Doing Right — Motivated or Not

January 3, 2025

In this week’s parashah, years after selling his brother Joseph into slavery, Judah offers up his own freedom in exchange for his younger brother Benjamin’s. “Whether it’s because of a desire to rectify his earlier actions or simply out of respect for his father, the most important thing is that Judah acts differently,” says Rabbi Dalia Samansky. “In many ways, Judaism is a religion of deed over creed. As we enter the new year, may our actions express our values, even if we aren’t ‘feeling it’ in the moment…”