NOW ISRAEL LOVED JOSEPH BEST OF ALL HIS SONS, FOR HE WAS THE CHILD OF HIS OLD AGE; AND HE MADE HIM A COAT OF MANY COLORS.

 (Bereishit 37:3)

 

 

Discrimination Brings Jealousy, Hatred, and Violence

And he made him a coat of many colors - Resh Lakish said in the name of R. Elazar ben Azaryah: A person should not discriminate between his children, since the coat of many colors which our father Jacob made for Joseph resulted in they hated him... (Bereishit 37:4)

R. Simon ben Lakish said in the name of R. Elazar ben Azaryah: [It is written:] Go and see God's works (Tehillim 66:5), and later it is written, He changed sea into dry land (verse 6). Why was it that they hated him? So that [as a result of the historical process set of by their hatred they would enslaved in Egypt and eventually redeemed and] the sea would be torn asunder for them into passim [strips].

(Bereishit Rabbah 84:8)

 

That all this was not judicious or wise, that Jacob should not have listened to his tattle, that altogether to show favoritism to one child had only evil effects in the history of our forefathers, as indeed it has in any home, is stressed bitterly enough in the pernicious results which are shown in this story. They are weaknesses which occur only too frequently in people's lives, but are none the less weaknesses.

(Rabbi S.R. Hirsch on Bereishit 37:3, Levy translation)

 

And when his brothers saw that their father loved him (Bereishit 37:4) - Otherwise, they would have thought it was because he was the son of the beloved Rachel, that he loved her sons more than the rest. But when they saw that he was best loved of all the brothers, including Benjamin, they were sure that it was because of the ill reports that he would bring about them, their disrepute gaining him honor and prestige from their father. That is why they hated him - this is plain to see.

(Meshekh Hokhmah ad. loc.)

 

 

The Voice of Clothing

Avigdor Shinan

 

In Derekh Eretz Zuta (5:3) we read that, "four things mark the Torah scholar: his wallet [handling of money], his cup [wine-drinking], his anger and his covering," that is to say, his clothing, for a person is represented by his clothing. In many cases it even establishes the principle impression that a person makes on those around him, as the old saw has it, "clothes make the man."

Parashat Vayeishev, which begins Joseph's story devotes quite a bit of attention to articles of clothing, especially to those connected with Joseph himself (a trend which continues and expands right through the remainder of Bereishit): The coat of many colors that Jacob made for Joseph as an expression of his love for him, the coat which is mentioned again in the story of the brother's encounter with Joseph, and again when it is brought, blood-soaked, to Jacob. Other mentions of Joseph's clothing appear no less than five times in the later sections of the Joseph-narrative: When he escaped the seductive advances of Potiphar's wife he was brought out of the dungeon and appeared before Pharaoh only after his hair was cut and his clothing changed (41:14). Eventually Pharaoh had him dressed in robes of fine linen (41:42). Finally, in the story's resolution, after having revealed himself to his brothers, Joseph gives them each a change of clothing, and to Benjamin he gave... five changes of clothing (45:22). In the course of the story, the original coat of many colors is replaced with some form of clothing (of which no details are given) which Joseph wore when he was sold (unless he was sold naked), then with a robe (probably not exceptionally plain) that he wore as the manager of Potiphar's household, and which was left behind in Potiphar's wife's hand, then replaced with the prisoner's garb which Joseph wore in the jail and which had to be changed in order for him to appear before Pharaoh, and finally - the luxurious outfit given to him by Pharaoh upon his appointment as viceroy. Joseph's coveted coat of many colors is replaced with captive's garb, the outfit he wore as manger of Potiphar's household is replaced with a prisoner's uniform, the new suit he wore upon leaving the dungeon to stand before Pharaoh is replaced with robes of fine linen. A changing of clothing is also explicitly mentioned when Joseph is raised up from the dungeon, in the first leg of his rise to greatness (vayahalef begadav - he changed his clothes). It is interesting to note that halifot begadim (changes of clothing) - presumably extra sets of clothing to change into - were given by Joseph to his brothers for gifts, first and foremost to Benjamin. A tale that began with jealousy over (among other things) an article of clothing ends with a reconciliation which includes gifts of clothing, while a change of clothing marks the turning point in the luck of its protagonist at story's center.

