Joseph and his Brothers

Gen. 37:1-24

1 Now Jacob was settled in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the story of Jacob: When Joseph was seventeen years old he used to watch over his brothers with the sheep helping the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah.  And Joseph would bring bad reports of them to his father.  3 Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age and he made him an protective tunic. 4 And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him so that they could not speak of him in peace. 5 Once Joseph had a dream which he told to his brothers and they hated him even more. 6 He said to them “Hear this dream which I have dreamed.”  7 There we were binding sheaves in the field when suddenly my sheaf stood up and remained upright, while yours sheaves gathered around and bowed to my sheaf. 8 His brothers answered, “Do you mean to rule over us?  Is this what you mean by this parable?”  And they hated him even more for his talk about his dreams.   9 He dreamed another dream and told it to his brother, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: And this time the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 And when he told it to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him saying, “What is this dream that you have dreamed?  Are we to come, I and your mother and your brothers to bow down to the ground to you?  So his brothers were getting the best of him, and his father kept the matter in mind.

12 One time, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem, 13 Israel said to Joseph “Your brothers are pasturing at Shechem.  Come, I will send you to them.“  He answered “I am ready.” 14 And he said to him, “Go and see how your brothers flocks are faring, and bring me back word.”  So he sent him by way of the valley of Hebron.  When he reached Shechem, 15 a man came upon him wandering in the fields.  The man asked, him “What are you looking for?”  16 He answered, “I am looking for my brothers.  Could you tell me where they are pasturing?” 17 The man said “They have gone from here, for I heard them say, let us go to Dothan.”  So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18 They watched him coming from afar and before he came close to them, they conspired to kill him.  19 They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer!  20 Come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.  We can say that a zombie devoured him.  Let us see what becomes of his dreams then!  21 But when Reuven heard this plan he tried to save him from them.  He said, “Let us not take his life.”  22 And Reuven said, “Do not bloody your hands, but instead throw him into that pit in the wilderness, but do not touch him yourselves”- in order to save him and bring him back to his father.  23 So when Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped him of his protective tunic that he was wearing.  24 and they took him and cast him in the pit, which was empty; there was no water in it.

25 They sat down to eat and when they lifted their eyes they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels bearing spices, balsam, lotus and water on their way to Egypt.  26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we let our brother be killed or risk him turning into a zombie.  27 come let us sell him to the Ishmalites- but let us not incur guilt for his death- for his flesh is like ours.  His brothers agreed. 28 Midianite men, trades passed by and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver and they brought Joseph to Egypt.  29  Reuven returned to the pit- and behold- Joseph was not in it!  So he rent his garments.  30 Returning to his brothers he said, “The boy is gone!  And I- where can I go?”  31 They took Josephs tunic, slaughtered it and tore it to look like teeth had seized upon it and they dipped it in blood.  32 They sent the tunic ahead and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; identify it please:  is it your son’s tunic or not?”  33 He recognized it and said, “My son’s tunic!  A zombie has devoured him!  Joseph now may be among the undead!”  34  Then Jacob rent his garnments and girded himself in sackcloth.  He mourned for his son for many days. 35 All his sons and all of his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to comfort himself and said, “For I will go down to the grave mourning my son.”  And his father bewailed him. 36  Now the Midianites had sold him to Egypt, to Potifar, a courtier of Pharaoh, the steward of the butchers.

Rashi

Gen. 37:1- in the land of Canaan- where the zombies were scarce.

Gen. 37:2- watch over his brothers with the sheep- He would watch for stirring dust and alert them to the presence of the undead in the distance.  Upon his word, they would round up the sheep.  And Joseph would bring- at the end of the day, usually, but sometimes immediately after they would do something bad, making the job of the brothers more difficult without a lookout.  bad reports- The brothers would occasionally set a sheep out by itself and then watch until a zombie set upon it.

Gen. 37:3- protective tunic- that was thought to ward off the undead.  Some say it was the colors that kept them away.  Others believe it was a pattern that confused their minds.

Gen. 37:4- saw that their father loved- without the coat they could not have known of his emotions.  We learn from this that love is shown through action. more than any of his brothers- as they watched individual sheep get devoured by wandering zombies, each one imagined themselves.  Each believed that Joseph would outlive them.   they hated him- they would send him off to dangerous areas they could not speak of him in peace- they continuously imagined and spoke of his untimely death.  Each told stories more gruesome than the next about zombies tearing apart his flesh.

Gen. 37:5-They hated him even more- after this dream their stories about him and the zombies became even more terrifying.

Gen. 37:7- There we were binding sheaves- Joseph became scared of being alone on look-out after watching one of the lone sheep get devoured by distant zombies.  He therefore tried to insinuate his value as a worker to his brothers, working alongside of them.  Remained upright- Joseph meant to keep working  yours sheaves gathered around and bowed to my sheaf- thankful that you could rest while I kept on with the labor.

