“And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it
upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen”
Genesis 41:42 Follow The JC on Twitter Over the centuries our
bookshelves have been blessed by many new Torah commentaries in
every language imaginable. As a result we have tended to ignore
the greatest commentary of them all, the Tanach. This week’s
parashah illustrates how the Tanach often refers to and helps us
understand the Torah. Even the casual reader of the verse above
will notice the parallels between the depiction of the life of
Joseph and the events described in Megillat Esther. Pharaoh gave
Joseph a ring, while in the Megillah, Ahaseurus gives his ring
to Mordecai. Both are fitted out in fine clothing. Like
Mordecai, Joseph parades triumphantly, accompanied by a horse,
and in both cases, they enjoy the crowds’ acclaim. The
similarities in the two plots are inescapable. The beauty of the
two central figures, for example: Joseph was handsome and Esther
too was beautiful. Bot