From: Yeshivat Har Etzion Office <office@etzion.org.il>
To: yhe-parsha@etzion.org.il
Subject: PARSHA62 -09: Parashat Vayeshev
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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PARASHAT VAYESHEV
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The Prince and the Prison
By Rav Chanoch Waxman
I
Yosef was a highly successful prisoner. Almost
immediately upon landing in jail, Yosef managed to "find
favor" in the eyes of the minister of prisons (39:21).
Shortly afterwards, the minister appointed him head
prisoner and Yosef's career was back on track.
And the officer of the prison gave over to Yosef's
hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and
whatever was done there, he was the doer of it. The
keeper of the prison saw nothing of that which was
under his hand. (39:22-23)
While Pharaoh's minister, the officer of the
prisons, remained nominally in charge, Yosef constituted
the real power behind the penitentiary throne. He made
the decisions, ran things on a daily basis and, in the
language of the Torah, did whatever was done there.
While no doubt this constitutes a coveted position
amongst the prison population, we may wonder how glorious
a job it really is. What exactly are the doings that are
done by an assistant warden in an ancient Egyptian jail?
Jail is not the first place where Yosef rose to
prominence. Before prison, Yosef had done some time in
the house of Potiphar. As alluded to previously, before
his entanglement with Potiphar's wife, Yosef's career had
progressed along the servant fast track. He quickly
found a position in the house of Potiphar (39:2),
bypassing the more common slave occupation of field hand,
a short and nasty existence consisting of back-breaking
hard labor. He "found favor" in his master's eyes
(39:4), and just a few short verses after Potiphar
purchases him, Potiphar appoints Yosef as head
servant/slave. He places everything he has in "the hand"
of Yosef and leaves him completely in charge (39:4-5).
Like the officer of the prisons later on, Potiphar is now
oblivious to the goings on in his domain.
And he left all that he had in Yosef's hand and he
knew nothing of that which he had except for the
bread which he ate. (39:6)
As in the prison later on, Yosef constitutes the real
power in the house and fields of Potiphar. As the
headman, the "charge d'affaires" of Potiphar, Yosef does
all that needs doing. Except for the slightly mysterious
bread, Yosef wields total control.
To outline this logically, the "headman" parallel
that emerges from the sketch above consists of three
fundamental components. In both the house of Potiphar
and in prison, we can note "finding favor" in the eyes of
the ruling authority (39:4, 39:21), the "placing" of
authority into the "hand" of Yosef (39:4,6, 39:22), and
the oblivious, know-nothing attitude of the real chief
(39:6, 23). In addition, we can add a fourth element.
In both cases the Torah informs us that Yosef was
successful and attributes his success to God's assistance
(39:3, 23).
Given the tight parallel above between Yosef's two
headman positions, we should pay very careful attention
to a set of crucial differences between the two stories.
In the first, Yosef serves a man of great importance in
the Egyptian kingdom. He acts as assistant to Pharaoh's
captain of the guard (sar ha-tabachim), a man defined as
"seris Pharaoh," a chamberlain of Pharaoh (39:1). He is
in charge of Potiphar's entire estate (39:4-5), works in
Potiphar's house, and is even privileged with private
access to the lady of the house (39:7-11). In contrast,
in the second story, Yosef is no more than the headman of
an ancient Near Eastern jail, a miserable pit (40:15).
He serves no important minister, inhabits no luxurious
offices and enjoys no company except that of his fellow
prisoners. His kingdom is a prison and his subjects are
the wretched and condemned. Yosef has fallen fast and
hard.
But if, in fact, God "is with" Yosef both in the
house of Potiphar and in prison (39:3,21,23), if divine
providence accompanies Yosef all along the way, why has
God done this to him? What mysterious divine imperative
propels Yosef downwards?
Rather than resorting to the obvious answers, let us
complicate things a bit. Yosef plays the role of headman
not twice, but in fact three times in Parashat Vayeshev.
On the conceptual level, Parashat Vayeshev opens with
another story of Yosef's success and meteoric rise to
headman. Yosef is special to his father. Ya'akov
elevates Yosef above his brothers and gives him a long-
sleeved coat (ketonet pasim) (37:3), a garment worn by
the children of kings (II Shemuel 13:18). Furthermore,
Yosef enjoys special access to his father. While his
brothers are away with the sheep in Shekhem, Yosef
remains home with his father (37:12-13, Ramban 37:3).