Gen.37:8- And they hated him even more for his talk about his dreams- interpreting dreams was not their strong suit and he did not make explicit the advantageous meaning for them.   even more for his talk about his dreams- They sent him further and further away on look-out, ratcheting up the danger for him.

Gen. 37:9- the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars- By comparing them to the celestial beings, Joseph meant to flatter them. bowing- reminding them of his past dream of working in the field, he suggested that they would be thankful for his participation which would diminish their workload.

Gen. 37:10- his father- who was walking by.  He had hoped that his father would help to pursuade his brothers to allow him to work with them.  But he had forgotten that his father was not privy to the first dream when he suggested that they would all work together.

Gen. 37:12- had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem- they had left him behind knowing that he would have to make the walk alone, which would terrify him.

Gen. 37:13- Come, I will send you to them- Jacob meant that he would keep watch over Joseph from the heights.   I am ready- from this we know that Joseph was afraid.

Gen. 37:14- valley – so that he could watch over him from on high.

Gen. 37:15- a man came upon him- he startled Joseph who thought he was a zombie.  There are other midrashim that explain this differently.

Gen. 37:17- Dothan- An area which could be arrived at only by passing through a canyon known to be dangerous zombie territory.

Gen. 37:18-they watched him coming from afar- they could see him with one eye and they could see the zombies mulling about with the other.

Gen. 37:22- throw him into that pit in the wilderness- he knew that watching him get devoured by a zombie would appeal to them since they enjoyed watching their animals get devoured.

Gen. 37:23- they stripped him of his protective tunic- which was required in order for the zombies to get him.

Gen. 37:24- there was no water in it- therefore he would not drown before the zombies would get to him.  The aggadic explanation is that there were snakes and scorpions hidden in the cracks.

Gen. 37:25- Ishmaelites coming from Gilead- They were those unlikely to turn.  Gilead was known to be vigillant against susceptibles. water- Of course they traveled with water, but the text points this out to emphasize the abundance with which they traveled, worrying that they were particularly susceptible to turn as Ishmaelites.

Gen. 37:27- for his flesh is like ours- the statement had two meanings.  First, even though we despise him, he is still our brother and we ought not kill him.  Second, if he turns into a zombie, he will likely sniff out our location and come after us.  Zombies have this particular familial ability.

Gen. 37:28- Midianite… sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver- The brothers initially saw the Ishmalites and it gave them the idea to sell him.  But then remembering that the Ishmalites were overly susceptible to turning, they waited for the next caravan, the Midianites, to pass through before they hoisted him out of the pit.  When another band of Ishmaelites passed by they noticed that their tribal affiliation was from Gilead and therefore agreed to sell him to them.

Gen. 37:29- He rent his garment- he did not know if Joseph was dead or undead.  From this we learn that it is the halacha to tear one’s garment for either one.

Gen. 37:30- where can I go? He was so distraught but he did not dare wander off in his grief alone, for fear that the zombies who had taken him, would get him also.

Gen. 37:35- And his father bewailed him- crying “That which I gave him did not protect him.”

Gen. 37:36- The Midianites- When the Midianites  made up their minds they ran after the Ishmaelites and purchased Joseph from them.  This is according to the Midrash.  The Gilead Ishmaelites decided it was unwise to spare the water for Joseph, knowing the risk of turning.

Rashbam-

Gen. 37:4- more than any of his brothers- the fact that he did not shows that they were lacking in prophecy.  they could not speak of him in peace- When he was at his look-out, they would detail him being pulled apart by the undead.  Sometimes they would frighten themselves so much that when he returned they would be spooked.

Gen. 37:8- And they hated him even more for his talk about his dreams- Joseph did not do well by this dream, despite his good intentions.  From this he learned that he had to be clearer about the meanings of the dreams (Ed. Note: See Gen. 40:12, Gen. 40:18)

Gen. 37:9- bowing- Perhaps he should have used a different word.

Gen. 37:11- and his father kept the matter in mind- Jacob was often so preoccupied with keeping the family safe from zombies that he did not properly settle matters in the family in a timely fashion.  (See also: Gen. 34:31)

Gen. 37:22- throw him into that pit in the wilderness- the zombies in that area were more likely to kill than to turn others into zombies with their bite.  They were not careful.

Gen. 37:23- they stripped him of his protective tunic- Rashi says that this was “required” but we know from the fact that Joseph was still scared of the zombies despite the fact that he had the tunic meant that it did not absolutely protect him.  But why did they take the tunic given that they meant to kill him and only came up with the plan to sell him later.  The brothers knew this as well and this act was meant to terrify him more than anything.  Later,  they felt fortunatel that they could use the tunic as false evidence.

