Vayeshev

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Vayeshev, Vayeishev, or Vayesheb (וישב — Hebrew for “and he lived,” the first word of the parshah) is the ninth weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 37:1–40:23. Jews in the Diaspora read it the ninth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in December.

Joseph’s Brothers Sell Him into Captivity (painting by Konstantin Flavitsky)

[edit] Summary

[edit] Joseph the dreamer

Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, and this is his family’s story. (Gen. 37:1–2.) When Joseph was 17, he fed the flock with his brothers, and he brought Jacob an evil report about his brothers. (Gen. 37:2.) Because Joseph was the son of Jacob’s old age, Jacob loved him more than his other children, and Jacob made him a coat of many colors, which caused Joseph’s brothers to hate him. (Gen. 37:3–4.) And Joseph made his brothers hate him more when he told them that he dreamed that they were binding sheaves in the field, and their sheaves bowed down to his sheaf. (Gen. 37:5–7.) He told his brothers another dream, in which the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him, and when he told his father, Jacob rebuked him, asking whether he, Joseph’s mother, and his brothers would bow down to Joseph. (Gen. 37:9–10.)

Jacob Sees Joseph’s Coat (painting by Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow)

When the brothers went to feed the flock in Shechem, Jacob sent Joseph to see whether all was well with them. (Gen. 37:12–14.) A man found Joseph and asked him what he sought, and when he told the man that he sought his brothers, the man told him that they had departed for Dothan. (Gen. 37:15–17.) When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they conspired to kill him, cast him into a pit, say that a beast had devoured him, and see what would become of his dreams then. (Gen. 37:18–20.) But Reuben persuaded them not to kill him but to cast him into a pit, hoping to restore him to Jacob later. (Gen. 37:21–22.) So Joseph’s brothers stripped him of his coat of many colors and cast him into an empty pit. (Gen. 37:23–24.) They sat down to eat, and when they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites from Gilead bringing spices and balm to Egypt, Judah persuaded the brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites. (Gen. 37:25–27.) Passing Midianite merchants drew Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver, and they brought him to Egypt. (Gen. 37:28.) When Reuben returned to the pit and Joseph was gone, he rent his clothes and asked his brothers where he could go now. (Gen. 37:29–30.)

They took Joseph’s coat of many colors, dipped it in goat’s blood, and sent it to Jacob to identify. (Gen. 37:31–32.) Jacob concluded that a beast had devoured Joseph, and rent his garments, put on sackcloth, and mourned for his son. (Gen. 37:33–34.) All his sons and daughters tried in vain to comfort him. (Gen. 37:35.) And the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. (Gen. 37:36.)

Judah and Tamar (painting by Horace Vernet)

[edit] Judah and Tamar

Judah left his brothers to live near an Adullamite named Hirah. (Gen. 38:1.) Judah married the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua and had three sons named Er, Onan, and Shelah. (Gen. 38:2–5.) Judah arranged for Er to marry a woman named Tamar, but Er was wicked and God killed him. (Gen. 38:6–7.) Judah directed Onan to perform a brother’s duty and have children with Tamar in Er’s name. (Gen. 38:8.) But Onan knew that the children would not be counted as his, so he spilled his seed, and God killed him as well. (Gen. 38:9–10.) Then Judah told Tamar to remain a widow in his house until Shelah could grown up, thinking that if Tamar wed Shelah, he might also die. (Gen. 38:11.)

Later, when Judah’s wife died, he went with his friend Hirah to his sheep-shearers at Timnah. (Gen. 38:12.) When Tamar learned that Judah had gone to Timnah, she took off her widow’s garments and put on a veil and sat on the road to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah had grown up and Judah had not given her to be his wife. (Gen. 38:13–14.) Judah took her for a harlot, offered her a young goat for her services, and gave her his signet and staff as a pledge for payment, and they cohabited and she conceived. (Gen. 38:15–18.) Judah sent Hirah to deliver the young goat and collect his pledge, but he asked about and did not find her. (Gen. 38:20–21.) When Hirah reported to Judah that the men of the place said that there had been no harlot there, Judah put the matter to rest so as not to be put to shame. (Gen. 38:22–23.) About three months later, Judah heard that Tamar had played the harlot and become pregnant, and he ordered her to be brought forth and burned. (Gen. 38:24.) When they seized her, she sent Judah the pledge to identify, saying that she was pregnant by the man whose things they were. (Gen. 38:25.) Judah acknowledged them and said that she was more righteous than he, inasmuch as he had failed to give her to Shelah. (Gen. 38:26.)

When Tamar delivered, one twin — whom she would name Zerah — put out a hand and the midwife bound it with a scarlet thread, but then he drew it back and his brother — whom she would name Perez — came out. (Gen. 38:27–30.)

