Questions on Parshas Vayeishev to think about and discuss:

1. What was so special about the multicoloured coat, the kesones pasim, of Yosef?
2. The only incriminating evidence against Yosef was the garment he left behind. Why did he not simply wait a little longer and grab away his garment leaving behind no evidence?
3. Whose is the only birthday mentioned in the Torah and what happened then?
4. Why were Paro’s ministers called “sorisim“?
5. Who did Yosef talk bad about to his father (37:2)?
6. Yosef had two dreams, one about the bundles bowing down to his bundle that he told to his brothers. The second dream was about the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down to him that he told to his brothers and father. Why the need for two dreams and why only tell the second one also to his father? Why does the first dream not mention the number of bundles while the second mentions the numbers? Why in the first dream does it allude to Yosef in the same form as his brothers, i.e. a bundle, while by the second dream he is seen as himself?
7. Rashi (37:2) brings how Yosef befriended the sons of the maidservants. Why then did they not stand up for him to save him from the bad plans of the other shevotim?
8. Usually the Torah describes beauty by women. The exception is Yosef (39:6) who is described as beautiful. What lies behind this emphasis?
9. Rashi (40:2) brings that Yosef was punished with having to stay in prison another two years for seeking assistance from the butler to get him out of prison. What was wrong with trying to seek help through natural means?
10. What was a reward given to Yosef for overcoming his evil inclination to sin with Potifar’s wife?
11. How could Paro appoint a slave as second-in-command? Surely this does not make sense?
12. Yosef was eventually sold to Potifar the “Sar Hatabochim”. What was his job?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

2. R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l explains that Yosef recognised the power of his yetzer hora. Had he delayed a moment longer he might have succumbed and therefore did not risk staying any longer despite the dangers of leabing behind incriminating evidence.
3. It was Paro at the end of the parsha (40:20). It is perceived as a special day and was celebrated by a feast where prisoners were reviewed and some were granted pardons. In this case it was the butler who was freed from prison.(We find this idea of birthdays being a time for celebration in the Mishna and Gemora Avoda Zora 8a.)
4. “Soris” means castrated. Because Mitzrayim was a place full of adultery, to prevent this happening in the royal household, the staff had to be castrated!
5. Rashi says Yosef spoke bad about the sons of Leah. The Ibn Ezra says he spoke bad about the sons of the maidservants while the Radak says he spoke about all the other brothers.
6. Perhaps the two dreams represent two of the times that the shevotim entered Mitzrayim. The first dream does not mention the number of bundles bowing down to him and represents the brothers the first time they came down. Perhaps this is why he only told them the dream. The second dream refers to when the whole family came down when invited by Paro. This is why it mentions the numbers and specifics and why he also told his father. …
9. This has to do with levels of bitochon expected from a person on a high spiritual level. …
10. The Gemora (Sota 36b) brings that the letter Hei was added to his name – YeHosef (Tehilim 81:6 that we say as the Shir Shel Yom for Thursday). This Hei comes from Hashem’s Name. Why was this out of all the other letters chosen to be added and from which Hei of the Shem Havaya was it taken? …
11. The Gemora (Sota 36b) says that the advisers asked this and where told that Paro saw in Yosef kingship. When asked for proof he tested him with the seventy languages that he spoke. The Angel Gavriel taught and then Hashem helped Yosef know these seventy languages and he was then appointed.
12. Rashi learns it means he was the chief butcher. The Chizkuni learns that he was the chief in charge of killing the people sentenced to die. It comes out that both agree the word “taboch” means “slaughter”. The argument is if it means the slaughter of animals or of people.

