By Morriah Kaplan
I think looking critically at Joseph’s actions can teach us a lot about effective forms of Tikkun Olam. Joseph’s system was not effective, since he did not provide a way for the people of Egypt to help themselves. Instead, Joseph might have set up a system to empower farmers and allow them to still produce their own food, rather than simply selling their land and becoming dependent on Pharoah. I think this parashah should make us think about the kind of support we give to others – whether it’s through community service, charity, various Tikkun Olam projects, and even in the kinds of relationships we build with our chanichim and kvutzah members – and make sure that we are not encouraging dependency, but rather providing paths to empowerment.