Now we find the story of Judah and Tamar embedded in the cycle of Joseph-stories. It, too, grants a crucial function to an article of clothing. When Tamar heard that Judah was on his way to Timnah, she took off her widow's garb, and covered her face with a veil (38:14). After Judah had sex with her, she took off her veil and again put on her widow's garb (38:19). Thus, the story of Judah and Tamar also involves a change of clothing, but one opposite to that which we find by Joseph. Joseph begins and ends his adventures in luxurious clothing, wearing, for the most part, the clothing of poverty and suffering throughout the many intervening years. In contrast, Tamar's tale begins and ends with her wearing mourning dress, appearing in seductive and presumably expensive clothing in between. We should also recall that among three items which Judah leaves with Tamar by means of collateral there was a petil (38:18) or petilim (38:25). These words have been interpreted in various ways, and many of them suggest that they were part of something that Judah wore.

Both before and after the Tamar interlude, the clothing motif gets further play in the Joseph stories in a series of incidents in which clothing is torn. First we have Reuven tearing his clothing (And Reuven returned to the pit, and Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothing - 37:29). Next, Jacob tears his clothes upon identifying Joseph's blood-soaked coat, and dons sackcloth: Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins (37:34). Finally, the brothers themselves follow suit when they discover Joseph's goblet in Benjamin's saddle-bag (and they tore their clothes... - 44:13).

It has become clear that acts of the wearing, changing and tearing of clothing are woven as a continuous thread throughout the telling of Joseph's adventures (and in the sub-plot involving Judah and Tamar as well). The Sages of the midrashim and Talmudim strove to understand the meaning of this motif. From the many sources that deal with this problem, I shall only mention a few that concern themselves with the first article of clothing in our narrative, i.e., the coat of many colors (ketonet pasim. The Sages offered at least seven different opinions regarding the nature of Joseph's coat, most of which involve plays on the word passim. Apparently, the ketonet passim mentioned in the story of Amnon and Tamar (II Samuel 13:18) informs several of these interpretations, making the ketonet a kind of royal robe worn by the king's virgin daughters. These include:

1) A robe which reached Joseph's pas yad [hand] or his pas regel [foot] - i.e., a long-sleeved robe, or a robe which was long altogether. Typically, such a garment would be worn by someone who did not have to perform menial labor or any kind of work that produce sweat and dirt (modern biblical exegetes view this as the plain meaning of the text).

2) A decorated undergarment worn next to the skin.

3) A suit made of sha'atnez [interwoven wool and flax], which demonstrates its wearer's high status as one exempt from common prohibitions.

4) A robe "that was extremely light and thin, [so airy and fine that] it could be hidden in one's pas [hand]" (Bereishit Rabbah).

5) "Pasim - for they hepisu [drew lots] to see which of them would bring it to Jacob" - the lot which fell upon Judah.

6) PaSIM - an acronym for the troubles it brought: P - Potiphar, S - soharim [traders], I - Ishmaelites, M - Midianites (ibid).

7) So that [as a result of the historical process set of by the brother's jealousy for the coat they would be enslaved in Egypt and eventually redeemed and] the sea would be torn asunder for them into passim [strips] (ibid).

Explanations 1-4 remain connected to the story of the sale of Joseph, while 5-6 extend the range to include Joseph's history up to his arrival at Potiphar's house. The last interpretation points to a much broader narrative framework, connecting up with the highpoint of the story of the Israelite's sojourn in Egypt, a story which begins with Joseph's being carried off and ending with the crossing of the Red Sea. For the authors of the various midrashim, Joseph's coat was not a trifling matter, a mere external ornament to the story. The coat brought about a cycle of fateful events, some involving Joseph individually and others involving the entire Jewish People. Only a broad and comprehensive view can see how events separated by hundreds of years are related to each other.

In this manner, Bereishit Rabbah can tell us that the tearing of the brother's clothing in Egypt came upon them as a punishment for having caused Jacob to tear his clothing. On the other hand, Bamidbar Rabbah tells us that Joseph merited wearing royal robes for having escaped the clutches of the women who tried to seduce him, leaving his cloak in her hand. At a broader scale: Joseph caused his brothers to tear their clothes when the goblet was found in their possession, and God, "sought recompense from his son's son - And Joshua tore his clothes (Joshua 7:6)." Mordekhai, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, also tore his clothing as a punishment for this deed (Bereishit Rabbah). Yet on the other hand, it is by the merit of Joseph, of whom it is written, He dressed him in robes of fine linen that Zion will hear the words, Awake, awake, O Zion! Clothe yourself in splendor; put on your robes of majesty (Isaiah 52:1) (Tanhuma Vayigash 10).

