Vayeishev for Teens: Shabbat Sha-raps

Vayeishev, Genesis 37:1−40:23

Have you ever been curious how relatable the Torah really is? A group of staff from the Kutz365 Alumni Network decided to spend an entire year rapping the weekly Torah portion, or parasha, from the Torah. Shabbat Sha'Raps started at camp in the summer of 2016, and then grew through Zoom over the course of an entire year. Filmed from Zoom boxes around the globe, this creative interpretation of Torah is a fun and easy way to understand the weekly Torah portion. Join Evan, Matt, Melissa, and lots of special guests on this joyful journey of discovering Torah!

In this parasha, we meet the famous Joseph, Jacob's favorite son. His brothers sell Joseph into slavery and tell their father that he is dead, upsetting Jacob to no end. In Egypt, God watches over Joseph, even though he ends up in jail. Listen in to hear about what happens as he sleeps! 

Transcript

Saturday morning and the peeps are here
It’s time for Shabbat – let me get a cheer
We’ll talk about creation, the garden, the great flood, too,
Ayyoo Matt, you know what to do

Just last week, Jacob and Esau meet
And instead of fighting, they do a nice little greet}
God gives Jacob, the land of the fam
But it’s up to his descendents, they gotta go HAM

Now don’t forget Joseph, that’s his name
He has dreams of grandeur, he’s heading for fame
But Matt, let’s tell ‘em one more thing
About Joseph and his nice piece of bling

It was red and yellow and green and brown
And scarlet and black and ocher and peach
And ruby and olive and violet and fawn
And lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve
And cream and crimson and silver and rose
And azure and lemon and russet and grey
And purple and white and pink and orange and blue

But his brothers are jealous, so what do they do
They sell him into slavery, man that ain’t cool
His brothers tell Jacob that Joseph is dead
But you just can’t believe a single word they said

Meanwhile Joseph is interpreting dreams
But this time in Egypt with all sorts of themes
He gets in some trouble and is thrown in jail
We’ll find out next week if he can post some bail
It’s that time of year, December you’re up
We celebrate the holidays, that’s what’s up
Eat latkes, spin dreidels, this winter’s a hit
Happy Hanukkah y’all, it’s gonna be lit

Thanks for listening to our 30th rap
Stay tuned for more, we’re putting ourselves on the map
​This has been your - Shabbat Sha’Rap!!!

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