Tagged Questions
9
votes
1answer
94 views
Didn’t the Ishmaelites know they were buying their second cousin?
In studying bereishis I have come up with questions about Joseph and his brothers that have long bothered me. One question is in parsha vayeshev, where we read how Joseph was sold by his brothers to ...
3
votes
1answer
37 views
The fulfillment of Yosef's second dream
In Yosef's second dream [Bereshit 37:9-10] the sun,moon and 11 stars bowed down to him. The sun refers to Yaakov, the moon - Bilhah (or Rachel - Gemara Berachot 55a/b) and 11 stars - his 11 brothers.
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5
votes
1answer
110 views
Why was Yaakov punished for not honoring his parents?
Bereshit 37:34 (translation by machon-mamre):
וַיִּקְרַע יַעֲקֹב שִׂמְלֹתָיו, וַיָּשֶׂם שַׂק בְּמָתְנָיו;
וַיִּתְאַבֵּל עַל-בְּנוֹ, יָמִים רַבִּים
And Jacob rent his garments, and put ...
3
votes
1answer
33 views
Why isn't נִצָּבָה redundant?
In Bereshis 37:7 we read:
וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶה וְהִנֵּה קָמָה אֲלֻמָּתִי וְגַם נִצָּבָה - Behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and ...
4
votes
0answers
55 views
Why does Rashi say דבתם refers to the children of Leah?
Rashi (Bereshis 37:2 sv את דבתם רעה) says:
כל רעה שהיה רואה באחיו בני לאה היה מגיד לאביו - Any evil he saw in his brothers, the sons of Leah, he would tell his father
However it would seem that ...
2
votes
0answers
75 views
Did Tamar marry a third time, and if so whom?
B'reishit 38:26 says:
וַיַּכֵּר יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר צָדְקָה מִמֶּנִּי כִּי עַל כֵּן לֹא נְתַתִּיהָ לְשֵׁלָה בְנִי וְלֹא יָסַף עוֹד לְדַעְתָּהּ:
Then Judah recognized [them], and he said, "She ...
6
votes
2answers
100 views
Most children in sefer B'reishit are named by women or God; why does Yehudah name Er?
I noticed in B'reishit 38 that Yehudah names his first son Er, but his wife bat Shua names the other two. Yaakov's wives name all of their children (except that Yaakov changes Ben-oni to Binyanim). ...
3
votes
2answers
109 views
How was Er considererd to be married to Tamar?
The gemarah (yevamos 34b) indicates that Er slept with Tamar sh'lo k'darka. If this is the case how was Er ever married to Tamar if the injunction of the pasuk וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ (Bereshis 2:24) is ...
1
vote
2answers
52 views
Rashi on Bereishis 37:12: Only their sheep, or also their father's?
I'm having some trouble understanding the Rashi in Bereishis 37:12. Rashi says (as I understand it) that we cut out the word es because they only went to to feed their own sheep. If so, then why does ...
5
votes
2answers
138 views
Who sold Yosef, and who knew?
I had always understood that Yosef's brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites. We know that they planned to do so, but during this week's torah reading I noticed this for the first time:
כח ...
7
votes
2answers
81 views
Which commentators commend Yosef for noticing his fellow prisoners' sadness?
Toward the end of Parashat Vayeishev, Yosef is imprisoned along with two of Par'oh's chief servants. Starting in Gen. 40:6, the Torah tells us that he notices that they look sad, asks why, and ...
9
votes
3answers
108 views
Why did Yosef tell over the dreams?
In this weeks Parsha (Vayeishev), we learn about how Yosef had his two [prophetic] dreams. We find that in each case, Yosef told his brothers about his dreams:
And he said to them, "Listen now to ...
