Interfaith Dialogue

Thrown into a pit by his brothers and then exiled and later imprisoned in Egypt, Joseph saves himself and rises to prominence by interpreting the Pharaoh's troubling dreams. Bill Moyers says: "We learn in life that most blessings are mixed blessings. Joseph, who is precocious, learns it early. He is blessed with the gifts of reading dreams, physical beauty, and his father's love. But these very gifts cause his downfall, and he winds up in slavery and exile. Our discussions of Genesis began with the story of Abraham on the move toward the promised land. We end with Joseph in a foreign land. But far from home, he is never far from his roots. This is a familiar refrain in Genesis, from beginning to end."

• Do you think that Joseph is a good example of a successful immigrant? Is he a realistic role model?

How can an immigrant--"a stranger in a strange land"--both honor his past and, at the same time, begin to

build a future? What, if anything, does the Joseph story teach us in this regard?

• What was the transformation in Joseph that enabled him to forgive and reconcile with his brothers? If

Joseph's brothers had not turned up so propitiously, do you think Joseph would have ever gone home to

see his family?