Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Shalom bayit, peace in the home, is a central value in Judaism. From the moment a wedding couple stands under the chuppa, shalom bayit is reinforced.

In  this week's Parsha, we find an odd spelling of shalom, an incomplete or deficient spelling. When Joseph shares dreams to his brothers in which they become subservient to him, the Torah says, "they were not able to speak peacefully to Joseph." Given the broken spelling of shalom, we can deduce that the brothers' wrath was so strong, they could not even speak a partial peace to Joseph.

Sadly, the Torah is filled with stories of dysfunctional family relationships. May we learn constructive lessons even from these kinds of narratives to strive towards shalom bayit in our situations.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison