Vayigash
Vayigash or Vaigash (וַיִּגַּשׁ — Hebrew for "and he drew near" or "then he drew near," the first word of the parashah) is the eleventh weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 44:18–47:27. The parashah is made up of 5,680 Hebrew letters, 1,480 Hebrew words, and 106 verses, and can occupy about 178 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).Jews read it the eleventh Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in December or early January.
In the parashah, Judah pleads on behalf of his brother Benjamin, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, Jacob comes down to Egypt, and Joseph's administration of Egypt saves lives but transforms all the Egyptians into bondmen.
Readings
In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot. In the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parashah Vayigash has no "open portion" (פתוחה, petuchah) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter פ (peh)). Parashah Vayigash has a three, lesser "closed portion" (סתומה, setumah) divisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס (samekh)). The first closed portion (סתומה, setumah) includes the first four readings (עליות, aliyot) and part of the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah). The second closed portion (סתומה, setumah) includes the rest of the fifth reading (עליה, aliyah). And the third closed portion (סתומה, setumah) includes the sixth and seventh readings (עליות, aliyot).
Podcasts:
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by Ani Difranco
Feakshow
by: Ani Difrancolife in the circus ain't easy
but the folks on the outside don't know
the tent goes up and the tent comes down
and all that they see is the show
and the ladies on the horses look so pretty
and the lions are lookin real mad
and some of the clowns are happy
and some of the clowns are sad
but underneath
there's another expression
that the makeup isn't making
life under the big top
it's about freedom
it's about faking
there's an art to the laughter
there's a science
and there's a lot of love
and compliance
welcoem to the freakshow
here we go...
we live to hear the slack-jawed gasping
we live under a halo of held breath
and when the children raise up a giant shield
of laughter, it's like they're fending off death
and we can make somethig bigger
then anyone of us alone
and then the clowns will take off their makeup
and the people will go home
but life on the outside ain't easy
no sequins, no elephants,
no parading around
yeah, the tent goes up
and the tent comes down
and they're stuck in this fucking town
you need a lot of love and compliance
welcome to the freakshow