Finally, Yosef serves as Ya'akov's supervisory
agent. Ya'akov sends Yosef to check on his brothers and
the sheep out in the fields of Shekhem (37:14). While
Ya'akov might not have asked for the slanderous reports
(dibatam ra'a) brought home by Yosef about his brothers
(37:2), the surprise is the slander, not the report.
Yosef, as the preferred son, acts as supervisor and
charge d'affaires. As befits his role as second-in-
command, he reports to the chief. Needless to say,
Yosef's dreams reflect his headman role and, together
with his coat and his supervisory role, constitute the
cause of his brothers' animosity.
If so, Parashat Vayeshev turns out to possess an
interesting structure. Yosef starts out as the assistant
to Ya'akov, the headman of the family fated to form God's
chosen nation and to realize the blessings of Avraham.
But he falls fast and falls hard. We next find him as
headman in Potiphar's house, albeit in exile, but in a
position of power, prominence and prestige.
But even this is not to be. Yosef descends again,
this time to prison. In stage three of the headman
structure, we find Yosef supervising a prison. He is far
from his family, far from blessing, and far from his
dreams.
Once again, all of this is part of God's plan. But
then again, there are infinite ways that God could have
arranged Yosef's eventual control over Egypt. Why this
way? Why the three-fold headman structure for Parashat
Vayeshev? In other words, what is the meaning and message
of Yosef's descent?
II
Parashat Vayeshev initiates a crucial turn in the
book of Bereishit. While Ya'akov still appears in the
parasha and is present until near the very end of the
book, the story line is no longer about the forefathers.
Rather, the remainder of the book concerns itself
primarily with the story of Yosef and his brothers.
Along with this change of characters comes a crucial
shift in symbols and themes. For example, most of the
action in the second part of Bereishit (12:1-36:43) has
revolved around the issues of covenant, inheritance and
blessings. Much of the story is about God's promises and
the mysterious process of choosing an heir to the
blessings. As of the beginning of Parashat Vayeshev,
these themes more or less vanish. While covenant and
blessings may sometimes crop up as hidden themes, God
never appears to make promises and never chooses the next
generation. Needless to say, all eleven of Ya'akov's
children become the inheritors of the blessings. None of
them is spurned, replaced or expelled.
To put all of this together, the story of the
forefathers, the story of covenant formation and
transmission, comes to an end at the beginning of
Parashat Vayeshev. The remainder of the of Bereishit
(37:2-50:26) concerns itself not so much with formation
but with realization. The story of Yosef and his
brothers, which constitutes the remainder of the book,
details the descent to Egypt and the beginning of the
realization of the covenant of the pieces - sojourning
and slavery (15:13). Everything in the rest of Bereishit
connects to Egypt and the twisted path for getting there.
At first glance, Parashat Vayeshev seems to contain
a striking exception to our newly established rule.
Chapter Thirty-Eight serves up the strange story of
Yehuda and Tamar. While Yehuda's family problems are
quite interesting, we may wonder about the connection to
the theme of the third part of Sefer Bereishit. What
does Yehuda's neglect of Tamar (38:1-11), Tamar's playing
of the prostitute (38:12-23), and the birth of Yehuda's
sons Peretz and Zerach (38:24-30) have to do with Egypt
and the theme of covenant realization?
This can easily be rephrased as a question about the
structure of Parashat Vayeshev. Earlier I argued that
Yosef occupies the role of "number-one man" three times
in Parashat Vayeshev. He serves as supervisor, first in
his father's house, later in Potiphar's house, and
finally in prison. By working along these lines,
Parashat Vayeshev can be grouped into three distinct
units, each telling the story of Yosef and the outcome of
his headman role. Mapping it out yields the following:
Unit One (37:1-36) - Yosef in his father's house, the
termination of his position through the sale of Yosef
by his brothers; the banishment of Yosef.
[??? (38:1-30) - The story of Yehuda and Tamar.]
Unit Two (39:1-39:20) - Yosef in the house of
Potiphar, the termination of his position through his
entanglement with Potiphar's wife; the banishment of
Yosef.
Unit Three (39:21-40:23) - Yosef in prison, the
failed termination and yet foreshadowing of the
eventual termination of Yosef's position through his
encounter with the officers of Pharaoh and their
dreams.
We really should not need the brackets and question marks
above to make the obvious point. The story of Yehuda and
Tamar just doesn't seem to fit into Parashat Vayeshev.
Why is it here?
III
Before trying to get a better grasp on the structure
of Parashat Vayeshev, let us consider the end of Parashat
Vayishlach and the transition to Vayeshev. Parashat
Vayishlach ends with a long section detailing the
descendants of Eisav (36:1-43). As if this were not
mysterious enough, the last subsection of "Toldot Eisav"
(36:31-43) lists the kings who ruled in Edom. We may be
inclined to dismiss the inclusion of these sections in
the Torah as an example of a phenomenon that may be
termed "witnessing." God has promised Avraham that he
shall be the "father of many nations" (av hamon goyim)
and that "kings shall come from you" (17:5-6). While the
special covenant of brit mila, including "the land that
you dwell in" (17:8), will remain the unique possession
of one line of Avraham's descendents, other lines will
achieve nationhood, control territory and be ruled by
kings. Consequently, the Torah includes "Toldot Eisav"
and its line of kings. The Torah bears witness to the
accomplishment of God's promise.
But there seems to be more to it than this. The
list of kings begins with the statement, "These are the
king who ruled in Edom before a king ruled over the
Children of Israel" (36:31). The mention of the kings of
Edom seems to bear some connection to the existence of
royalty and kingship in Israel. Moreover, the beginning
of Parashat Vayeshev also seems to take up the topic of
kingship in Israel. Part of the action involves Ya'akov
giving Yosef a ketonet pasim as a symbol of his love
(37:3). But this is not an innocuous symbol. As pointed
out earlier, a long-sleeved coat is a royal garment, worn
by the children of kings of Israel. Finally, we have the
dreams. When Yosef reports his dream of bowing sheaves
to his brothers (37:6-7), they reply as follows:
Shall you indeed be king (ha-melokh timlokh) over
us? Shall you indeed have dominion over us? (37:8)
Yosef's brothers resent him not just for his privileged
status in their father's house. They resent his
pretensions to leadership and future royalty.
If so, it appears that the seam between Parashat
Vayishlach and Parashat Vayeshev, the transition between
the second part of the book (12:1-36:43) and the third
part of the book (37:1-50:26), consists of the symbols of
royalty and the topics of leadership and kingship. This
is no accident. As pointed out previously, the thematic
shift consists of a move from the stage of covenant
transaction and transmission to a stage of fulfillment
and realization. This means that the future is no longer
the inchoate destiny of a single individual. The future
now belongs to a group, a nascent nation. There already
now exists a group, bound up concretely with the
historical reality of the unfolding divine plan. But
every group that functions in the real world, that
navigates the stormy seas of history, requires leaders.
By no surprise, the topic of leadership becomes paramount
in Sefer Bereishit. By no surprise, the topic is
formulated in the symbolism of kingship, foreshadowing
the future of the family's descendents, the nation of
Israel.
All of this should help us with the structure of
Vayeshev. In keeping with the theme of leadership and
kingship, the stories are primarily about Yosef and
Yehuda, the two once and future leaders. Yosef attempts
to rule in the house of Ya'akov and later does rule
during the family's time in Egypt. In parallel, Yehuda
leads during the sale of Yosef, and later on, during the
famine and confrontation with the Egyptian viceroy.
These leadership roles foreshadow much of the future
history of Israel. The house of David descends from
Yehuda (Bereishit 38:29, Ruth 4:18-22); the line of
Yerav'am, the rebel king of the secessionist tribes,
descends from Yosef (I Melakhim 11:26); and Shaul, the
first king of Israel, descends from Binyamin (I Shemuel
9:1-2), Rachel's other child.
In this light, the inclusion of the story of Yehuda
and Tamar in the parasha need no longer disturb us. The
story ends with the birth of Peretz (38:27-34), a
variation on the younger replacing the older theme
prevalent in the book of Bereishit. The infant manages
to burst out first, despite the fact that his brother had
already stuck out his hand. While the older-younger
motif no longer signals replacement and expulsion from
the covenant, in its modified form here in the third part
of Sefer Bereishit, it signals distinction and the line
of leadership. Just as Peretz replaces Zerach, so too
Yehuda occupies a central role in the narrative, thereby
"replacing" Reuven and telegraphing his leadership role.
