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Subject: PARSHA61 -09: Parashat Vayeshev
YESHIVAT
HAR ETZION
YISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
PARASHAT
VAYESHEV
The
Fall and Rise of Yosef
By
Rav Zvi Shimon
This week's parasha marks the beginning
of the
narrative of the children of Ya'akov, which continues
until the end of Sefer Bereishit and prepares
the
foundations for Sefer Shemot. Yosef is sold into slavery
and taken to Egypt where he is elevated, after many
trials and tribulations, to the position of viceroy. Due
to this position, he manages to save his family from
famine and invites them to dwell in Egypt, where he
continues to sustain them.
Although the characters act of their own
volition
and initiative, and, as opposed to the rest of Sefer
Bereishit, God's name is barely mentioned, His presence
is nevertheless felt behind the scenes.
God is
functioning "be-nistar," in a concealed way. Yosef, for
example, has what are apparently prophetic dreams about
his future dominance over the House of Ya'akov.
In
addition, Rashi comments on the verse, "So he [Ya'akov]
sent him [Yosef] from the valley of Chevron" (37:14):
"But Chevron is on a mountain! [So why
does the Torah speak of the valley ('emek') of Chevron?] The valley of Chevron alludes to the profound ('amuka') counsel of the righteous one (Abraham) who is buried in Chevron to fulfill that which God told Abraham in the brit bein ha-betarim: 'Know well
that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved
and oppressed...' (15:13)."
Ya'akov sends Yosef to verify the welfare of his brothers
tending the flocks at Shekhem. This is a fateful act
which allows the brothers to conspire, out of their
father's sight, to sell Yosef into slavery - an act which
leads to Yosef's being taken down to Egypt. The simple
meaning of the clause "the valley of Chevron" is that
Ya'akov accompanied his son to a valley situated at the
outskirts of Chevron (see the Sforno). The
Sages,
however, through a play on words, homiletically interpret
the word "emek" (valley) as "amok" (profound) and
thus
relate Ya'akov's sending of Yosef to a divine master plan
for the creation of the Jewish people in Egypt.
God's part in the unfolding of
events is also
attested to by Yosef himself after he reveals his true
identity to his brothers in Egypt:
"God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his household, and ruler over the whole land of Egypt." (45:7,8)
This is also the approach adopted by the Psalmist:
"He [God] called for a famine upon the land; He broke every staff of bread. He [God] sent a man
before them, Yosef, sold into slavery." (Tehillim 105:16-17)
It is the will of God, then, that Yosef be taken down to
Egypt. While man functions independently
and is
responsible for his actions, he is nevertheless also a
tool for the accomplishment of God's will.
Accepting that the narrative is part of a
divine plan, we must attempt to understand the outline of this
plan. If God desires that Yosef arrive to Egypt
in
advance of his family and thus help facilitate their
settlement there, why does it occur in such a tortuous
manner? Why does Yosef have to suffer the humiliation
and the agony of being thrown into a pit and then sold
off as a lowly slave? Is there not a less painful way of
accomplishing the objective?
I believe the answer to these questions lies in the
narrative in the beginning of our parasha which recounts
the origins of the brothers' hatred towards Yosef. As
you read the following verses, pay attention to the
number of times the brothers' hatred is mentioned and the
different explanations given for this hatred. We shall
then examine the way various parshanim
(exegetes)
extracted meaning from a close reading of this passage.
"These are the generations of Ya'akov. Yosef, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilha, and with the sons of Zilpa, his father's wives; and Yosef brought to his father their evil report. Now Yisrael loved Yosef more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat with long sleeves. And when his brethren saw
that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. And Yosef dreamed a dream, and he
told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And
he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words." (Bereishit 37:2-8)
THE LAD
Our narrative begins with an
uncharacteristic
mention of Yosef's young age of seventeen. We may infer
from this that his age is of importance
for the
understanding of the subsequent verses. The Torah, then,
informs us the he was a "na'ar" (translated: a lad) with
the sons of his father's wives Bilha and Zilpa. The
commentators offer different interpretations of the word
"na'ar."
Rasag (Rav Sa'adia Gaon) interprets
simply that
Yosef grew with the sons of Bilha and Zilpa; he spent his
adolescent years in their company. Ibn Ezra interprets
that due to Yosef's young age, he was used as a servant
by the sons of Bilha and Zilpa. Thus, "na'ar" is used
here not in the sense of a lad (as in the interpretation
of Rasag) but rather in the sense of a servant (compare
Shemot 33:11). The Ramban interprets conversely that the
other sons served Yosef and cared for him due to his
young age. "Na'ar" here is, thus, being used in
its
usual sense, a lad. Rav David Zvi Hoffmann, by contrast,
interprets "na'ar" to mean a student, and suggests that
Yosef was learning the trade of being a shepherd from his
brothers. He, thus, connects the clause that Yosef was a
"na'ar" to the beginning of the verse, "Yosef tended the
flocks with his brothers."
