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M ediation is an alternative that can help you retain more time, money, and privacy during your legal battle. Barbara Smith, J.D., former district court magistrate and administrative law judge with more than 25 years of legal experience, lends her unique blend of reason, calmness and tenacity to the process, helping guide opposing parties to mutually agreeable solutions. She has successfully mediated hundreds of cases over the past decade. Smith Mediation Center Bloomfi eld Hills | 248.646.8000 www.michigan-divorce-mediation.com Divorce Mediation 2043970 Travelling to Toronto for Hearing Implant Treatment? Toronto is home to the hearLIFE Clinic, one of four in the world that specializes in hearing loss treatment. We provide comprehensive care for a range of hearing losses using the latest technology in cochlear and other hearing implants. The dedicated hearLIFE Clinic team will help make your Toronto experience an excellent one. We are located in beautiful uptown Toronto, near exceptional hotels and easily accessed by public transit, major highways and two airports. All services in Canadian dollars. To learn more, visit www.hearlifeclinic.com/ca or call (416) 926-9998. Dr. Lorne Parnes is medical director of the hearLIFE Clinic, Toronto and medical/surgical director, Cochlear Implant Program, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario. Dr. Parnes is also Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and Clinical Neurological Sciences, Western University. 2140240 » t o r a h p o r t i o n December 29 • 2016 43 A s a new rabbi to the area, I have spent the past few months meeting a whole world of new people — both at Temple Beth El and beyond. As I continue to transition into my role and discover my new home, I find myself drawn to the figure of our forefather Joseph. Joseph is a man on a lengthy journey to become the person he is meant to be. Being new in my role, I feel particularly aware of the myriad actions I make every single day that shape who I am and how others see me. In Joseph, I find a model who grows from self-absorption to being in active relationship with God. Joseph's three instances of dream interpreta- tion shine a light on his spiritual development over time. When we initially encounter Joseph, he is a swaggering youth. He eagerly shares his dreams and their interpretations with his family, who seem to consider them irritating delusions of grandeur to simply add to the list of his annoying behaviors. Joseph comes off as self-aggran- dizing and obnoxious, with no regard for how others might experi- ence him. This early version of Joseph is highly self-oriented. The next time Joseph has the chance to interpret dreams, we encounter a person living in entirely different circumstances with an entirely differ- ent attitude. Joseph has been sold into slavery by his own brothers, bought by an Egyptian man to serve in his house- hold and then sent to jail after falsely being accused of rape. When his fellow inmates mention that they are troubled by bad dreams and lack an interpreter, Joseph steps in right away. Yet this is hardly the ego- tistical Joseph of yesteryear, eager to show off and unaware of the impact of his behavior. Instead, Joseph responds: "Surely God can interpret! Tell me [your dreams]" (Genesis 40:8). Joseph has the same talent as before, and does not deny or minimize it — yet now we find that God is a key part of the team as well. In fact, this is the first time that Joseph acknowledges God in any way! Through the same inborn skill that previously got him into trouble, Joseph instead finds room to connect with the Divine. Joseph's transformation is further underscored in this portion, when, two years later, he is called upon to interpret Pharaoh's dreams for him. Pharaoh summons Joseph from jail and remarks on his well-known skill. This time, Joseph's answer is even more dramatic: "Not I! God will see to Pharaoh's welfare" (Genesis 41:16). This time, Joseph claims to remove himself entirely from the process — while also running the risk of offending the most powerful man in his universe with his answer. Yet Joseph is determined to honor God with his gift. We, like Joseph, can choose to seek out God — in whatever form God might take — and to connect with God through the practice of our own skills and talents. I pray we will all pursue the trans- formation and connection that Joseph found that led him to his better self. * Rabbi Megan Brudney is a rabbi at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township. Parshat Miketz: Genesis 41:1-44:17; (Shabbat Chanukah) Zechariah:14-4:7. Rabbi Megan Brudney Develop Your Talents area, t few whole