TASTETEXT
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How to Avoid Becoming Bitter
Genesis, Chapter 37
Parshat Vayeishev ‫ב”ה‬
‫פרק לז‬
23. Now it came to pass when Joseph came to his brothers, ‫ ַויְהִ י ּכַ אֲׁשֶ ר ּבָ א יו ֹסֵ ף אֶ ל אֶ חָ יו‬.‫כג‬
that they stripped Joseph of his shirt, of the fine woolen
‫ַוּיַפְ ִׁשיטּו אֶ ת יו ֹסֵ ף אֶ ת ּכֻּתָ נְּתו ֹ אֶ ת‬
coat which was upon him.
:‫ּכְ תֹנֶת הַ ּפַ ּסִ ים אֲׁשֶ ר עָ לָ יו‬
24. And they took him and cast him into the pit; now the
:‫ ַוּיִּקָ חֻ הּו ַוּי ְַׁשלִ כּו א ֹתו ֹ הַ ּבֹרָה ְוהַ ּבו ֹר רֵק אֵ ין ּבו ֹ מָ יִם‬.‫כד‬
pit was empty there was no water in it.
‫ ַוּי ְֵׁשבּו לֶ אֱכָ ל לֶ חֶ ם ַוּי ְִׂשאּו עֵ ינֵיהֶ ם ַוּיִרְ אּו וְ הִ ּנֵה א ֹרְ חַ ת‬.‫כה‬
25. And they sat down to eat a meal, and they lifted their
‫י ְִׁש ְמעֵ אלִ ים ּבָ ָאה ִמּגִ לְ עָ ד ּוגְ מַ ּלֵ יהֶ ם נ ְֹׂשאִ ים ְנכ ֹאת ּוצְ רִ י וָֹלט‬
eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was
:‫הו ֹלְ כִ ים לְ הו ֹרִ יד ִמצְ ָריְמָ ה‬
coming from Gilead, and their camels were carrying spices,
‫ָאחינּו וְכִ ּסִ ינּו‬
ִ ‫ ַוּי ֹאמֶ ר יְהּודָ ה אֶ ל אֶ חָ יו מַ ה ּבֶ צַ ע ּכִ י ַנ ֲהר ֹג אֶ ת‬.‫כו‬
balm, and lotus, going to take [it] down to Egypt. :ֹ ‫אֶ ת ּדָ מו‬
26. And Judah said to his brothers, “What is the gain if we
‫ָאחינּו‬
ִ ‫ לְ כּו וְ נִ ְמּכְ רֶּנּו לַ ּי ְִׁש ְמעֵ אלִ ים וְ יָדֵ נּו ַאל ּתְ הִ י בו ֹ ּכִ י‬.‫כז‬
slay our brother and cover up his blood? :‫בְ ׂשָ רֵנּו הּוא ַוּי ְִׁש ְמעּו אֶ חָ יו‬
27. Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but our hand
shall not be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.” And
‫פרק לט‬
his brothers hearkened.
‫ וְ יו ֹסֵ ף הּורַד ִמצְ ָריְמָ ה ַוּיִקְ נֵהּו ּפו ִֹטיפַ ר סְ רִ יס ּפַ רְ ע ֹה ׂשַ ר‬.‫א‬
:‫הַ ּטַ ּבָ ִחים אִ יׁש ִמצְ רִ י ִמּיַד הַ ּי ְִׁש ְמעֵ אלִ ים אֲׁשֶ ר הו ֹרִ דֻהּו ׁשָ ּמָ ה‬
Genesis, Chapter 39
‫ ַויְהִ י ה’ אֶ ת יו ֹסֵ ף ַויְהִ י אִ יׁש מַ צְ לִ יחַ ַויְהִ י ּבְ בֵ ית ֲאדֹנָיו‬.‫ב‬
1. Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and
:‫הַ ִּמצְ רִ י‬
Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chamberlain, chief of the slaughterers,
ַ‫ ַוּיַרְ א ֲאדֹנָיו ּכִ י ה’ אִ ּתו ֹ וְ כ ֹל אֲׁשֶ ר הּוא ע ֹׂשֶ ה ה’ מַ צְ לִ יח‬.‫ג‬
an Egyptian man, purchased him from the Ishmaelites who
:ֹ ‫ּבְ יָדו‬
had brought him down there.
