Dorit Schonbrunn, Early Childhood Education P edagogical Coordinator

"Why are you sad today?" From this one little question we can see how it was Joseph's ability to empathize that changed the course of his own history and ours.

Joseph has every reason to be bitter, angry, hopeless and uncaring. But instead, he chose to get out of himself long enough to notice the plight of others; he chose to use the skill of empathy.

In the Early Childhood Program, we work to model and teach the skill of empathy. Through a program called Conscious Discipline children and adults are learning to take the time to notice, accept and respond appropriately to what life throws our way, and empathy is one of the seven foundational skills that helps us do that. Empathy allows us to use our intelligence more effectively because it requires us to use our imagination, to see things from another's perspective. When we do that we are exercising critical executive functions like inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and reflection, which allow us to stop thinking about ourselves, view a situation differently and see things from another's viewpoint as well as our own.

In one of his divrei Torah on this parashah, Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb writes:

"What made Joseph great? He was, as we will read next week, a chacham and a navon, a wise and discerning man. But he was also, as we read this week, a dreamer who could inquire empathically after the well being of his fellow prisoners and ask them, 'Why are you so downcast today?'"

Weinreb continues, "Joseph's role in the history of our nation is as a model of the exquisite blending of intellect with imagination. This balance is required of all of us if we are to understand each other, if we are going to succeed in life, and if we are to personally experience personal growth."

Joseph's one act of empathy is what ultimately led to his becoming the second in command to Pharaoh and having such a vital impact on the world around him.  We learn from this week's parashah that, for our children to be truly successful, we need to care about cultivating their social emotional growth as much as their intelligence growth.