brink of famine. At first glance, Miketz reads like political drama — visions, strategy, power, and survival. But our tradition insists this story is far more than history. It is a meditation on leadership, responsibility, and how human beings respond when crisis looms. Joseph does more than interpret dreams. He plans. He prepares. He understands that insight without action is empty. The Torah highlights not only survival, but the ethical organization of society — storing abundance in years of plenty so that when scarcity arrives, the vulnerable are not abandoned. Miketz teaches that foresight is a moral act, and that leadership is measured by who is protected when times grow dark. Learning Miketz this year, it is impossible not to feel its resonance with our own world. Just days ago, a horrific anti-Semitic terror attack struck a Jewish community gathering near Bondi Beach in Sydney, shattering lives during what should have been a time of light and celebration. At the same time, global hunger is deepening at an alarming rate, with hundreds of millions facing crisis-level food insecurity due to conflict, climate shocks, and failing systems of care. In Miketz, famine is not just a backdrop — it is the catalyst for transformation. Joseph’s story challenges us to ask the hardest questions of our moment: How do we respond to hatred and violence against our communities? How do we mobilize compassion and resources when the most basic human needs are at stake? And what kind of moral vision do we offer — in times of abundance and in times of fear? Today’s episode explores Parashat Miketz through the lens of classical commentators and contemporary reality, asking how an ancient story of dreams, power, and hunger still speaks — urgently — to the world we are living in now. ——🎧 The Avrum Rosensweig Show —— A one-of-a-kind, intimate schmooze-fest, hosted and produced by the endlessly curious veteran radio and TV personality, Avrum Rosensweig. With warmth and wit, Avrum uncovers the secrets, dreams, and innermost thoughts of people from all walks of life. From local shelf stockers, plumbers, food servers, to crossing guards, stars, public figures, and cultural icons. Join this channel to get access to perks: / @avrumrosensweigshow Listen to The Avrum Rosensweigh Show on: https://open.spotify.com/show/6LZFTR0... https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://avrumspodcast.podbean.com/ Instagram: / avrumrosensweigshow TikTok: / avrumrosensweig #podcastcanada #storytellingmatters #jewishpodcast #jewishwisdom #jewishfaith #jewishlearning #jewisheducation #jewishcommunity #jewishheritage #jewishtradition #jewishculture #jewishcommunity #jewishhistory #jewishphilosophy #spiritualwisdom #motivationalpodcast #motivationalinterview #fascinatingpeople #engagingconversations #personalgrowth #lifelessons #leadershipstories #faithandwisdom #jewishinspirations #podcastinterview #theavrumrosensweigshow #Torahinrealtime #RabbiShlomoGemara #MIketz #Joseph #Egypt