IV
Let us try to move from the level of textual space
and literary markers to the level of character. After
all, the story of Yehuda and Tamar is not just about
devoting time to Yehuda and noting the unusual birth of
Peretz. It is also, and primarily, about the character
of Yehuda.
The central action of the story revolves around
Yehuda's treatment of Tamar. Oblivious to the evil
nature of his sons Er and Onan, and hence to the real
cause of their deaths, Yehuda attributes their deaths to
his daughter-in-law Tamar (38:6-11). She is bad luck.
Consequently, Yehuda decides not to fulfill his legal and
moral duty of commanding his remaining son Shela to marry
Tamar (38:11). Yehuda operates from the perspective that
nothing could possibly be amiss in his own house. His
sons could not possibly have been struck down by God and
he is certainly justified in banishing the "bad luck"
woman from his family.
But Tamar does not accept Yehuda's decision. She
disguises herself as a harlot, contracts a deal with the
unknowing Yehuda, and, pregnant with Yehuda's child,
disappears from the crossroads, returning to her life as
a young widow (38:13-19).
In the climax of the story, Yehuda learns that Tamar
is pregnant. Without even the slightest hesitation, he
pronounces the death penalty (38:24). At the very last
minute, upon being taken out to be burnt, Tamar sends his
cord, seal and staff that she had received in her guise
of harlot as guarantee of payment. She is pregnant by
the man who owns these items (38:25). Yehuda pronounces
judgement one more time and spares Tamar's life.
And Yehuda recognized/knew (va-yaker Yehuda), and he
said: She is more righteous than I; for I have not
given her to Shela my son. (38:26)
This time Yehuda passes judgement not on Tamar but
on himself. Whereas previously Yehuda had assumed his
own righteousness and the righteousness of his sons, here
Yehuda realizes that his actions have not been justified
nor his sons righteous. If he has been with Tamar and
still remains alive, than she is not "bad luck" and he is
guilty. His sons died of their own sins and he has
neglected his duty. The bubble of self-righteousness has
burst.
In making his pronouncement, Yehuda displays the
virtue of humility. As Rashi points out (38:25), Tamar
did not publicly disclose to whom the stick and signet
belonged. By sending an apparently private message to
Yehuda, she allowed him the possibility of covering up.
He could have avoided the public humiliation of reversing
his judgement and admitting he consorted with "harlots."
He could have continued to play the role of righteous
patriarch and avoided confessing the neglect and tricking
of his daughter-in-law, as well as any public
acknowledgement of his own sons' evil. Instead, Yehuda
admits.
This behavior marks a radical shift for Yehuda. As
outlined above, previously Yehuda had acted arrogantly,
condemning Tamar rather than his sons and sentencing her
without hesitation. Similarly, he previously had been
concerned with his public image, sending his friend the
Adulamite to make payment to the harlot and expressing
concern "lest it be for a shame" (38:20-23) when she
could not be found and his possessions retrieved. Now,
though, he exhibits humility in place of ego, and
acknowledgement of others in place of image.
All of this fits well with our previous
interpretation of the story as one linked to leadership,
marking Yehuda as monarchial material. "Parashat Ha-
melekh," the section of Devarim that defines the criteria
and rules for the king, lists but one fundamental
character issue. Buried amidst the warnings about too
many wives, too much gold and the requirement to maintain
a personal copy of the Torah, we are informed of the
purpose of all this:
.that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers.
so that he may prolong the days of his kingdom, he
and his sons in the midst of Israel. (Devarim
17:20)
Leadership and kingship are about and depend upon the
virtue of humility.
V
Before closing, let us return to our point of
origin. Earlier on, I argued for reading Parashat
Vayeshev as possessing a tripartite structure of
"headman" stories. Consequently, I raised questions
regarding the meaning of Yosef's descent and the
insertion of the Yehuda and Tamar story in an otherwise
cohesive structure. Reading Parashat Vayeshev as also
concerned with marking the leaders/kings and as
interested in emphasizing the leadership criterion of
humility helped resolve the inclusion of the Yehuda and
Tamar story. With this in hand, let us turn back to
Yosef and the problem of his descent.
