Rosner’s Torah-Talk: Parashat Vayeshev with Rabbi Harold Robinson

Our Special guest today is Rear Admiral Rabbi Harold Robinson, Director of the Jewish Chaplains Council of the Jewish Welfare Board. Rabbi Robinson was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve through the Seminarian Student Program in 1971. After being ordained by the Hebrew Union College in 1974, he received a superseding commission as a chaplain. As part of the Naval Reserve, he’s been a training officer, an executive officer, a commanding officer, regimental chaplain with the 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, and group chaplain for the Marine Corps’ 4th Force Service Support Group. He has served congregations in Gary, Indiana, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Shreveport, Louisiana, has been an active-duty chaplain (in Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Japan, and many other places), and has also been a reserve chaplain. In 2000, he was assigned to the Chief of Navel Chaplains Office as special assistant for reserve matters and director of religious programs, Marine Force Reserve. His personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.

This week's Torah portion- Parashat Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23)-  features the first part of the story of Joseph and his brothers. It begins with Joseph's dreams and continues to tell us about how he was sold into slavery by his brothers, about the affair with Potiphar's wife, and about the beginnings of his career as an interpreter of dreams. Our discussion focuses on the role of fate in this fascinating story and in Judaism in general.