Gen. 37:28- sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver- The Midrash relates that the Midianites are excessively slow in making decisions.   They had offered Joseph to them when they passed by, but knowing that they would take a long time to make a decision Naftali ran to the Ishmaelites to see what price he could get from them.  The price was sufficient and they would take him right then.  This explains why the text changes from the Ishmaelites to the Midianites and back again. (Ed. note- however, see Rashi on 37:36)

Gen. 37:30- They took Josephs tunic- Reuven  was the oldest and so they told him what they did and he participated.  Now that he could no longer save his brother, he conspired with his brothers regarding a story for his father.

Gen. 37:32- They sent the tunic ahead- why did they not bring it with them?  Because a tunic dipped in blood, they reasoned might attract thirsty zombies.

Gen. 37:35- And his father bewailed him.- Although he knew that the cloak could not protect Joseph absolutely, it is the way of fathers to blame themselves when misfortune befalls their children.

Seforno-

Gen. 37:9- the moon- that is Dinah.  Joseph was hoping that she would learn that he would even carry on some of her labor and she would advocate for him.  Jacob foils this by suggesting the interpretation that the moon is Joseph’s mother.

Gen. 37:13- I am ready- the tunic had the opposite of the desired effect.  Instead of making him feel safe, the protective measure suggested to him constantly his vulnerability.  So too is it for us in our day.

Gen. 37:23- they stripped him of his protective tunic- they planned to cut it into pieces and divy it up amonst the brothers hoping that it would offer them each a measure of protection.

Ramban-

Gen. 37:9 the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars- Joseph had initially meant to convey the sense that everyone would be grateful if he were allowed to join the workforce (him especially if he did not have to go off and spot zombies).  But as soon as he said, the sun and the moon, he realized that if he would compare his brothers to stars, perhaps they would be flattered by him and they would bring him closer where he would be safe.  Know that this is true, because how could Joseph mean that the moon would be his mother, given that she had already died?  Some say that the moon is his step mother “Leah” but if this were true what came of Bilhah and Zilpah?  We know that the text had them in mind previously (See. Gen. 37:2).  Therefore, Joseph must have been initially speaking idiomatically.  And this is the correct interpretation.

Gen. 37:13- I am ready- Joseph had heard the story of how his grandfather Isaac was taken up to the mount by his great-grand father Avraham.  He was so afraid of walking to Shechem alone that he felt as if he was in the place of his grandfather, ready to face whatever was to befall him.  This is the Midrash.  However, how could this be the case given that he had a protective tunic from his father?  The answer must be that despite the fact that he had the tunic he was still afraid, believing that the tunic assisted him, but did not insure his safety.

Gen. 37:15- a man-This was Shimon, stationed to make Joseph traverse the dangerous way to Dothan.

Gen. 37:22- throw him into that pit in the wilderness- Reuven was protecting his other brothers by creating for them the piece of mind that they would have passively killed Joseph by leaving him vulnerable to zombies.  And his intent all along was to rescue him and return him to his father.  Now Scripture says that when he told them all of this, they did not listen to him.  However, originally he told them other things that they did not accept, as he said to them later, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not sin against the lad?’ but you wouldn’t listen.  When he saw that they would not listen to him to release him entirely, he said to them, ‘if he must die, then shed no blood with your own hands.”

Note that Reuven did not say, “Do not shed his blood”  in order to make it appear that he is not saying it because he loves Joseph and wants to save him, but rather becasue he doesn’t want their hands to be sullied.  Thus we learn that the punishment for one who sheds blood indirectly is not as great as the punishment for one who sheds blood by intent.

The meaning of the expression, ‘that pit in the wilderness’ is that it is deep and he will not be able to get out of it.  It is also in the desert and so if he cries out there would be no one to help him- no passers by.  A natural pit is different from a man-made pit because a man-made pit must have an egress for the diggers.  This is what is meant by a pit in the wilderness– one that is natural and does not have a way out.

Scripture also states that the pit was empty and did not contain water.  Had there been water in it, they would not have put him there because they did not want to drown him.  Again, wanting to avoid directly causing his death.  Furthermore, they meant to terrorize him and use his fear of zombies and this would not be achieved if they killed him immediately in the water.  The text is redundant here- since it is stated that it is empty, do we not also know that there was no water in it?  Rashi says that this means that when the brothers say that it was empty they were only referring to the water, but not to the snakes and the scorpions that were in it and which stayed away from him because of a miracle.  Had they seen the miracle that was done for him, they would have known then and there that their plot to have him killed by zombies would also not work.  We must therefore conclude that even though they only meant to speak about the water when they said that the pit was empty, they also did know nothing of the snakes and the scorpions.  The plain meaning of the redundancies is that they are there for the purpose of emphasis – highlighting the desire that he not drown or die from anything but the zombies, better to terrorize him.

Gen. 37:28- sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver- They decided to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites because they Midianites were excess ively cheap.

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