From chabad.org
Vayeshev in a Nutshell
Genesis 37:1–40:23
The name of the Parshah, “Vayeshev,” means “And he dwelt” and it is found in Genesis 37:1.
Jacob settles in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite is seventeen-year-old Joseph, whose brothers are jealous of the preferential treatment he receives from his father, such as a precious many-colored coat that Jacob makes for Joseph. Joseph relates to his brothers two of his dreams which foretell that he is destined to rule over them, increasing their envy and hatred towards him.
Simeon and Levi plot to kill him, but Reuben suggests that they throw him into a pit instead, intending to come back later and save him. While Joseph is in the pit, Judah has him sold to a band of passing Ishmaelites. The brothers dip Joseph’s special coat in the blood of a goat and show it to their father, leading him to believe that his most beloved son was devoured by a wild beast.
Judah marries and has three children. The eldest, Er, dies young and childless, and his wife, Tamar, is given in levirate marriage to the second son, Onan. Onan sins by spilling his seed, and he too meets an early death. Judah is reluctant to have his third son marry her. Determined to have a child from Judah’s family, Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and seduces Judah himself. Judah hears that his daughter-in-law has become pregnant and orders her executed for harlotry, but when Tamar produces some personal effects he left with her as a pledge for payment, he publicly admits that he is the father. Tamar gives birth to twin sons, Peretz (an ancestor of King David) and Zerach.
Joseph is taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, the minister in charge of Pharaoh’s slaughterhouses. G‑d blesses everything he does, and soon he is made overseer of all his master’s property. Potiphar’s wife desires the handsome and charismatic lad; when Joseph rejects her advances, she tells her husband that the Hebrew slave tried to force himself on her, and has him thrown into prison. Joseph gains the trust and admiration of his jailers, who appoint him to a position of authority in the prison administration.
In prison, Joseph meets Pharaoh’s chief butler and chief baker, both incarcerated for offending their royal master. Both have disturbing dreams, which Joseph interprets; in three days, he tells them, the butler will be released and the baker hanged. Joseph asks the butler to intercede on his behalf with Pharaoh. Joseph’s predictions are fulfilled, but the butler forgets all about Joseph and does nothing for him.
***
Our man Hillel has the unenviable task of writing the words spoken to him by Moses that would eventually end up to be the Torah. He was the official royal scribe. With the project in its infancy, there wasn’t much security so it was agreed that he could take the text home to punch up any mistakes and clean up everything as homework. On the way home however, he decided to do the work with his friend Phaedrus the apothecary. If you have to work, you might as well enjoy it.
This happened somewhere after the beginning of the story but before the ending of the story at exactly this moment in weekly Torah. This also happened with our heroes living in the tent city under Sinai waiting for something good to happen already.
I don't understand. Is this supposed to be the history of the Jews? This is ridiculous. This is not the way life works. Who could believe such a thing?
Okay, he's trying to make a point. He's speaking metaphorically and he's telling this story. But in his mind, there's deep deep meaning to almost every word that he says. To him at least, his words are complete fire.
Well I understand but okay, one brother is more clever than the others and the not so clever brothers are jealous of him. I guess that makes sense.
You don't look it to me but are you jealous?
Of who? Of you?
No, are you jealous of anyone or anything? Do you experience these emotions often? Because the big guy does. He's jealous of everything. In fact jealousy is the only thing he thinks about because he wants everyone to be jealous of him. It's really something. Sometimes I wonder about his sexuality.
I see what you mean. No. But then again, I think you have to have less than you need in order to be looking around. You have to be hungry to have your eyes open and seeing what other people are doing. For me and I'm pretty sure for you, I have plenty of money from my work. I'm popular all the time and it doesn't really matter who does what to who, people will come to try and feel better. So I am one of those rich people I guess. I guess only rich people are not jealous.
Well it's strange considering the boss. He technically has all the money and yet he's jealous.
I think he's trying to impress his brother.
You think?
Well listen, there's a lot of artistic talking going on. These stories about the history of the Jews are interesting enough. But what the genuine situation is that we're sitting out here in the desert and the big man is putting together his book. The problem is that whatever he says stays. And I'm afraid in the shape he's in all things considered, this is a very dangerous situation for all of us.
Dangerous? How so? These are just children stories. He's not hurting anybody.