Joseph and the Wife of Potiphar (painting by Philipp Veit)

[edit] Joseph and Potiphar

Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites. (Gen. 39:1.) When Potiphar saw that God was with Joseph and prospered all that he did, Potiphar appointed him overseer over his house and gave him charge of all that he had, and God blessed Pharaoh’s house for Joseph’s sake. (Gen. 39:2–5.) Joseph was handsome, and Potiphar’s wife repeatedly asked him to lie with her, but he declined, asking how he could sin so against Potiphar and God. (Gen. 39:6–10.) One day, when the men of the house were away, she caught him by his garment and asked him to lie with her, but he fled, leaving his garment behind. (Gen. 39:11–12.) When Potiphar came home, she accused Joseph of trying to force himself on her, and Potiphar put Joseph in the prison where the king’s prisoners were held. (Gen. 39:16–20.)

Joseph Interprets Dreams in Prison (painting by Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow)

But God was with Joseph, and gave him favor in the sight of the warden, who committed all the prisoners to Joseph’s charge. (Gen. 39:21–23.) When the Pharaoh’s butler and baker offended him, the Pharaoh put them into the prison as well. (Gen. 40:1–4.) One night, the butler and the baker each dreamed a dream. (Gen. 40:5.) Finding them sad, Joseph asked the cause, and they told him that it was because no one could interpret their dreams. (Gen. 40:6–8.) Acknowledging that interpretations belong to God, Joseph asked them to tell him their dreams. (Gen. 40:8.) The butler told Joseph that he dreamt that he saw a vine with three branches blossom and bring forth grapes, which he took and pressed into Pharaoh’s cup, which he gave to Pharaoh. (Gen. 40:9–11.) Joseph interpreted that within three days, Pharaoh would lift up the butler’s head and restore him to his office, where he would give Pharaoh his cup just as he used to do. (Gen. 40:12–13.) And Joseph asked the butler to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh, so that he might be brought out of the prison, for he had been stolen away from his land and had done nothing to warrant his imprisonment. (Gen. 40:14–15.) When the baker saw that the interpretation of the butler’s dream was good, he told Joseph his dream: He saw three baskets of white bread on his head, and the birds ate them out of the basket. (Gen. 40:16–17.) Joseph interpreted that within three days Pharaoh would lift up the baker’s head and hang him on a tree, and the birds would eat his flesh. (Gen. 40:18–19.) And on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, Pharaoh made a feast, restored the chief butler to his butlership, and hanged the baker, just as Joseph had predicted. (Gen. 40:20–22.) But the butler forgot about Joseph. (Gen. 40:23.)

[edit] In classical rabbinic interpretation

[edit] Genesis chapter 37

Rabbi Johanan taught that wherever Scripture uses the term “And he abode” (vayeshev), as it does in Genesis 37:1, it presages trouble. Thus in Numbers 25:1, “And Israel abode in Shittim” is followed by “and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.” In Genesis 37:1, “And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan,” is followed by Genesis 37:3, “and Joseph brought to his father their evil report.” In Genesis 47:27, “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen,” is followed by Genesis 47:29, “And the time drew near that Israel must die.” In 1Kings 5:5, “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree,” is followed by 1Kings 11:14, “And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was the king’s seed in Edom.” (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 106a.)

Rabbi Helbo quoted Rabbi Jonathan to teach that the words of Genesis 37:2, “These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph,” indicate that the firstborn should have come from Rachel, but Leah prayed for mercy before Rachel did. On account of Rachel’s modesty, however, God restored the rights of the firstborn to Rachel’s son Joseph from Leah’s son Reuben. To teach what caused Leah to anticipate Rachel with her prayer for mercy, Rav taught that Leah’s eyes were sore (as Genesis 29:17 reports) from her crying about what she heard at the crossroads. There she heard people saying: “Rebecca has two sons, and Laban has two daughters; the elder daughter should marry the elder son, and the younger daughter should marry the younger son.” Leah inquired about the elder son, and the people said that he was a wicked man, a highway robber. And Leah asked about the younger son, and the people said that he was “a quiet man dwelling in tents.” (Genesis 25:27.) So she cried about her fate until her eyelashes fell out. This accounts for the words of Genesis 29:31, “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb,” which mean not that Leah was actually hated, but rather that God saw that Esau’s conduct was hateful to Leah, so he rewarded her prayer for mercy by opening her womb first. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 123a.)

Rava bar Mehasia said in the name of Rav Hama bar Goria in Rav’s name that a man should never single out one son among his other sons, for on account of the small weight of silk that Jacob gave Joseph more than he gave his other sons, his brothers became jealous of Joseph and the matter resulted in the Israelites’ descent into Egypt. (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 10b.)

Rabbi Judah ben Simon taught that God required each of the Israelites to give a half-shekel (as reported in Exodus 38:26) because (as reported in Genesis 37:28) their ancestors had sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels. (Genesis Rabbah 84:18.)