Does Yosef possess the virtue of humility necessary
for leadership and royalty? A quick review of the first
headman story, the early years of Yosef in the house of
Ya'akov, should determine the answer.
Yosef is the favored son. Whether due to virtue and
ability, his being almost the youngest, or his being the
firstborn of the beloved Rachel, Ya'akov loves Yosef more
than he loves his other sons (37:3). The brothers resent
it. They resent the favoritism and its future
implications. They hate Yosef and cannot even speak
peaceably to him. But what is Yosef's attitude to the
family dynamic? While the text gives us no explicit
information, we may glean quite a bit by reading between
the lines. At the very least, he seems to feel no qualms
about speaking ill of his brothers to their father
(37:2), a move which seems to reinforce his claim to
superiority. He is above them, sits in judgement upon
them and reports on them.
Moreover, immediately after informing us of the
brothers' resentment of Yosef's status and their hatred
of him, the Torah tells us about Yosef's dreams (37:5-
10). Despite the obvious implications of the dreams and
the fact that his brothers are already not talking to
him, Yosef insists on telling his dreams to his brothers.
He grandly proclaims, "Hear this dream that I have
dreamed" (37:6). Even after the brothers chastise him
for his royal pretensions (37:8), Yosef does not desist.
When he dreams again, this time not just of bundles of
straw bowing down to him, but of the entire cosmos
prostrated before him, he immediately informs his
brothers (37:9). In sum, Yosef naively glories in his
position and visions. Without regard to his brothers'
response, he acts the prince, certain of his position and
convinced of his destiny. He is not humble.
To rephrase this in the language of Devarim, Yosef's
heart IS elevated above his brothers. It is almost no
surprise that his brothers see the dreamer coming
(37:19), strip him of his royal coat (37:23) and
defiantly pronounce, "See now what will become of his
dreams" (37:20).
If so, this may be the meaning of the descent
pattern in Parashat Vayeshev. In structuring this
pattern, both the parasha and divine providence provide
an ironic comment on Yosef's pretensions. Yosef viewed
himself as a prince, a ruler now and in the future. He
prides himself on his talent, his position and his
destiny. But how the mighty have fallen. Yes, he is a
headman. Yes, he is a ruler - but not of his family and
not of the future nation of Israel. He who elevated his
heart above his brothers rules not even the house of
Potiphar. He rules only a prison.
But there is more to it than this. I would argue
that this very pattern of descent, the providential
mocking of his pretensions and pride, effects a change in
Yosef. Let us take a look at the bare bones but
significant characterizations of Yosef in the second and
third headman stories.
In protesting the advances of Potiphar's wife, Yosef
manages to refer to the fact that "there is none greater
in the house than me" (39:9), twice mentions the fact
that everything has been entrusted to his control (39:8-
9), and once refers to his master's ignorance. While
this is all part of a profession of loyalty on Yosef's
part (39:8-9), Yosef is acutely aware of his status and
position. He then tumbles once again.
The final headman story, Yosef's ruling of the
prison, presents a different picture. Although the
disgraced ministers of Pharaoh have been placed in
Yosef's hands along with all the other prisoners (39:22,
40:4), the Torah describes Yosef as "serving them"
(40:4). He inquires after their welfare and sad moods
(40:5). He serves, rather than rules, those placed in
his charge.
Finally, this new humility may also be discerned in
Yosef's offer to interpret their dreams. He ascribes the
power of interpretation to God (40:8). While this may
not seem surprising to us, it is shocking in the context
of ancient Egypt, a land abounding in sorcerers and
magicians. Even Yosef himself lauds his sorcerer's
powers when playing the Egyptian viceroy for his brothers
(44:15). Lauding his magical powers would certainly have
gotten him out of the pit much faster. Needless to say,
the "officer of drink" forgets the powerless youth and
his humble request for help (40:23).
In sum, we have here the same humble Yosef who, when
ascribed the power of dream interpretation by Pharaoh,
responds that it is God and not he who possesses answers
(41:16). We have here the very same Yosef who later
humbly tells his brothers that it was all God's plan,
that his entire position in Egypt exists for the sake of
saving lives and providing for his family (44:5-8). We
have here someone suitable for leadership, who acts with
humility, whose heart is with his brothers.
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