Listen, I know what this book is going to be about. Everything that we do is going to be in here. How we make the mishkan. How we interact with the government. How the government treats us. It's all going to be in here. But I'll tell you, if I have even a tiny say in this, I'm going to do everything I can to keep the Egyptian quiet and comfortable with the least amount of violence.
You think we're going to have war?
You know, it's just simple math. If we were just a group of people all on our own, we would never have a war. We would figure out all the problems and work out our issues together and that would be fine. But the moment you put a leader on the top, this pretty much guarantees that whoever is up there at the top of the pyramid is going to want to play with his toys one of these days.
Maybe we'll win?
Nobody wins a war.
***
Okay, let me get this straight in my head. I understand how Israel might not comprehend how showing open favor to one child might make the others jealous.
I don't really think it's usual for most people to have this kind of consciousness. Most men are ego-driven and they don't really think about it so much. Of course, that's how we got in this mess in the first place but the point is clear.
Okay but he takes the job of checking up on his brothers, and you know he's not going to be appreciated for this either.
You're right. He's going out there and saying he's the boss and he wants to oversee the job. They are not going to like this at all.
Sure. But then the guys are not where they are supposed to be. This sends up a flag but not enough to change the mission. Joseph asks a passerby what's going on and it turns out that everyone knows that his brothers are planning on killing him. Everyone knows this, do you understand?
Yeah, it has kind of spread. What do you think of this Joseph character?
Well there is something you need about him I suppose. He's different. Probably he's softer.
Yeah, I think that's the thing too. I think he's soft and this is the main thing that's driving all the men crazy.
Yes, it's difficult when you live in a purely physical world and suddenly you are standing in front of someone who is not very physical with the world.
Well we have to leave some room for genius or creativity I suppose. And then it's just a matter that not everybody is built for around the clock work. People think they can just keep going but this is in their imaginations. Of course they're going to get tired and fail. Of course they will.
Okay but here is the real tricky one. He asks where they are and he is told that they are planning on murdering him. Now what do you do with this information? I suppose he has to go somewhere. He can go home and explain to his father that we have problems in the family because the brothers want to murder him. Or he can just head off in a different direction and get away from the danger. I mean, I would miss old dad but it's better than having my life terminated at early age. But yet, he walks right over to them. Why do you suppose he did that?
It's really hard to say. I know that the big guy would say that it's God's will and that God is moving all of the decisions of all the people here. But I think there was something in Joseph. Maybe it wasn't just that he was a dreamer and not a very good worker. It may have also been that he is a hero in his soul.
A hero in his soul. I wonder what that means.
It means you're the kind of person that chooses the heroic act every time. There's a lot of media about bravery in war or during difficult moments. Saving people from fires etc etc. The truth is that if you're not a responder professionally, the choice to be a hero doesn't really come up very often. And the truth be told, when there is an opportunity for a hero, it usually means that the opposite side is disaster and most people shy away from this.
So you're saying it's definitely a positive thing.
The story is written and what's going to happen is going to happen and all of this is a device getting us into Egypt so that we can explain why we want to leave so badly.
I get it. He's just kind of taking the long way around.
Truth be told, he loves to hear himself speak.
***
So this is what I'm saying. They tell you that you're going to get nailed and you show up and sure enough, you get nailed.
I have a theory. He wanted all of this to happen.
He wanted to get killed?
Well, maybe yes. Maybe that was the whole point. There is an argument about how deep family attachments are and how important our emotions are. Some of the brothers are so afraid of their emotions they are afraid to act. Some of them don't seem to have any emotions at all. It's really hard to say but what is absolutely true is that you can't really rely on emotions as being a reliable gauge. It's to changeable person to person.
What does that mean?
It means that he would die for his family if this was the will of his family. They said don't go near your family because they want to kill you. He says if that's what my family wants, that's what we will do. And when they threw him in the hole, he said thank you. And when they sold him, he said thank you. His life was beginning and all of it because he took the hero road and went straight into the danger to see what was going to happen.
It's interesting if you're going to have 13 children like this. It's interesting that they have to form themselves into some kind of a group. I wonder why none of them have any sense of individuality to them. Maybe Joseph is the only one who had this but he didn't know how to do anything about it.
You don't have any kids.
No. Just like you.
You don't want kids?
I don't know. I think it's a matter of plus and minus. First of all, I think if I have to work and I've got a bunch of people under foot while I'm trying to take care of business, I'm going to get grumpy before I'm going to keep my calm and be a perfect papa forever and ever. There are those who can be completely artificial from morning to night. I have blood in my veins and I need to do what I need to do.
