Vayeishev - 3rd Portion

Join me as we learn kitas together for Tuesday the third Torah reading in parishes fesv chapter 37 verse 23. Yesterday in the kitas we learned where Yoseph was sent by his father to check on his brothers. As he got there Shim and Ley say here's the dreamer. They felt thought about killing him. Ruain steps in and says throw him into the pit and don't harm him as Ruvane intended to bring him back to his father and save him from his brothers. Today we continue as Yoseph encounters his brothers. Verse 23. And it was as Yseph approached his brothers. He came to his brothers and they stripped him of his shirt that he was wearing. Which shirt? The fine woolen robe that his father made for him Olaf that he was wearing. Rashi tells us what is this is his shirt. He was wearing a regular shirt and then beneath it the sapim. This is this is the garment that his father made for him. This fine woolen garment that he had besides that his brothers did not have that his father made special for him. Verse 24 and they took him and they threw him into the pit and the pit was empty and there was no water in it. The pit was empty and no water in it. If it tells us that the pit was empty, don't I know that there was no water in it? Why the need for the superfluous of uh explanation saying the pit was empty and there was no water in it? What then is the verse coming to tell me? Actually, yes, there was no water in it, but there was something else in it. No water. There were snakes and scorpions in it. The commentaries explained that yes, he may not. Why was it that they didn't notice that there were snakes and scorpions in there? Because it was 20 amos deep and 20 ammos tall or deep. A person cannot see. Interestingly enough that always parases comes out around the time of Kaneka. And one of the rules of Kaneka is that a monora cannot be higher than 20 amos high. as 20 almost the eye cannot see the minora and therefore it cannot be that high. The Torah reading now continues with verse 25 and the brothers sat down to have for a meal and they lifted their eyes. They raised their eyes and they saw there's a caravan of coming was coming from the direction of Gilead and their camels were carrying spices and lotus and they were heading on their way to go down to Egypt though they usually as we're going to see they usually traded other stuff but we'll see the difference of what they were carrying this time and why the Torah finds it necessary to tell us what they were carrying. What does the word mean? A caravan it comes. The reason why it's called a caravan because it's on the name of among many people that are going on the way together is called a caravan and their camels were carrying as we mentioned the spices and lotus. Why does the Torah have to tell me clearly what they were carrying? the things that we're carrying to tell us the reward of the righteous because generally generally the only time that what do Arabs usually the Ish ishalites usually trade and carry is kerosene and tar which has a terrible smell. However, for these uh for for this person for the Yoseph, however, when Yseph was being taken away and he was being carried by the ishelites, God made that they should be carrying something else with spices of better smell that he shouldn't have to smell the terrible smell. What does the word mean? It is not a type of smi spice, but it's a gathering of many different spices. It's a mixture of many different spices. We see this also later in the verse in Kings of which over there it also means a combination of all mixtures of spices explains it sha like a type of wax and this is the sap that drips from the wood which is a type of uh in one of the type of incense that are mentioned amongst the 11 types of incense of the spices that were brought on the holy temple on the altar. This type of uh incense as well. This type of sap that would come. Verse 26 said to his brothers, what is to be gained that we are going to kill our brother and then we'll have to conceal his death. What money? What advantage are we gonna have? Like the target explains. And we're going to have to conceal. We're going to have to conceal his death. Verse 27. Let us go and sell him to the Israelites. and let our not hand not strike it because because for he is our brother of our own flesh and his brothers heeded to him. Listen to what he had to say. Tells us they accepted what he said. Anytime we usually find a term means the acceptance of what is being told. For example, listen to his father. We will do and we will listen. We'll follow the rules. As the says, we will accept. Many times we find the terminology when he says that they will just listen simply just listening. It will be But when the word means that he will listen and accepting what is said. Verse 28. And meanwhile in the caravan of midnight German merchants passed by as well. And the brothers then hold Yoseph up from the pit and they hold Yseph up from the pitim. And they sold Yoseph to the IshRaelites, the Esim Cassf with 20 CF silver coins. Then the Ishelites eventually sold him to the Midionites who then in turn brought Yoseph to Egypt as Rashi explains the process. This was another caravan of Midionites came and the verse is telling us here that he was sold multiple times. They hold them out. Who hold them out? Not the Midionites, but of the children of Jacob assemu. And they sold them to the Ishelites. The Ishraelites sold him then to the Midionites. And the Midionites sold him to Egypt. Ruven returned to the pit. And Yseph was not found in the pit of he tore his clothing. Ruv and Ruven returned. Where was Ruvane? Why wasn't he there? that he missed the lunch that was there together with the brothers. He was not there when Yseph was sold. If each one of the brothers had a chore that they had a turn that they would have to help their father and that was his turn and therefore he wasn't there to buy the selling of Yseph. Another explanation was he was busy fasting and mourning the fact that he did something wrong. As we know, Ruv was the one that introduced the idea of tashuva of repenting on a sin that he did. And at this point, he wasn't there because he was busy uh asking for forgiveness and repenting on the sins that he's committed of moving the bed of his father into