An Unlikely Tale of Two Brothers

A thought on Parashas Shemos. Feel free to print and read over Shabbos.

Brothers are everything. No matter where life takes you or how strained the relationship may become, the bond of brotherhood remains unshakable. But let’s be real, brotherhood doesn’t just happen. It takes work. It’s a connection that demands effort, understanding, and sometimes a little humility. To be a brother is to live in a paradox: you’re the same yet totally different. It’s like being a twin—born of the same womb, yet destined to walk different paths.

(I should know, growing up with five brothers and five sisters was certainly an experience. You’d think that with so many different personalities, things would have been chaotic and, well, they often were. But now that we’re all married, it’s surprisingly easier to get along. Maybe we’ve mellowed out, or maybe we now have our spouses to keep us in line. Either way, it’s a lot more laughs than drama these days, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.)

Throughout Sefer Bereishis, we meet brothers whose relationships are complicated, to …