It's a good point. I think if you are prone to vandalism, you really should avoid parenting.
Sure. And then what am I supposed to do with all this stuff lying around and a bunch of children curiously getting into it? Do you think I need that? Do you think I need a bunch of kids flying in the cosmos out in front of my tent telling everybody that I haven't got a clue what I'm doing in the world? Please! I don't even think I'm going to bother.
Yeah, I thought maybe for a moment there that we might have a family. But Ava is all business and she's really not interested in sitting around watching anything grow. I would be kind of interested in that. I could enjoy watching my children grow. But you know, it takes two to make children and I don't see two parents here.
***
So, do you think this is about how we should not go with prostitutes? Or, if we do go with prostitutes, is it completely necessary that they know exactly who we are and have physical evidence proving that we were the ones in there?
I think the point was that she was not a harlot.
What was she doing on the road?
She was waiting for him.
Okay. I'm with you here. She knows he's coming. She knows that Papa is not around so she is free to kind of do something for a moment. She goes out on the road but covers her face which means something unfortunately. And when our hero appears, the first thing he judges is that she must be a prostitute. But when he decides that he will not go with her, she calls to him, basically states the deal in words which charms the pants right off him, and I get that, and he turns right around and says okay. No matter what she wants, he gives it to her. What kind of character is this?
Male character.
And what's with her? Why didn't she just say who she was and what she was doing? What's this under the table nonsense and going with his delusions in order to get advantage over him? Okay, she's clever but where is the lesson in this?
It's a male centric book. It means stay away from women generally.
Except for your wife.
And good luck with that one. The media image is one thing. The day-to-day effort is quite another, I promise you.
***
So it's about a talented young man being set free in the world and how to rise in it.
It's hard to deal with this God is with him business. I think maybe it means he's lucky. Do you think it's that he's lucky?
No, I wouldn't say lucky. I would say supremely confident.
Supremely confident. I like that.
Sure. The flip side of that concept however is arrogant.
He's arrogant.
Sure. He's blessed. He's got the looks, he's got the brains, he's got the reflexes and he's not afraid to pull the trigger when he sees something clearly. And clearly, he is one of the clearest thinkers around. I think anyone who is measuring themselves against everybody including your rich boss and everyone lays back and lets you do your thing, you bet that you are looking at some kind of arrogance here. There's no way it doesn't go to his head.
Well all of that is true but I think the point is that he's just a good looking kid who's very fast. He's the kind of guy you like being around. You know that if you went to a bar, for sure girls would be following him around. It's just hard not to understand that some people got it.
Yeah. Or you live with a bunch of unfortunate thugs and all they can do is be jealous of it. Joseph told them that they would bow down to him. Or at least that they would supplicate themselves to his will. Instead of responding in anger that maybe he should be the boss, maybe they should have considered this more carefully. I imagine the family would have been way more successful had they had a really talented boss leading them.
Ah but wait a minute. He was not popular in the family except with his father. There was no general agreement in the company that anyone would have this role. By the time he was of age, they had never known anything from him other than that they didn't like him. They were blind everything else.
Maybe. What do you think? Is this a good story?
You want to know what I really think? I think he got picked up by a meat lobbyist because he was a good looking young boy. And the meat guy was a degenerative course but he was absolutely thrilled to run into a young person who truly knew how to please old men.
Because basically he knew how to be pleasing to his father and enraging to his siblings. He was taught to be a woman and this was very pleasing to the fat meat cellar, right?
I like the term feminized man. And no matter what, don't say prostitute and don't say homosexual. We're not allowed.
Right. Are we enjoying this? Are we still enjoying this?
Yeah. I'm enjoying it. Let's read one more.
***
Women.
Yeah. Have you ever heard of such a thing?
What? A woman telling a big lie to cover up her own crimes?
Some people are afraid of women.
Some men find frightening women very sexy.
I don't think I'm one of those people. I dream of a place where it's just not like that.
I know what you mean. Everything is a matter of power and position. She was the meat merchant's wife. And probably like all fat meat people, he didn't have anything for her anymore and hadn't for a very long time. She didn't need anything from the boy really. I mean, maybe she was turned on by the possibility of having something sweet to eat. But more likely, I think she just wanted him under her control.
Any votes for him just being gay.