his mother's tent. The Reb learns from here a lesson that when it comes to saving a child, one cannot be busy with their own affairs and their eyes have to be focused on the goal of saving the Jewish child. And he returned to his brothers and he said the boy is gone and I where can I go? What was he saying? What am I going to do about the anguish and the pain and suffering that this is going to cause our father? Where will I go and run away from such type of anguish that I will see him in? Verse 31. And they took the robe of Yoseph and he slaughtered a young goat and they dipped the robe in the bloodshat tells us because the blood of a goat is very similar to the one of a human. This way Jacob will think that he was killed by an animal. When we talk about the shirt, the robe, what are we referring to? The specific robe that Jacob made for him, that was his name. When it's connected to another uh another word when it's connected to another word before it, it will be without like when it's mentioned over here as well. When we see the this one the it's connected to a shirt of who it belongs to like it's attached to the word next to it. Verse 32. And they sent the shirt, the robe of Yoseph, the fine woolen robe. And they brought them to his father and was brought to its father to their father. And they said, "We found this hack. Recognize, identify it. Please identify. Is this the robe of your son?" And they said 33 rashi. Oh, continuing into the verse. And he identified it. He recognized it. And he said, "This is the robe of my son. A wild beast has devoured him. Yseph has been torn to pieces." Rashi. This is a short verse and therefore it means he says he this is actually my son's robe. A wild animal has devoured him. What happened over here is and he concludes that he was torn to pieces. So what is he telling us first that a wild animal ate him? A spark of divine intuition came to him that he recognized that eventually there will be a wild animal that will want to attack him. Referring to the wife of that will try to seduce him. Rashi continues now with an interesting insight. Why didn't God reveal to Jacob where Yseph was? Because the brothers said they banned and they said nobody's allowed to say where happened to Yseph and they cursed anyone that would reveal where Yseph is. And they told God as well. Please don't tell our father. We ban you from telling our father. However, knew that he was alive said to himself, "How can I tell my son where is God doesn't want me to reveal it?" Verse 34 to his clothing and he put a sackloth around his waist. And he mourned for his son many days. 34. How many days did he mourn for his son? 22 years. From when Yseph left him until he came down to Egypt. Hammer. As it says in the beginning of the Torah reading, Yseph was 17 years old. He was 30 years old when they were standing in front of Pharaoh. The seven years of plenty in the two years of hunger when ultimately came to Egypt. 22 years. Why 22 years? For the 22 years that Jacob himself did not observe the commandment of honoring his parents for the for the 20 years that he was in love's home and then the two extra years that he delayed after until he actually made it back to for the two years that it took him to get back home from home was for a year and a half the suitcase and six months in Basel. Therefore he told 20 years in your home there are my years meaning I am going to be punished for these years later on I'm sorry verse 35 and all his children his sons and his daughters attempted to console him but he refused to be comfort comforted and he said, "I will go down in mourning for my son. I will go down to the grave mourning for my son." And his father wept for him. Rashi this is the first mention that we find of his daughters. Where did the daughters come from? And Rashi explains as follows. There is two opinions says Every one of the tribes was born with a twin girl and they married each other four wives says actually these women the women of Jacob were not Jewish they were from what does it mean all his daughters daughters-in-law a person does not refrain from calling his son-in-law, his son, and his daughter-in-law, his daughter. And therefore, in this case, these were the daughter-in-laws of Jacob, not his actual daughters. Refuse to be comforted. One cannot be consoled and comforted about a person who is still alive and mistakenly thinks that he died. Because as we know the medish tells us that only on a dead person did that God make a decree that eventually the person tends to forget about them. However, a person that's alive always stays alive and remembered with that individual. What does it mean I'm going to go down to the grave mourning with my son? Because of my son. Many times we find the word L can be to and about Rashi gives two other examples from God telling David of what was the sin and the punishment that happened and as well as we find in other places because of the sin of the ark and because of King Saul as well. What is the word is in simple terminology means down to the grave. What this means is that he will be mourning throughout his life that even when he goes down to the grave, he will never be able to be comforted about the very fact that his son is no longer here. The med explains that over here doesn't only mean grave but means purgatory. And this is what Jacob was saying to himself. had a sign that was given to him by God. If none of my children die while I'm still alive, I am guaranteed, I will not see purgatory. But now that one of my sons died, I know that I will be going to purgatory. And his father cried. Why was he crying? Who was crying? His father was crying in this case. His father is referring to was crying for the very fact that he sees his son Jacob going through such turmoil but it doesn't say that he was mourning knew that he was alive. Verse 36. And the Midionites sold him to, this was going back to Yoseph, that meanwhile the Midionites had sold him to Egypt who in Egypt to the courtier of Pharaoh and the chief of the butchers. What is the butchers of the king that they were the ones that would have to prepare the meals for the king and potif was the one that was in charge of these butchers of them. This concludes the Torah reading for Tuesday, the third Torah reading of paras.