WRJ Voices: Mikeitz

In this week’s Torah portion, Joseph moves from prisoner to second in command in Egypt. Joseph was falsely imprisoned for claims by his master Potiphar’s wife that he raped her. While in prison, he continued to use his God-given ability to interpret dreams.  Pharaoh has dreamt of seven fat cows being devoured by seven emaciated cows followed by a second dream in which seven healthy ears of corn were swallowed up by seven dried up ears of corn. When Pharaoh’s wise men were unable to explain the dreams, the cupbearer, Pharaoh’s servant, remembered that while he was in prison, Joseph was able to interpret his dreams. 

Joseph is released from prison and his appearance is changed to make him look like an Egyptian. He is brought before Pharaoh and interprets the dreams to mean that Egypt will experience seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. In addition to interpreting the dreams, Joseph presents a plan on how to protect Egypt from starvation by storing one-fifth of the grain to be used during the time of famine.

Pharaoh is so impressed with this interpretation that he makes Joseph second in command of Egypt. Joseph marries Asenath and they have two sons born during the time of plenty who he names Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh means “for God has made me forget all of the troubles I endured in my father’s house.” Ephraim means “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” By choosing these names, Joseph has included the challenges of his past and the joy of his future. There is much more to Mikeitz, but I will focus on what the process of names and naming ceremonies mean to me.

My husband and I have two daughters. Our older daughter has two daughters and our younger daughter has three. Although our immediate family has not experienced the joy of a Brit Milah, we do have a lot of experience in choosing names and naming ceremonies. When parents choose names, it is an opportunity to honor a special person in their lives who will never have the opportunity to meet their child. Naming ceremonies can happen anywhere. Our first daughter was named in a movie theater in Queens, NY. Services on Saturday mornings had to end before they started selling tickets for the children’s matinee. She was named after my grandmother, and was given a Yiddish name, not a Hebrew one. Three years later, our second daughter was named at Temple Solel in Bowie, Maryland where we have been members for 35 years. She was named after my husband’s great-aunt, also with a Yiddish name.

Fast forward 25 years and our first granddaughter was named at Temple Solel. She was named after maternal and paternal great-grandmothers and was given Hebrew names. In 2012, another granddaughter was named at Temple Solel. She was named after my aunt and has a Yiddish and Hebrew name.

The next baby naming took place in Highland Park, New Jersey in 2013. She was named after my mother who had passed away seven months before her birth and two great-grandmothers on her father’s side.  Her sister was also born in Highland Park, two years later. My daughter and son-in-law name their children after numerous people who have touched their lives. When their second daughter was named, they honored people who never had the joy of having children of their own.

Our last granddaughter was born in Buffalo, New York one week before the last WRJ Board Meeting in Washington D.C. I missed the Social Justice Conference because I was on my way to Buffalo for her naming. Since all of the grandmothers and great-grandmothers had already been honored, it was time to honor the great-grandfathers.

No matter where a naming ceremony takes place, one thing is for certain, as written in myjewishlearning.com, “They link us to the Jewish past and commit us to a Jewish future.”

When I started working on this d’var, rather than focusing on Pharaoh’s dreams, I was reminded of the experience when you wake up from the dream when you studied for the wrong exam. Then I took a deep breath and started to focus on how Mikeitz found me.  WRJ has given me many growth opportunities. When I moved on from leadership positions in my local sisterhood, and on to positions in my district, I acquired financial and technology skills that I never had time for when I was working as a teacher.  Now as a North American Board member, I have gained more knowledge through meetings and webinars. Mikeitz found me when the sign-up sheet for d’vars came around at the last board meeting. This has been my most challenging WRJ experience so far.  I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2020 and look forward to spending quality time with you at the Fried Women’s Conference.

Carol Newman is a WRJ Board Member and Marketing and Communications V.P. of the Mid-Atlantic District. She is a past president of the Women of Temple Solel in Bowie, Maryland.