I'd like to try and get back into the habit of commenting on the torah portion of the week, but I haven't been able to come up with any profound thoughts as yet. This shabbos we will be reading the first half of the story of Joseph. This is my favorite story in the whole torah, mostly I think becuase I got hooked on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when I was a kid. Aside from the brilliant idea of each song being written in a different style (country-western, middle eastern, rock 'n' roll, etc.) the lyrics could be cheeky:

I look handsome, I look smart..I am a walking work of art!

There's one more angel in heaven, one more star in the sky
Joseph we'll never forget you..it's tough but we're gonna get by!

Or profoundly moving:

Close every door to me, Keep those I love from me
Children of Israel are never alone

If my life were important I
Would ask will I live or die
But I know the answers lie
Far from this world

From the Chabad website (link on the right), I learned a lesson about the importance of engaging our fellow human beings in conversation, especially when they seem troubled. While Joseph was in jail in Egypt, instead of feeling sorry for himself, he asked Pharoah's baker and cup bearer why they seemed so upset. It was based on this unselfish desire to help them that led to the chain of events that made him the number two man in all of Egypt.