Rashi, building on the interpretation that
"na'ar"
means a lad, expands the term beyond a description of age
to include a description of behavior: "For he would do
the things a lad does, such as arranging his hair and
fixing his eyes so as to appear handsome." By stating
that Yosef is a "na'ar" (lad), the Torah informs
us,
according to Rashi, of Yosef's childish behavior. Sforno
similarly suggests that it was Yosef's young age which
caused him to sin and bring bad reports of his brothers
to Ya'akov (verse 2). Yosef lacked the wisdom
and
prudence to think of the possible repercussions of his
actions. Scripture mentions that Yosef is a lad
to
explain the reason for Yosef's misguided behavior, which
causes the animosity that his brothers feel towards him.
THE BAD REPORT
The end of verse 2 states that Yosef brought
bad
reports of his brothers to his father. Which brothers is
Scripture referring to? Is it just the sons of Bilha and
Zilpa (Ramban), just the sons of Leah (Rashi and Rashbam)
or all the brothers (the Sages)?
The different interpretations also
effect our
understanding of the content of the bad report. Sforno
connects the end of the verse, the bad report, to its
very beginning, "Yosef tended the flocks with
his
brothers." He suggests that the bad report relato the
brothers' improper tending of the sheep; Yosef would tend
the sheep with his brothers and then report back to
Ya'akov on his brothers' incompetence as shepherds. As
opposed to Sforno, who connects the bad report to the
beginning of the verse, the Rashbam relates it to the
middle clause: "and the lad was with the sons of Bilha
and Zilpa." He posits that the bad report was
only
against the sons of Leah and suggests that its content
related to their improper treatment of the sons of Bilha
and Zilpa, the maidservants. Yosef treated the latter
respectfully, while the other brothers related to them as
slaves.
Rashi cites an interpretation of the Talmudic Sages:
"He would report to his father that they ate
flesh cut from a living animal (see Bereishit 8:4),
and degraded the sons of the handmaids by calling them slaves, and were suspect regarding incest. And for these three reports Yosef was
punished: 'they slaughtered a young goat' when selling Yosef (37:31) and they did not eat it alive; and concerning
the evil which he told about them, that they call their brothers slaves, as a slave was Yosef
sold; and concerning the incest which he told about
them, Potiphar's wife was sent against him (see 39:7)."
Rashi thus explains all the tribulations which Yosef
experiences as punishment for being a tattle-tale against
his brothers.
THE BROTHERS' HATRED
The continuation of our narrative
presents the
causes for the brothers' hatred of Yosef. These can be
divided into two categories delineated by Scripture
itself:
1) Verse 4 informs us of one cause of hatred: "And when
his brothers saw that their father loved him [Yosef] more
than any of his brothers, they hated him." It is not so
much an outcome of Yosef's behavior as much as a result
of Ya'akov's conduct and preferential treatment of Yosef.
2) Verse 8 is a second cause of hatred: "And they hated
him [Yosef] yet the more for his dreams and for his
words." Yosef's behavior and thoughts aroused animosity
on the part of his brothers.
PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT
We will begin by analyzing the first cause for the
brothers' hatred. "Now Yisrael loved Yosef more than all
his children, because he was the son of his old age: and
he made him a coat with long sleeves" (37:3). Ya'akov
loved Yosef because he was a "ben zekunim" (translated:
the child of his old age) and as a result of this love
Ya'akov made him a special coat. Rashi interprets "ben
zekunim" as a determination of the time of Yosef's birth:
"For he was born to him in the time of his old
age."
Yosef was the last son born to Ya'akov during his years
in the house of Lavan, so Ya'akov had a special regard
for him. This, despite the fact that Benjamin was born
after Yosef and was actually the youngest. It is this
difficulty which perhaps prompted the Targum Onkelos to
translate "ben zekunim" not as "the child of his old age"
but rather "a wise son." The Hebrew root "zaken"
here
takes on the secondary meaning of wisdom and not its
primary meaning of aged. According to Onkelos, our verse
is not a chronological determination but rather
a
personal attribute of Yosef, namely his wisdom.
The Ramban offers a very novel interpretation:
"It was the custom of the elders to take one of their younger sons to be with them to attend them.
He would constantly lean on his arm,
never being separated from him, and he would be
called 'ben zekunim' because he attended him in his old age."
"Ben zekunim" is not a chronological determination, nor a
personal attribute, but rather a function, a position.
Ya'akov designates Yosef to be his personal helper, a
then common practice among aged parents
requiring
assistance. This is, of course, not only a function but
also an honor; Yosef is the chosen son. This creates
jealousy and subsequent animosity towards Yosef.
Scripture relates that Ya'akov manifested his love
for Yosef by making him a "ketonet pasim," a
special
coat. What type of coat was it? What is the meaning of
the word "pasim?" According to the
Septuagint (an
ancient Jewish translation of the Bible into Greek), the
coat contained many colors. According to Rashi, the word
"pasim" denotes the material out of which the coat was
made, which was fine wool, or according to Rav Saadia
Gaon, silk.
