Judah has grown into a morally and spiritually strong person, one worthy of founding the line of the Kings of Israel. One of the most important attributes of a good leader is taking responsibility for one's actions and righting any wrongs one has caused. This weekend, we are gathered together to learn and pray, to grow spiritually. One of the great problems in our world today is the unwillingness of people to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. But taking responsibility, righting any wrongs we may have caused and doing teshuvah, are integral to Judaism, built into our mitzvot and even into our calendar.
Prayer changes people, and people change things.
This week's parsha teaches us that we must take responsibility for our actions, and we must pass that teaching to our children. And that we still have it now, and that we are right now transmitting it to the next generation, to those who will come after us . . . THAT, too, is a miracle. At the time of the Maccabean Rebellion, the story of Joseph and his brothers was already ancient. It is indeed a miracle that after 3000 years, we still remember and read these stories every week.