TORAH PORTION

Family Circle
Conference

The Ties Of Family
And A Happy Ending

Expert offers ways to work with kids
with challenging behaviors.

Shabbat Vayigash: Genesis 44:18-
47:27; Ezekiel 37:15-28.

I

Ellen Maiseloff, Dr.
Ross Greene, Nancy

Kaufman of the
Kaufman Children's

Center and Helene

Weiss Kohn, AJE pro-
gram assistant and
para-educator coordi-

nator

0

pening the Doors
Partnership, a program of
Federation's Alliance for
Jewish Education, welcomed Dr. Ross
W. Greene, psychologist and author
of The Explosive Child and his new
book, Lost At School: Why Our Most
Vulnerable Kids Fall Through the
Cracks, And What To Do About It, as a
keynote presenter at the 14th annual
Anita Naftaly Family Circle Conference
on Nov. 16.
More than 400 parents, teachers
and other community professionals
attended the conference. About 100
parents had the opportunity to speak
with Greene at an informal question-
and-answer session.
He presented his talk again, along
with a video demonstrating his
approach in action, for 200 teachers, at
the 12th annual Day School Conference
Nov. 17 sponsored by Kaufman
Children's Center in West Bloomfield.
Greene also is an associate clini-
cal professor in the Harvard Medical
School Department of Psychiatry
and the founding director of the
Collaborative, Problem-Solving
Institute in the Department of
Psychiatry at Massachusetts General
Hospital.
During the two programs, he
presented "Keys to Resolving
Challenging Behaviors," walking par-
ticipants through the collaborative

Rabbi Joseph Krakoff, Dr. Ross
Greene and Henry Ford Health

problem-solving approach as an alter-
native way to working with inflexible,
easily frustrated and sometimes-explo-
sive children and adolescents.
"He caught me in the first 10 min-
utes," said Rabbi Joseph H. Krakoff
of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in
Oakland County, who attended the
Anita Naftaly Family Circle Program.
"He was innovative and thoughtful; I
thought he was terrific."
Local groups sponsoring the confer-
ence included the Anita Naftaly Family
Circle Fund, the Henry Ford Health
System Department of Pediatrics,
Learning Disabilities Clinic and
Kaufman Children's Center.
Opening the Doors program "opens
the doors" of opportunity for children
with learning disabilities and other
diverse learning and behavioral needs to
receive a quality Jewish education. This
program has grown to serve 25 schools
and nearly 800 children. For more infor-
mation, contact Ellen Maiseloff, associ-
ate director of special education, at (248)
642-4260 ext. 376.

❑

n this week's Torah portion,
sent him there for that purpose —
Joseph reveals his identity to his
was he also a part of the conspiracy?
brothers, and the entire family is
After all, in the last verse before
reunited. But this "happy
Joseph is sent to visit his
ending" comes after his
brothers, the Torah relates
brothers' willingness to kill
how his father, Jacob,
him (Genesis 37:18-24) and
rebukes him, but does
Joseph's complete alienation
nothing to mitigate his
from his family.
brothers' hateful jealousy
He makes no attempt
of him.
to contact even his father
Joseph only wanted to
when he becomes vice-
live out his life together
roy of Egypt, and he
with his beloved brother,
even names his firstborn
Benjamin, away from the
Rabb Eliezer
Menashe [41:51] "because
rest of his entire family
C ohen
God has caused me to for-
who hated him so much as
Speci al to the
get all of my distress in my
to contemplate killing him,
Jewi sh News
father's house:'
and who were happy to sell
Joseph ultimately main-
him into slavery instead.
tains he does not hold
Now, as Judah
his brothers respon-
steps forward to
sible for his slavery;
offer himself in place
it was God's will
of Benjamin and
(Genesis 45:5, 50:19-
describes his father's
20).
anguish at the loss of
Yet he first accuses
Joseph and now the
them of being spies
impending loss of
Benjamin, too, Joseph
(42:7-20), keeps
Simeon imprisoned
realizes that reunion
with his father and
(42:24), forces his
reconciliation with his
father to relinquish
Benjamin (43:5), then
brothers is possible.
accuses Benjamin of
Joseph immediately
reveals his identity
stealing his cup and
indicates his inten-
and calls upon his
family to join him.
tions to enslave him
His doubts and
(44:17).
If indeed Joseph
anguish have been
eliminated. Now, truly,
holds no grudge, how
they can live "happily
could he make no
contact with, at least,
ever after!'
his beloved father, and how could he
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Congregation
cause so much anguish to his fam-
Or Chadash in Oak Park.
ily — including his dear brother
Benjamin?
It seems to me that Joseph's behav-
Why is Joseph tradition-
ior can only be understood and, in
ally known as "Joseph the
fact, admired, if one realizes his moti-
Righteous"? Without the above
vation.
explanation, how else can
When Joseph was entrapped by his
Joseph's behavior be explained?
brothers and sold into slavery, it was
What can we learn from these
after he did his father's bidding to visit
stories?
his brothers (Genesis 37:13-17). He
didn't know whether his father had

If Joseph held
no grudge, how
could he make
no contact with
his beloved
father and
cause so much
anguish to his
family?

❑

January 1 • 2009

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