Our Sages interpret "pasim" as a designation of
the
length of the garment that reached the "pas," the end, of
the hands and feet. Shadal (Rabbi Shmuel David Luzzatto,
Italy, 1800-1865) comments that the length of the coat is
a sign of stature and liberty. It signifies Yosef's
freedom from any labor, for it is not practical to work
in such long attire. A similar term is used in the book
of Shemuel to describe the clothing of the daughters of
the king: "And she [Tamar] had a long-sleeved
robe
('ketonet pasim') upon her, for with such robes were the
king's daughters who were virgins appareled" (II Shemuel
13:18). The brothers are jealous of the coat not only
for its beauty but also for what it represents - power
and nobility. Yosef is the "ben zekunim" and he
dons
regal attire as a testimony to this status.
THE DREAMER
The brothers' hatred is not only
a result of
Ya'akov's preferential treatment of Yosef; it is also a
result of Yosef's own behavior and, more specifically,
his fantastic dreams: "And they hated him [Yosef] yet the
more for his dreams and for his words" (37:8).
What
"words" is the verse alluding to? Both Rashi and Rashbam
interpret the "words" as the "bad reports"
about his
brothers which Yosef told Ya'akov (verse 2). The Ramban
disagrees and interprets the "words"
as Yosef's
recounting of the dream: "They hated him for the dreams
and for relating them in a BOASTFUL manner." Yosef is
completely engrossed in the idea of leading his brothers.
He, the young lad, is already making claims for the
leadership! The Sforno points out that he not
only
recounts the dreams but also asks his brothers
to
interpret them, stressing their content and
thus
exacerbating the situation. Why did Yosef recount his
dreams to his brothers? Did he not know that this would
arouse antipathy?
Radak explains that Yosef purposefully recounted the
dreams to aggravate and pain his brothers since he knew
that they hated him. The Sforno does not go so far, but,
continuing his exegetical direction (see above regarding
"na'ar"), explains that Yosef's recounting of the dream
is due to his lack of wisdom and his young age. The
purpose of the opening verse of the narrative that states
Yosef's age is to explain his absurd behavior. Yosef is
trying to impress his brothers and
gain their
appreciation. His behavior, however, is accomplishing
the exact opposite. He simply lacks the wisdom
to
anticipate the repercussions of his actions.
Let us return to our original question:
If God
desires that Yosef go down to Egypt, why did it have to
occur in such a tortuous manner? Why did Yosef have to
suffer the humiliation and the agony of being thrown into
a pit and then sold off as a lowly slave?
The Torah describes the brothers' assault on Yosef
as follows: "When Yosef came up to his brothers, they
stripped Yosef of his coat, the long-sleeved coat that
was on him, and took him and cast him into a pit" (37:23-24). The brothers first rip off his coat, since
it
symbolizes the special status that Yosef enjoyed. They
then throw him into a pit and subsequently sell him off
into slavery. Yosef experiences a dramatic fall. He
deteriorates from being the preferred son with special
privileges to being a powerless slave. I believe this
fall is not accidental.
Yosef, as his prophetic dreams predict, is
indeed
destined to lead his brothers. His special talents,
recognized by his father Ya'akov, make him fit for this
task. Yosef, however, has a serious problem. He
is
completely engrossed in the idea of ruling over his
brothers. He has become drunk with the prospects of
power. He behaves pompously and smugly towards
his
brothers and they hate him for this.
He reacts
immaturely to the prospect of being designated leader.
He holds it to his merit, and instead of preparing for
the responsibilities of leadership,
he behaves
condescendingly towards his bro It is this immaturity,
pointed out by the Sforno, and his misunderstanding of
the function of leadership, which require correction.
So long as Yosef relates to his leadership position
as he does, he is not worthy of it. He is stripped of
his coat and left totally powerless. He must realize the
true source and objective of his power.
For this
purpose, Yosef sinks to the lowest stratum of society, to
slavery. Through his downfall he
realizes his
vulnerability. He is no longer the arrogant lad who
flaunts his self-perceived power and importance. Yosef
realizes that he misunderstood his dreams. The purpose
of his future greatness is not so that his family bow
down to him. The purpose of his power, intimated by the
dream of the sheaves of grain, is that he sustain his
family during the famine. His greatness is not his own;
it stems from God and was bestowed upon him for the
purpose of accomplishing God's plan for the building of
the nation of Yisrael.
It is only after Yosef comes to the realization that
God is the source of his power that his dreams
are
realized. When Yosef's brothers go down to Egypt, they
do not recognize that the Egyptian ruler speaking to them
is none other then their brother Yosef. This is due not
only to the change in his external appearance, but to the
change in his personality. He is no
longer the
presumptuous lad who flaunts and boasts of his greatness
at every possible opportunity. He is Yosef, viceroy of
Egypt and sustainer of the House of Ya'akov.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
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