“In the face of internal resistance, how do we summon the strength to overcome all the fears and insecurities holding us back?” asks Rabbi Samantha Natov. In this week’s parashah, “Even Moses, our people’s greatest leader, struggled with — and triumphed over — self-doubt…”

In this week’s parashah, Jacob and Joseph leave the next generation “a roadmap for the establishment of the Jewish people,” says Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz. “We learn that at no point in our long history were the Israelites homogenous.” Our diversity is a point of pride, she says, and our peoplehood a source of power.

“We are a people of memory. But our tradition also recognizes that it is neither possible nor healthy to remember everything,” says Rabbi Dalia Samansky, recalling her years as a hospice chaplain. “I often remind people that they are in charge of what they remember — for the purpose of memory is to make us better, not bitter.”

“Do you ever find yourself making the same bad decisions again and again?” asks Rabbi Samantha Natov. Judaism teaches us: “Change is gradual. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s also invigorating. And changing the world starts with us.”

This week’s parashah begins with Joseph’s dream. But he must walk a long road before it becomes reality. “The Jewish story is fueled by the belief that our visionary dreams can find grounding in the future,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov. “The fulfillment of a great dream takes a long time — maybe even a lifetime, or beyond.”