Clothing keeps silent - but its voice is heard very well! It was put on and stripped off, changed and offered as a gift, the Sages saw how various articles of clothing accompany the plot of Joseph's tale. The recurrent mention of clothing helps the reader to understand the connections between the various parts of the story while tying it to ever broader worlds in which it is embedded - Israel's story in the biblical era, and its continuing history until the Messianic age.

Prof. Shinan teaches in the Department of Hebrew literature in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

 

 

Bad Reports: Whose?

And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father. What did he say? R. Meir said: They are suspect of eating the limb of an animal why it was still alive. R. Yehudah says: They showed disrespect towards the sons of the handmaidens, treating them like slaves.

And R. Shimon says: they set their eyes upon the daughters of the land.

(Talmud Yerushalmi Pe'ah 1:1)

 

And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father - ... certainly the sons of the wives would degrade the sons of the handmaidens, calling their mothers concubine and handmaidens, and calling their sons slaves. Only Joseph would associate with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, because he said that they were full wives of his father. That is the reason why Reuven degraded Bilhah, thinking her to be a concubine rather than a wife. That is why he "confused his bedding" and from here we have a clear proof that all of the wives' sons spoke ill of the handmaidens' sons, calling them slaves. That is why it is said, Joseph brought dibatam ra'ah [literally their bad report]: He brought the bad report which his brothers were spreading regarding the handmaidens' sons to the attention of the father of Bilhah and Zilpah's sons, since they [the sons of the wives] should have preserved their father's honor by not calling his sons slaves. And so he [Joseph] thought their father would redress their shame... and although he also spoke ill of them, in any event yet his bow stayed taut (Bereishit 49:24), since he had drawn his bow and made it taut in righteousness and justice, for it is permitted to speak ill [i.e., to report the evil activities] of the parties to a dispute (Yerushalmi Pe'ah 1:1), and his brother had entered into a dispute when they degraded the handmaidens' sons.

(Keli Yakar on Bereishit 37:2)

 

Good Deeds Should be Performed Discretely

There we were binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf stood up and remained upright; then your sheaves gathered around and bowed low to my sheaf

(Bereishit 37:7)

 

It would appear that words in the field are superfluous. However, it could be that their point is in line with that which is found in Tractate Sukkah 49b: "What do we learn from the verse, the curve of your thighs (Shir ha-Shirim 7:2)? Just as the thigh is hidden, so too things of Torah should be hidden. This is [in line with] that which written: What does the Lord ask from you... to walk modestly with the Lord your God (Micah 6:8). Even things that are usually done in public should be performed discretely. The reason is that one who performs [a commandment] in public cannot be sure that unwanted thoughts will not come to his mind, that is, he may become conceited and boastful out of pride [when everyone sees him perform a commandment], and then it [the commandment] will not have been performed for its own sake.

(Rav Tov 65a)

 

Everyone perform commandments openly and sin secretly, while our rabbi sins openly and performs commandments discretely.

(A saying of the Kotzker Hassidim about their rabbi, R. Menahem Mendel MiKotzk, ztz"l)

 

From the story of Judah a noble moral habit and equity in conduct may be learnt; this appears from [Judah's] words: Let her take it, lest we be put to shame; behold I sent this kid (Bereishit 38:32). The interpretation of this is as follows: Before the giving of the Torah sexual intercourse with a harlot was regarded in the same way as sexual intercourse with one's wife is regarded after the giving of the Torah. I mean to say that it was a permitted act that did not by any means arouse repugnance. The payment of hire that was agreed upon to a harlot was in that time something similar to the payment now of a wife's dowry when she is divorced, I mean that it was one of the rights of the woman with regard to which the man had to discharge his obligation... This is the excellent moral habit that we learn from this story. As for the precept of justice by which we profit, it is to be found in the word in which he answers that he is innocent of all violence with regard to the woman, that he does not go back on his word, and that he does not diminish the price agreed upon with her: Behold, I sent this kid, and so on. That kid was indubitably one that among those of its species was possessed of the highest excellence; therefore in referring to it he employs [the demonstrative pronoun] this. This is the justice that they had taken over from Jacob, Isaac and Abraham: namely, that one must not make changes in one's word or break one's promise; that all obligations must be discharged fully and integrally... and there is no difference between one who withholds the wages of a hired man and one who does this to his wife.

(RaMBaM, Guide of the Perplexed III:49, Pines translation)

 

 

 

 

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