Dear Friends;
This year’s Parshiyot Vayeishev vort is being sponsored anonymously and dedicated in honor of the local Ramat Bet Shemesh Chashmonaim soldiers, who have charted an honorable path to defend our people for those who seek something other than yeshiva learning or other military options and for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining deceased hostages and their return home for Jewish ritual burial, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To our anonymous sponsor, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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Our Parshat opens with Yaakov sending Yosef, born to Rachel, who was Yaakov’s favored son — his “Ben Z’kunim” (“son of his old age” Sefer Breish’t, Perek 37, posuk 3 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash) his favored son, to check the welfare of his brothers who were shepherding their father’s flocks in the vicinity of Shechem.
Yaakov bestowed upon Yosef a multi-colored coat which sources indicate could have been the coat of Eisev which was worn by Yaakov in receiving the B’rachot from Yitzchak. Yosef’s favored son status aroused jealousy amongst his brothers. Yosef’s tale-bearing about his brothers, as well as his dream-telling aroused anger and hatred of him in the brothers.
They saw Yosef’s tale-telling — often without knowing all of the facts and his pronouncement of his dreams, as fostering their perception that he sought to rule over them, that he sought their subservience to him. They viewed Yosef in the light of the family history — their great grandfather’s Avraham’s reluctance to separate from his other son Yishmael and their grandfather Yitzchak’s apparent favoritism for his son Eisev, that “master of kibud Av,” who nonetheless was wicked and not connected with Shemayim.
Below are excepts from Rabbi Shmuel Goldin’s Parsha Summary in his Sefer “Unlocking the Torah Text” (pages 200 – 201) :
When the brothers saw Yosef approaching from a distance they determine to kill him and throw his body into a pit.
Reuven, the eldest, objects and convinces the others to thrust Yosef into the pit alive, rather than murder him… Reuven fully intends to return later, release Yosef and bring him safely back to their father.
Yosef arrives [to his brothers’ location]. The brothers rip off his cloak and throw him into the pit.., rather than murder him directly. When, however, the brothers observe an approaching caravan, Yehuda convinces his siblings of the benefit of selling Yosef as a slave rather than allowing him to die in the pit.
As the caravan passes, Yosef is pulled from the pit and sold into bondage for twenty pieces of silver. Reuven returns, finds the pit empty and bemoans the loss of Yosef. The brothers return to their father and lead him to believe that Yosef has been killed by a wild beast.
Torah relates Yosef’s journey to Egypt and his purchase by Pontiphar, as rendered to English in “The Living Torah,” by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 39, posukim 1 – 4, 6 – 15)
“Yosef had been brought down to Egypt [Mitzrayim], and Pontiphar, one of Pharaoh’s Egyptian officers, …purchased him from the Arabs who had brought him there. Hashem was with Yosef and He made him very successful. Soon he was working in his master’s own house. His master realized that Hashem was with [Yosef], and that Hashem granted success to everything he did.” (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 39, posukim 1 – 4)
“[His master] left all his affairs in Yosef’s hands, except for the food he himself ate… Meanwhile, Yosef grew to be well built and handsome. In the course of time, his master’s wife [Eishet Pontiphar] cast her eyes upon Yosef. ‘Sleep with me,’ she said.”
“He adamantly refused. He reasoned with his master’s wife, ‘My master does not even know what I do in the house. He has entrusted me with everything he owns…. He has not kept back anything at all from me, except for you — his wife. How could I do such a great wrong? It would be a sin before Hashem.'”
“She spoke to Yosef every day, but he would not pay attention to her… One such day, [Yosef] came to the house to do his work. None of the household staff was inside. [The woman] grabbed him by his cloak; ‘Sleep with me!,” She pleaded. He ran away from her, leaving his cloak in her hand, and fled outside. When she realized that he left his cloak in her hand and fled outside, she called her household servants. …She said, ‘…He came to rape [lay with] me, but I screamed as loud as I could! When I screamed and called for help, he fled outside and left his cloak with me.'” Sefer Breish’t, Perek 39, posukim 6 – 15)
Yosef resisted all of Eishet Pontiphar’s attempts at seduction and her threats, at the cost of his having been apprehended and imprisoned as a result of her feigned (adjective: pretended; sham; counterfeit) screams. Zelichah’s (Eishet Pontiphar) false accusations (cited from “Encyclopedia of Biblical Personalities,” by Yishai Chasidah, page 447) caused Yosef to escape Pontiphar’s judgement of death.
A number of years ago Rabbi Aba Wagensberg, of Ramat Beit Shemesh, made a video D’var Torah discussing Yosef’s rejection of Potiphar’s wife’s advances. Rabbi Wagensberg speaks of the word “Vayimaw’ein” = “he refused.” Rabbi Wagensberg explained that Yosef refused Pontiphar’s wife in no uncertain terms which is emphasized in the elongated reading [the term known as a shalshelos; the cantillation above “Vayimaw’ein.”] of word “Vayimaw’ein.”
Rabbi Wagensberg notes that some commentators consider Yosef as a fourth Patriarch by virtue of his teaching us about inner strength. [Note: Rabbi Wagensberg used the term “Vayivaw’ein” in the video, an inadvertent mispronunciation for those who clicked on the link and listened to his vort.]
Rabbi Mordechai Katz, in his sefer, “Lilmod U’lamed” on our Parshat writes that no matter what Mrs. Potiphar threatened Yosef with, he adamantly refused and stated that Hashem would save him from whatever she threatened.
This vort speaks about the immorality of seduction and the virtue of its rejection. But there are multitudes of seductions and evil influences beyond that of the opposite gender. Among these seductions and evil influences are those that place the nation of Israel in grave danger if weak leaders succumb to them. A lesson that Israel’s governmental political leaders fail to learn, again, again and again..
We have seen how Israel’s terrorist enemies: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Iran, Qatar, the Houthies, UNRWA, etc. have, over the years, seduced weak military commanders, media types, politicians and an unrepresentative judiciary to succumb (verb — used without object: to give way to superior force; yield) to certain ideas by projecting conceptions such as not seeking confrontation and war while, at the same time, they were in fact preparing for invasion, conflict, mass slaughter and butchering of Jews, as well as taking of large numbers of hostages — the War of Simchat Torah. And we see how these so-called “leaders,” when confronted by reports by border observers regarding the Hamas, Islamic Jihad, terrorists’ invasion plans, threatened and intimidated these heroic border observers, even invoking possible court martial proceedings against them.
These same “leaders” succumbed to the false, fraudulent and bogus conception and pressure, exerted by the former American Administration and other nations, for a “Two State solution
Years ago, after the demise of Arafat, this author would repeatedly mock Mahmud Abbas… “Abu Abbas in a business suit.”
Are we now seeing the government and military of Israel succumb to certain negotiators with possible prejudicial conflicts of interests (Qatari interests) and a former murderous terrorist, now “president” of Syria seeking to “begin indirect negotiations” with Israel through the US — modern-day seducers in business suits?
With the war in a current status of “ceasefire,” aka “hudna,” we observe the ongoing attempts at “the art of deal-making,” B’Ezrat Hashem NOT at Israel’s expense or vulnerability.
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see our Chayalim totally eradicate Hamas, Islamic Jihad, those so-called “civilians(sic)” who collaborated on 7 October, as well as Hezbollah, the Houthies, the Mullahs of Iran and all their terror accomplices while liberating the remains of all deceased hostages and their return home for Jewish ritual burials, B’Yad Hashem and mandated by a government secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Esrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his fifth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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