Reading from a Torah scroll in accordance with Sephardi tradition. Photo: Sagie Maoz via Wikimedia Commons.

Parshat Vayigash brings us to one of the most emotionally charged moments in the Torah.

Yosef, now a powerful ruler in Egypt, reveals his identity to his brothers, setting the stage for reconciliation after years of separation, pain, and misunderstanding. The parsha highlights themes of forgiveness, unity, and divine providence, as fractured relationships are mended and a family realigns with its shared destiny.

From a mathematical perspective, the resolution in Parshat Vayigash can be seen as a system of linear equations. Just as a system requires each equation to be satisfied simultaneously at a single solution point, the family’s conflicting perspectives and needs converge into a unified outcome. This metaphor provides a structured lens through which to understand the intricate interplay of values, responsibilities, and emotions in this story.

The Mathematical Framework: Systems of Linear Equations

A system of linear equations consists of two or more equations that must be satisfied simultaneously. For example:

Here, x and y represent variables, while the coefficients define the relationships between them. Each equation represents a straight line on a graph, and the solution to the system is the point where the lines intersect — a place where all conditions of both equations are met.

This concept mirrors the narrative arc of Parshat Vayigash. Yosef’s perspective, shaped by his journey and Divine purpose, represents one equation, while Yehdah’s plea, grounded in responsibility and repentance, represents another. Both have their own unique parameters, yet the Torah demands that their paths intersect to achieve harmony.

Yosef’s Equation

Yosef’s trajectory is shaped by years of hardship and Divine intervention. Sold into slavery by his brothers, he rises to become the viceroy of Egypt, using his position to save countless lives during a devastating famine. His equation includes parameters such as forgiveness, hidden identity, and the fulfillment of his prophetic dreams. Yosef operates with a long view of history, understanding that his suffering was part of a Divine plan to ensure the survival of his family.

In mathematical terms, Yosef’s line reflects a higher-level perspective. His decisions are calculated, testing his brothers to see if they have truly changed. He places Benjamin in a position of vulnerability, forcing his brothers to confront their past actions and demonstrate growth.

Yehudah’s Equation

Yehudah’s line, meanwhile, is rooted in loyalty, repentance, and self-sacrifice. Once a key player in the sale of Yosef, Yehudah now steps forward as the family’s moral leader. His heartfelt plea to protect Benjamin, even offering himself as a slave in his brother’s place, demonstrates a profound transformation. Yehudah’s parameters include responsibility for his actions, a commitment to his father Yakov, and a willingness to endure personal suffering for the sake of his family’s unity.

Yehudah’s line represents a grounded, immediate perspective. He is not thinking about grand plans or Divine foresight; he is focused on the here and now, ensuring Benjamin’s safety and preserving his father’s fragile spirit.

Solving the System

The brilliance of Parshat Vayigash lies in how these two “lines” converge. Yosef and Yehudah begin from vastly different places: Yosef with his concealed identity and tests, and Yehudah with his guilt and earnestness. Through their charged interaction, each adjusts their position, mirroring the process of manipulating equations to find a solution.

Yosef’s eventual revelation — “I am Yosef” — is the moment when the system resolves. At this point, all conditions are satisfied: Yosef’s need to confirm his brothers’ repentance, Yehudah’s commitment to his family’s well-being, and the overarching Divine plan to reunite Yakov’s children.

The solution to the system is a point of harmony where all variables align. The family’s unity is restored, not by erasing their differences, but by finding a resolution that respects and incorporates each perspective.

Lessons from the Formula

The system of linear equations in Parshat Vayigash teaches us profound lessons about reconciliation and harmony. Just as mathematical systems require each equation to maintain its integrity while finding common ground, human relationships thrive when differing perspectives are acknowledged and balanced. The Torah shows us that unity is not about uniformity; it’s about creating a space where all voices can contribute to a shared solution.

The process of solving such a system highlights the importance of adjustments and dialogue. Yosef and Yehudah’s interactions involve testing, negotiation, and moments of vulnerability. The result is a meaningful reconciliation that strengthens their family’s bond.

Conclusion

Parshat Vayigash offers a timeless blueprint for resolving conflicts and building unity. Through the lens of a system of linear equations, we see how Yosef and Yehudah’s distinct trajectories intersect to create a harmonious outcome. Each perspective brings its own parameters, yet the solution honors them all. This mathematical metaphor not only deepens our understanding of the parsha, but also inspires us to seek alignment in our own relationships, finding points of connection where harmony can flourish.

Rochie Gottheil is an analyst by day and creates high school and college math curricula in her spare time. She can be reached at Rochel.desk@gmail.com 

The post Deriving Harmony: A ‘Mathematical’ Reading of Parshat Vayigash and the Story of Yosef first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

The BBC logo is seen at the entrance at Broadcasting House, the BBC headquarters in central London. Photo by Vuk Valcic / SOPA Images/Sipa USA.

On Dec. 17, the BBC News website published a report by Yolande Knell and Rushdi Abualouf headlined “Gaza ceasefire talks in final stage, Palestinian negotiator tells BBC.” Readers of that report were told that:

Of 96 hostages still held in Gaza, 62 are assumed by Israel to still be alive.

As was the case in another BBC report published a week earlier, that portrayal fails to clarify that Hamas also holds two Israeli civilians who entered the Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in 2014.