Gay? Happy?
Sorry. Homosexual.
Homosexual!?! The father of our people? You cannot say such a thing.
Well, I like how he is reasonable in all things. It seems that if you are diligent and reasonable in your choices, this means God is with you. It means you're trying your best to do the right thing. But this also means that he would not give in to momentary reflexes at the expense of the overall job. Either this meant he didn't feel anything for women or, like this business of showing up to allow his brothers to abuse him, you know, he's a fagola.
A difficult point to avoid. What do you think it means? I think it means that if you don't have children you have more energy to do other things. If you don't have a wife, you definitely have more energy to do other things.
Oh, come on. You can't go completely that way. There must be something to interpersonal relationships. You got married.
You know, you get into bed and she's there and you pull yourselves into the common position and you fall asleep from it. And then when there's no one there, you never do find that sleep again. And sometimes it's about the sex. There it is and you need it and it's as easy as anything. No stress and no worries. But then what? What's missing?
The hero.
The mistake in the programming. Somebody thought they were supposed to have adventure.
Yes, I agree. This business of making children is too difficult for us to do randomly. All we do is make messes when we don't think of what we are doing. It may cost us a few births. We might not have some babies we never wanted in the first place. But I think if we were to all work together as a team to do this very important function of bringing new people into our community, I say we should all have respect for this.
I like that. That's called Utopian thinking. You know it's never going to happen. I mean you know it'll never happen.
Why not? I say it would be definitely worth a try and the more you do anything, the better at it you get.
Listen, I'll tell you where he screwed up. The first time she talked to him, he should have called for the boss to meet with him to have a discussion. At that time he will tell him that his wife has taken an interest in him and it sort of makes him very uncomfortable, as you can imagine. What do you want me to do about it? And Pharaoh would say something like what do you want me to do about my wife? I don't need to do anything. Do you like her? Do you think she is the sort of woman you want in your life? Truthfully? He's a guy. The path of least resistance is to just go ahead and do it and as long as Big brother knows what's going on, it's all just amusement in the ranks. The things you do to live in the Egyptian palace.
It means that he agrees that he is corrupt as well and no better than anyone.
That's all it ever means to the power people and other sorts that don't work for a living
***
Well what do you think of this?
I'm interested to know the quality of life in the dungeon. It's just interesting in this case. Maybe he had it really good there. Maybe he had a lot of special treatment and had a really comfortable place to sleep and plenty of room and plenty of distance from the other prisoners. Maybe he was quite favored. At least he got special food.
Maybe Pharaoh wanted him working down there.
I think the problem is being Hebrew. You know, it's like having a target on your back. The moment they know your Jewish, it's all over.
We are too twisted not to take advantage of.
I don't know about you but I personally am not a masochist.
I'm not a masochist.
I am neither a masochist nor am I a sadist.
Sometimes a little sadism helps…
No! I believe in the equality of all living things. This is the problem with all of these layers and levels and groupings and who is important and who should kiss who's ass. It's like to them everything is dead and nothing is alive and everything is only a potential possession or nothing. How can we live in a world this insane, violent and inevitably changeable?
I don't even know what that means.
It means that I want 50/50. I'm not better than you and you're not better than me. We're both people. Okay, you have your talents and I have my talents and maybe you have more general talent or less general talent. But I don't care. We are just human beings and worthy of human respect and that's all that matters. Everything else is just lunacy and the quest for power.
Don't you want any power? Just a little?
Why? Because it feels good?
Yes. Now that you put it into words, it sort of changes in texture. But yeah. Maybe you do this because it would feel good.
This is what I'm talking about. It's just not what I need. I don't want to carry anybody and I don't want anybody carrying me. I just want to talk with friends and I'm tired of having everyone tell me how needy they are all the time. Everybody always needs something. And then on the other side, I can't even say hello to any of my old friends because they are dead sure I'm going to ask them for money or something. We can't just talk because they're happy to know me is what they are thinking, just like me. There's no doubt about it. We are all just a bunch of drug addicts roaming the world looking for something to make ourselves feel better.
And some go to work and do this and some don't go to work and do this. But they all do this.
Such is life. What came first? The chicken or the egg?
I love this question. I think first there was a chicken.
Very good. But with this question in mind, what came first, the alcoholic or the Jewish wife?
Curiouser and curiouser. Thank you sir. I enjoyed these sessions very much.
Cheers.
