Hail Yosef, the Chief... Crier?

Parshat Miketz

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Of all the people we meet in the Torah, Yosef is credited with crying the most times. In one form or another, he cries at least 8 times, and one of those times he is crying on each of his brothers (which might count as 10 additional cries). See 42:23-24, 43:30, 45:2-3, 45:14-15, 46:29, 50:1, 50:17. 

In Miketz he cries twice when seeing his brothers; first when he hears of how his brothers saw his disappearance and absence, and their remorse (or lack of it) over how that panned out, second when he initially sets his eyes on Binyamin. 

What Was Yosef Telling Yaakov?

Parshat Vayeshev

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

It’s a famous story. Yosef’s brothers didn’t like him. 

But why? Because of the coat? Because his father liked him more? Could they not see that Rachel had died, and Yaakov, traumatized, is turning to Yosef as the replacement for Yosef’s dead mother upon whom he could shower his love? 

It is most likely that what the brothers found most objectionable about Yosef is that he seems to be a snitch. He tells on them to their father. (37:2) What does he tell their father? The Torah does not say, but nonetheless there is much speculation in the world of Rabbinic Text and commentary. 

 Note that Rabbenu Bachaye distinguishes between one who is מביא דבה (brings accusations) and a מוציא דבה (brings out accusations) in that the former is telling truths, while the latter is making everything up and lying. The Torah describes that which Yosef is “telling” as מביא דבה – whatever he was saying was thus the truth. The questions we then have include – was there more context to whatever he was saying? What was his intention in telling over the דבה – was he looking to get them in trouble, or was he looking to help them? Was he in the right or in the wrong in being the tattletale? Is whatever he did considered tattling? 

Yaakov as a Fighter

Parshat Vayishlach 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

The narratives of the forefathers depict Yitzchak as having a relatively unexciting life, while Avraham and Yaakov have many adventures. The Vilna Gaon noted that when Rivkah told Yaakov at the time she was instructing him to disguise himself to take the Brachos purportedly designated for Eisav, when she said עלי קללתך בני (Your curse is on me, my son), what she was hinting to was that the acronym עלי stands for all those who would be a source of suffering in Yaakov’s life, namely Eisav (ע), Lavan (ל), and Yosef (י). Eisav and Lavan will do what they do, while the suffering from Yosef will come on account of not knowing what has happened to him, when he is sold down to Egypt. 

While the parsha begins in the aftermath of Yaakov’s encounters with Lavan, it goes right into his encounters with Eisav’s clan. (The troubles with Yosef will begin in the next parsha, Vayeshev.) Before he meets Eisav directly, he has a struggle with a man in the nighttime. The man is often identified as an angel, though which angel is a debate, but most are of the view that it is Eisav’s guardian angel.