‫ ַויְהִ י ַאחַ ר הַ ּדְ בָ רִ ים הָ אֵ ּלֶ ה וַּתִ ּׂשָ א אֵ ׁשֶ ת ֲאדֹנָיו אֶ ת עֵ ינֶיהָ אֶ ל‬.‫ז‬
2. The L-rd was with Joseph, and he was a successful man,
:‫יו ֹסֵ ף ַוּת ֹאמֶ ר ִׁשכְ בָ ה עִ ִּמי‬
and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.
3. And his master saw that the L-rd was with him, and
‫ ַויְמָ אֵ ן ַוּי ֹאמֶ ר אֶ ל אֵ ׁשֶ ת ֲאדֹנָיו הֵ ן ֲאד ֹ ִני ֹלא יָדַ ע אִ ּתִ י מַ ה‬.‫ח‬
whatever he (Joseph) did the L-rd made prosper ...
:‫ּבַ ּבָ יִת וְ כ ֹל אֲׁשֶ ר יֶׁש לו ֹ נָתַ ן ּבְ יָדִ י‬
7. Now it came to pass after these events that his master’s
‫ אֵ ינֶּנּו גָדו ֹל ּבַ ּבַ יִת הַ ּזֶה ִמּמֶ ּנִי ְוֹלא חָ ׂשַ ְך ִמּמֶ ּנִי ְמאּומָ ה ּכִ י‬.‫ט‬
wife lifted up her eyes to Joseph, and she said, “Lie with
‫אִ ם או ֹתָ ְך ּבַ אֲׁשֶ ר אַ ּתְ אִ ְׁשּתו ֹ וְ אֵ יְך אֶ עֱׂשֶ ה הָ רָעָ ה הַ ּגְ ד ֹלָ ה הַ ּז ֹאת‬
me.”
:‫וְ חָ טָ אתִ י לֵ אֹלקים‬
8. But he refused, and he said to his master’s wife, “Behold, ‫ ַויְהִ י ַאחַ ר הַ ּדְ בָ רִ ים הָ אֵ ּלֶ ה חָ ְטאּו מַ ְׁשקֵ ה מֶ לֶ ְך ִמצְ ַריִם ְוהָ א ֹפֶ ה‬.‫א‬
with me my master knows nothing about anything in the
:‫לַ ֲאדֹנֵיהֶ ם לְ מֶ לֶ ְך ִמצְ ָריִם‬
house, and all he has he has given into my hand.
‫ ַוּיִקְ צ ֹף ּפַ רְ ע ֹה עַ ל ְׁשנֵי סָ רִ יסָ יו עַ ל ׂשַ ר הַ ּמַ ְׁשקִ ים וְעַ ל ׂשַ ר‬.‫ב‬
9. In this house, there is no one greater than I, and he has
:‫הָ או ֹפִ ים‬
not withheld anything from me except you, insofar as you
‫ ַוּיִּתֵ ן א ֹתָ ם ּבְ ִמ ְׁשמַ ר ּבֵ ית ׂשַ ר הַ ּטַ ּבָ ִחים אֶ ל ּבֵ ית הַ ּס ֹהַ ר ְמקו ֹם‬.‫ג‬
are his wife. Now how can I commit this great evil, and sin
:‫אֲׁשֶ ר יו ֹסֵ ף ָאסּור ׁשָ ם‬
against G-d?”
