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5 Ways Vayigash Rewrites Jewish Life in Diaspora

JL;DR SUMMARY Rivka Bennun Kay's analysis of Parshat Vayigash reflects on the enduring relevance of Jewish life in the diaspora, using the biblical narrative of Yaakov's move to Egypt as a framework. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish EducationJewish IdentityDiasporaEgyptJewish ContinuityIntegrationYaakovBoundariesVayigashCultural Survival

Places mentioned

Beersheba, Southern District, Israel
"Yaakov reaches Beersheba at night, halting his caravan at the edge of the land."
Egypt
"and his son Yosefwhom he mourned for 22 yearsis alive in Egypt, a ruler second only to Pharaoh."
Israel
"he was bound on an altar and told by God not to descend to Egypt even during famine."
United States
"For others, American Jewish life feels as stable as ever."
Chișinău, Sîngerei, Moldova
"surfacing after every crisis and then recedingKishinev, the Holocaust, the weeks before the Six-Day War, Pittsburgh."
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
"surfacing after every crisis and then recedingKishinev, the Holocaust, the weeks before the Six-Day War, Pittsburgh."

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Retrieved 2025-12-26 05:30:44 UTC
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