Questions on the selling of Yosef:

1. How could the brothers even think about killing their own brother, Yosef?
2. Who took Yosef out of the pit (37:28)?
3. How could Yakov send Yosef alone to certain danger to his brothers that he knew hated him?
4. What do the Asara Harugei Malchus have to do with Parshas Vayeishev?
5. (37:21) What made Reuven, more than any of the other brothers, want to save Yosef?
6. (37:20) How could the Shevotim seem to lie and say that a wild animal ate him up? Why didn’t they simply keep quiet?
7. (37:22) The Shevotim decided not to kill Yosef and instead throw him into a pit. How was this any better since the pit contained deadly snakes and scorpions?
8. Why did the brothers send a bloodied Kesones Pasim back to Yakov and not simply hide or destroy it?
9. Who presented the bloodied Kesones Pasim to Yakov?
10. Why didn’ t Hashem reveal the true facts to Yakov?

Answers on the selling of Yosef:

1. They viewed him as a Rodef, someone who was coming to get them in danger. The halacha is that when faced with someone who wants to kill you, then you should kill him first.
2. Rashi explains that is was the Shevotim who took Yosef out of the pit. However, when reading the possuk the implication is that the Midyonim took him out (see Chizkuni). Rashi (Matos, 31:6) brings that this is why Pinchos, a descendent of Yosef, went to fight the Midyonim and avenge them for their part in the selling of Yosef.
4. Years later, the enemy king said that since ten brothers were involved in the sale of Yosef, therefore ten great Sages who were to represent the ten shevotim needed to be punished. They were killed in horrific ways as read on Yom Kippur and on Tisha BiAv. …
5. The Chizkuni says that since the firstborn (of tribes) had been given over from Reuven to Yosef, Reuven was scared that Yakov would suspect him of trying to avenge and harm Yosef. He therefore wanted to save Yosef.
6. The Ohr Hachaim says that the brothers were almost certain that when Yosef was thrown into the pit he would die and his body would be eaten by animals. Therefore what they were saying was true.
7. The Gemora (Brochos 33a) says that snakes and scorpions only attack when fallen upon and angered. Here the pit was very wide that this would not happen. Alternatively, they thought the pit looked empty.
9. The Rashbam says the brothers send a messenger with it. The Targum Yonason says that it was sent with the Bnei Bilha ViZilpa since Yakov would not suspect them since they were friendly with Yosef. The Midrash Sechel Tov brings that Yehuda brought it.
10. Rashi brings that the brothers made a promise that no one should reveal it and therefore Hashem also didn’t. The Reaim says that it was kept secret so that events could unfold leading to the descent of the Jews to Mitrzayim to fulful the decree told to Avrohom by the Bris Bein Hamtzorim. Rabbeinu Bechai says that if revealed to Yakov he might chas vesholom curse the shevotim.

Questions on the episode of Yehuda and Tomor:

1. When did this episode take place?
2. Why does it bring the episode of Yehuda and Tomor next to that of the Yosef and the wife of potifar?
3. How are we meant to approach the seemingly lowly episode of Yehuda and Tomor?
4. How could Yehuda marry the daughter of a Canaanite something that the Avos were so careful not to do?
5. What lies behind the name Tomor, meaning a date palm?
6. Twins are born from Yehuda and Tomor. What strange thing happened by their birth and why is it recorded in the Torah?

Answers on the episode of Yehuda and Tomor:

1. Rashi learns that it took place after the selling of Yosef. The problem is that if you make a calculation, Yosef was away from his father for 22 years. How then during this time could Yehuda marry have children who then also married and then children from Tomor all during this amount of time? The Chizkuni says that these earlier generations could already have children from the age of seven. Others hold that this is proof that this episode took place before the selling of Yosef.
2. In short, this is the close connection (found in many places) between Yosef and Yehuda from whom come the two Moshiach’s – Moshiach Ben Yosef and Moshiach Ben Dovid.
3. In short, this is the idea of Shalsheles Hamoshiach, the chain of people involved in bringing Moshiach. Since the yetzer hora comes to stop Moshiach, therefore the people involved in bringing Moshiach do things that look from the outside as “lowly”. This is part of the essential disguised needed to ensure Moshiach’s survives.
4. Canaanite here does not refer to the nation but means a merchant (Gemora Pesochim 50a).