‫ ַוּיַחַ לְ מּו חֲלו ֹם ְׁשנֵיהֶ ם אִ יׁש חֲֹלמו ֹ ּבְ לַ יְלָ ה אֶ חָ ד אִ יׁש ּכְ פִ תְ רו ֹן‬.‫ה‬
Genesis, Chapter 40
‫חֲֹלמו ֹ הַ ּמַ ְׁשקֶ ה וְ הָ א ֹפֶ ה אֲׁשֶ ר לְ מֶ לֶ ְך ִמצְ ַריִם אֲׁשֶ ר אֲסּורִ ים ּבְ בֵ ית‬
1. Now it came about after these events that the cupbearer
of the king of Egypt and the baker sinned against their master, against the king of Egypt.
2. And Pharaoh became incensed at his two chamberlains, at the chief cupbearer and at the chief baker.
3. And he placed them in the prison of the house of the chief of the slaughterers, into the prison, the place
where Joseph was imprisoned.
5. Now both of them dreamed a dream, each one his dream on the same night, each man according to the
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TASTETEXT
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interpretation of his dream, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of
Egypt, who were confined in the prison.
6. And Joseph came to them in the morning, and he saw them and
behold, they were troubled.
7. And he asked Pharaoh’s chamberlains who were with him in the
prison of his master’s house, saying, “Why are your faces sad today?”
‫ב”ה‬
:‫הַ ּס ֹהַ ר‬
‫ ַו ָּיב ֹא אֲלֵ יהֶ ם יו ֹסֵ ף ּבַ ּב ֹקֶ ר ַוּיַרְ א א ֹתָ ם וְ הִ ּנָם‬.‫ו‬
:‫זֹעֲפִ ים‬
‫ ַוּי ְִׁשַאל אֶ ת סְ רִ יסֵ י פַ רְ ע ֹה אֲׁשֶ ר אִ ּתו ֹ בְ ִמ ְׁשמַ ר‬.‫ז‬
:‫ּבֵ ית ֲאדֹנָיו לֵ אמ ֹר מַ ּדּועַ ּפְ נֵיכֶ ם רָעִ ים הַ ּיו ֹם‬
Genesis, Chapter 45
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me,” and they drew closer. And he said, “I am your
brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold
me here, for it was to preserve life that G-d sent me before you.
The pit was empty, no water was in it (37:24)
Rashi
From the implication that the “pit was empty” do I not know that “no water was in it”? It says this to imply
that there was no water in it, but there were snakes and scorpions in it.
The L-rd was with him (39:3)
Rashi
The name of G-d was fluent in his mouth, i.e. he would regularly refer to G-d in conversation.
“...How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against G-d?” (39:8-9)
Midrash
Said Joseph to her: “I am afraid of the Holy One, blessed be He.” Said she: “But He is not here”... She drove
him from room to room and from chamber to chamber, until she brought him to her bed. Above it was
engraved an idol, which she covered with a sheet. Said Joseph to her: “You have covered its face... How
much more then should you fear Him of whom it is written (Zechariah 4:10), “The eyes of the L-rd, that run
to and fro through the whole earth”!
Why are your faces so downcast today? (40:7)
The Lubavitcher Rebbe
Joseph had suffered terrible humiliations. We would expect him to become absorbed in his own pain, angry
at the world. We wouldn’t imagine that he would notice the pain of others, especially that of Pharaoh’s
courtiers, whose colleague had sent him to prison. Yet Joseph remained sensitive to others and to his
Divine mission in life. Not only did he perceive the anguish of the courtiers, he reached out to help them.
Little did he know, that this seemingly minor act would eventually lead him to become the viceroy of Egypt
and ultimately save the civilized world from famine.
SUMMARY
• Anger and self-pity rob us of our serenity. Bitterness and victimization blind us
from seeing another’s pain.
• The conviction that G-d is directing all that happens, helps us shift our focus
from, “why is this happening to me?” to “how can I use this as an opportunity?”
• Despite so much suffering in his life, Joseph wasn’t angry, not at his brothers, not at
Potiphar’s wife, not at the government.
• Ultimately, Joseph’s genuine act of care brought salvation to an entire world.
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