[edit] Genesis chapter 38

The Mishnah taught that notwithstanding its mature content, in the synagogue, Jews read and translated Tamar’s story in Genesis 38. (Mishnah Megillah 4:10; Babylonian Talmud Megillah 25a.) The Gemara questioned why the Mishnah bothered to say so and proposed that one might think that Jews should forbear out of respect for Judah. But the Gemara deduced that the Mishnah instructed that Jews read and translate the chapter to show that the chapter actually redounds to Judah’s credit, as it records in Genesis 38:26 that he confessed his wrongdoing. (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 25b.)

[edit] Genesis chapter 39

The Tosefta deduced from Genesis 39:5 that before Joseph arrived, Potiphar’s house had not received a blessing, and that it was because of Joseph’s arrival that Potiphar’s house was blessed thereafter. (Tosefta Sotah 10:8.)

Amos (illustration by Gustave Doré)

[edit] Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are no commandments in the parshah. (Maimonides. Mishneh Torah. Cairo, Egypt, 1170–1180. Reprinted in Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 1:91. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is Amos 2:6–3:8.

[edit] Further reading

The parshah is cited or discussed in these sources:

[edit] Ancient

Homer

“The Story of Two Brothers.” Egypt, circa 1225 B.C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., James B. Pritchard. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 23–25. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. ISBN 0-691-03503-2.
Homer. The Iliad Book 6 (Bellerophon accused of rape); Book 9 (Phoenix and father’s concubine). Greece, 8th–6th Century B.C.E.

[edit] Biblical

Deuteronomy 25:5–10 (levirate marriage).
2 Samuel 11:2–12:13 (admission of sexual sin); 13:18 (garment of many colors).
Jeremiah 31:14 in 1917 JPS; 31:15 in NJPS (refusal to be comforted for lost son of Rachel); 39:6–13 (thrown into a pit).
Daniel 2:1–49; 4:1–5:31 (interpreting dreams).

Philo

[edit] Early nonrabbinic

Philo. On the Unchangeableness of God 25:119. Alexandria, Egypt, early 1st Century C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by Charles Duke Yonge, 168. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1993. ISBN 0-943575-93-1.
Josephus. Antiquities 2:2:1–2:5:3. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William Whiston, 52–57. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.
Qur'an: 12:4–42. Arabia, 7th Century.

[edit] Classical rabbinic

Mishnah Megillah 4:10. Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 323. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
Tosefta: Berakhot 4:16, 18; Sanhedrin 1:3; Sotah 6:6, 9:3, 10:8; Niddah 1:7. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2.
Jerusalem Talmud Peah 8a. Land of Israel, circa 400 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vol. 3. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.

Talmud

Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 7b, 34b, 43b, 55a; Shabbat 22a, 49b; Pesachim 50a; Yoma 35b; Megillah 10b, 22b; Chagigah 3a; Yevamot 34b, 59a; Ketubot 67b; Nazir 23a, 23b; Sotah 3b, 7b, 9a, 10a, 10b, 11a, 13b, 36b, 43a; Baba Kama 92a; Baba Metzia 59a, 117a; Baba Batra 109b, 123a; Sanhedrin 6b, 19b, 52b, 102a, 106a; Shevuot 16b; Makkot 9a,10a, 23b; Avodah Zarah 5a, 36b; Horayot 10b; Zevachim 88b; Chullin 92a, 113a; Arachin 15b, 16a; Niddah 8b, 13a, 13b, 28a. Babylonia, 6th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.

[edit] Medieval

Rashi. Commentary. Genesis 37–40. Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 1:409–46. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-89906-026-9.
Zohar 1:179a–193a. Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g, The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
Jami. Joseph and Zuleika. Persia, 15th Century. In, e.g., Joseph and Zuleika. Translated by Charles F. Horne. Kessinger Pub., 2005. ISBN 1-4253-2805-9.

Hobbes

[edit] Modern

Thomas Hobbes. Leviathan, 3:36. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, 454. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto Mesillat Yesharim, ch. 4. Amsterdam, 1740. Reprinted in Mesillat Yesharim: The Path of the Just, 55. Jerusalem: Feldheim, 1966. ISBN 0-87306-114-4.
Irving Fineman. Jacob, An Autobiograhical Novel. New York: Random House, 1941.

Mann

Thomas Mann. Joseph and His Brothers. Translated by John E. Woods, 14–15, 17–18, 36–37, 43–92, 130, 257, 269-71, 274–75, 303-04, 309, 315–1107, 1254–86. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4001-9. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.
A. M. Klein. “Joseph.” Canada, 1944. Reprinted in The Collected Poems of A.M. Klein, 11. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1974. ISBN 0-07-077625-3.
Elie Wiesel. “Joseph, or the Education of a Tzaddik.” In Messengers of God: Biblical Portraits & Legends, 139–73. New York: Random House, 1976. ISBN 0-394-49740-6.
Francine Rivers. Unveiled: Tamar. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0-8423-1947-6.