Readers are also told that Israel’s concern for the security of its civilians is “problematic” and a nod to the “far right”:

According to his spokesman, [Israel’s minister of defence] Katz told members of the Israeli parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Monday: “We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the previous deal,” referring to an exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners in Israel in November 2023.

He has since written on X: “My position on Gaza is clear. After we defeat Hamas’s military and governmental power in Gaza, Israel will have security control over Gaza with full freedom of action,” comparing this to the situation in the occupied West Bank.

“We will not allow any terrorist activity against Israeli communities and Israeli citizens from Gaza. We will not allow a return to the reality of before 7 October.”

Such comments are likely to be seen as problematic by negotiators trying to bridge gaps with Hamas. However, in Israel, they are seen as vital to guarantee the support of far-right Israeli cabinet ministers who have previously warned they would not agree to what they have described as a “reckless” deal in Gaza.

In a televised report about the talks which was aired on the BBC News channel on the same day, Rushdi Abualouf (located in Istanbul) told viewers that: [emphasis in italics in the original, emphasis in bold added]

“…also the first stage will allow the dead hostages — the civilian dead hostages — also will be released. So not only alive [sic] hostages but also the people who were killed in the airstrikes and they are civilians…”

With that highlighted statement Abualouf promoted and mainstreamed the long-standing Hamas propaganda whereby any deceased hostages were killed as a result of Israeli actions.

In August we saw that when such claims were shown to be false, the BBC failed to adequately inform its audiences when Hamas murdered six Israeli hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

Among the civilian hostages known to be deceased, are those who were murdered during the October 7 onslaught and their bodies then abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip. They include Idan Shtivi, Judith Weinstein Haggai, Gadi Haggai,  Dror Or, Yair Yaakov, Manny Godard, Ilan Weiss, Eitan Levy, Ofra Keidar and two Thai nationals. Additional hostages were kidnapped alive and subsequently died or were murdered while in captivity.

Rushdi Abualouf not only promoted disinformation by claiming that the deceased civilian hostages were “killed in the airstrikes” — he deliberately misled BBC audiences by means of brazen promotion of the Hamas narrative, which is intended to erase its responsibility for the deaths of hostages and place the blame on Israel.

Hadar Sela is the co-editor of CAMERA UK — an affiliate of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), where a version of this article first appeared.

The post How Hamas Lies About Israeli Hostages — With the BBC’s Help first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

A view of Sydney, Australia. Photo: Reuters/David Gray.

A Jewish volunteer radio host was fired from a community radio station in Sydney, Australia, after covering up a “Free Palestine” sticker on station equipment and refusing to describe the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel as “resistance.”

Nicole, whose last name was not publicly shared for her safety, hosted a Latino music program in Spanish on Radio Skid Row, according to Sky News Australia, which was the first to reported on her firing. On Friday, the former radio host, who has Mexican and Israeli roots, talked about being fired in a video posted on social media.

“I just came out of a meeting with Radio Skid Row,” she said. “They basically just told me that if I cannot support the Oct. 7 attacks as ‘resistance’ and as something positive — basically saying also that it’s not true that anybody just killed or burned or anything — that if I cannot support the hostages being kept, then I don’t align with their values and I cannot be there. If I cannot support the fact that Israel doesn’t have a right to exist and that Jews don’t have a right to be in Israel, I can no longer be at their station.”

Radio Skid Row receives federal government funding from the Community Broadcasting Foundation and support from the City of Sydney Council. It broadcasts a weekly show called “Pulse of Palestine,” which examines “life under occupation and the global Palestinian resistance,” according to a description posted on the radio station’s website. The show is hosted by Palestinian activist Ahmed Alabadla and was previously titled “Red Inverted Triangle: Resistance, Intifada, Tahreer,” which is now the name of a podcast also hosted by Alabadla. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the red inverted triangle is a symbol used by Hamas and supporters of the terrorist organization to glorify its use of violence.

Radio Skid Row has deleted its Instagram account as of Tuesday but Sky News Australia noted that it has shared numerous anti-Israel posts on the social media application, including one that glorified notorious Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled. A member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is an internationally designated terrorist organization, Khaled hijacked a Tel Aviv-bound plane in 1969 and attempted another hijacking in 1970 of an El Al flight.

Nicole told the Australian news outlet that Radio Skid Row manager Manu Montero called her in for a meeting after she covered up on station equipment a sticker that featured a Palestinian flag and the words “Free Palestine.”

During the meeting, Nicole apologized for covering the “Free Palestine” sticker before talking to management first. She discussed her opposition to the “Free Palestine” movement and its connection to vandalism and other forms of violence in Australia, and how it has made “Jewish people feel uneasy and safe in Sydney.” She also talked about being a Jewish person who had family murdered in the Holocaust. She told Sky News Australia that another person who Montero invited to the meeting, a woman, laughed at Nicole when she talked about the Jewish experience and her heritage.

Montero responded by talking about the radio station’s opposition to Israel, accusing the country of colonization and saying Israel does not have a right to exist, Nicole recalled. Her husband, who attended the meeting to support her, asked Montero if Nicole could continue hosting her Skid News show if she stayed away from discussing politics. Montero replied no, that she had to actively support the Free Palestine movement, speak about it and attend pro-Palestinian rallies. Montero also denied that Oct. 7 happened entirely, Nicole told Sky News Australia.

Radio Skid Row and Montero have not publicly commented on Nicole’s firing.

The post Jewish Radio Host in Australia Fired for Covering ‘Free Palestine’ Sticker, Refusing to Defend Oct. 7 Hamas Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.