READING HEBREW
Israel s Sons and Joseph in Egypt
IN THIS LECTURE: 1. Reading from the Torah 2. Reading from the Siddur 3. Reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls
Words of the Week Look for these words while reading (verb) to kill, to slay, to - ה ר ג murder. dream. (noun) a - ח ל ום (verb) to interpret, to - פ ת ר explain. well-being, (noun) - ש ל ום wholeness, welfare, peace. die, (verb) to perish, to - מ ות to be destroyed. portion, (noun) - מ ש א ת grant, tax, something raised. drink. (verb) to - ש ת ה (verb) to sell, to - מ כ ר surrender, to give up. remnant, (noun) - ש א ר ית remainder, survivor, what is left. glory, (noun) praise, - ת ה ל ה psalm.
Reading Torah
Jacob settled in Canaan and continued to prosper. Joseph was Jacob s favorite son and no doubt his brothers were jealous that Joseph received special treatment. The young man made a very naïve mistake. He shared his prophetic dreams openly and his brothers began to despise him even more. Eventually, they saw an opportunity to get rid of him in a way that no one would find out.
ו ע ת ה ל כ ו ו נ ה ר ג ה ו ו נ ש ל כ ה ו ב א ח ד ה ב ר ות ו א מ ר נ ו ח י ה ר ע ה א כ ל ת ה ו ו נ ר א ה מ ה י ה י ו Come now, let s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we ll see how his dreams turn out! (Gen 37:20)
Not all brothers wished Joseph and the boy was not killed, but sold to slave-traders and ended up in Egypt, in Potiphar s house. His master was an official in Pharaoh s court. When Joseph showed his ability to manage resources well and his wisdom was noticed he became the most trusted slave in the house. Even in Egypt God was with Joseph and prospered him.
ו י ה י יהוה א ת י וס ף ו י ה י א יש מ צ ל יח And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man (Gen.39:2).
The personal presence of the LORD God was with Joseph. It did not matter where Joseph found himself. It did not matter if the circumstances were good or bad. God was with him and that was certain. It was the LORD being with him that brought the preordained result Joseph was a successful man, much like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before him.
Potiphar was not the only one who took a liking to Joseph. His wife was also attracted to him. He was young, faithful, handsome, successful, and perhaps she saw far more of him than she did in her own husband. As the text testifies, one of the character traits of Joseph was his loyalty. When Joseph refused her advances the Potiphar s wife accused Joseph of attempted rape.
Joseph was jailed and after many years he ended up before pharaoh himself. It was reported that Joseph possessed an extraordinary ability to interpret dreams and Pharaoh urgently needed his help. ב ל ע ד י Joseph said that only God א לה ים himself will answer ש ל ום regarding the (shalom) well-being of Pharaoh.
א ין א ת ו ופ ת ר ח ל מ ת י ח ל ום ו א נ י ש מ ע ת י ע ל י ך ל אמ ר ת ש מ ע ח ל ום א ת ו ל פ ת ר I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it. Now I have heard it said of you that for you to hear a dream is to tell its meaning. (Gen 41:15)
ו י ע ן י וס ף א ת פ ר ע ה ל אמ ר ב ל ע ד י א לה ים י ע נ ה א ת ש ל ום פ ר ע ה Joseph answered to Pharaoh, saying, Not I! God will see to Pharaoh s welfare. (Gen 41:16)
א נ י פ ר ע ה וב ל ע ד י ך ל א י ר ים ו א ת ר ג ל ו א יש א ת י ד ו ב כ ל א ר ץ מ צ ר י ם I am Pharaoh; (yet) without you, no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. (Gen 41:44)
Indeed, the dreams were omens about disastrous times for Egypt. And Joseph advised Pharaoh to take preemptive action and how to save his kingdom. Pharaoh was so impressed with his abilities that he granted Joseph broad authority in his kingdom because. Once again, despite the circumstances God was with Joseph, blessing him.
In Genesis 41:38 Pharaoh wondered, Could we find another like him, a man in whom is the spirit of God? (Gen. 41:38). It is ironic that Joseph s family did not recognize these traits in him, but Pharaoh did. Eventually Joseph s brothers came to Egypt, looking to purchase grain.
Joseph skillfully hid his identity from his brothers but decided to test them. He accused his brothers of being spies and eventually made them look guilty. All in order to see his youngest brother Benjamin and to find out whether his brothers have changed. Will they betray Benjamin to save themselves?
א ל ה ם ו י אמ ר א ת ם ל ר א ות מ ר ג ל ים א ת ע ר ו ת ה א ר ץ ב את ם He said to them, You are spies, you have come to see the land in its nakedness. (Gen 42:9)
The idiom the Torah uses here refers to nakedness, to that which should be hidden from an outsider s eyes. The vizier is accusing the brothers of wanting to take advantage of the Egypt s vulnerability. They protested explaining that they are just a family. So Joseph demanded that they prove it by brining the rest of their family to Egypt. So he jailed one of them (Simeon) and the rest were supposed to return and not to come back without their youngest brother.
Jacob protested and under no circumstances he would allow his youngest to go to Egypt. Only when the supply of food from Egypt was almost gone he told the sons to return to Egypt, not to save Simeon, but to bring more food. The brothers knew that this would not work, so they pleaded for all of their lives. Without food from Egypt the entire family is doomed to die.
ו י אמ ר י ה וד ה א ל י ש ר א ל ו נ ל כ ה ו נ ק ומ ה א ת י ג ם א ת ה ו נ ח י ה ו ל א א ב יו ש ל ח ה ה נ ע ר ג ם ט פ נ ו ג ם א נ ח נ ו נ מ ות Then Judah said to his father Israel, Send the boy in my care, and let us be on our way, that we may live and not die - you and we and our children. (Gen 43:8)
Israel agrees and as they come to Egypt, the first question Joseph asked brothers is whether their father was still alive. He finally saw Benjamin and invited the family to eat with him. The whole time Joseph had plans to discover how far the sons of Leah would go to protect their youngest brother, the son of Rachel. So he held his feelings in check and set his scheme into motion.
מ ש א ת ו י ש א מ מ ש א ת מ א ת פ נ יו א ל ה ם כ ל ם ח מ ש י ד ות ו ת ר ב ו י ש ת ו ב נ י מ ן מ ש א ת ו י ש כ ר ו ע מ ו Portions were served them from his table; but Benjamin s portion was five times larger than that of anyone else. And they drank their fill with him. (Gen 43:34)
After the test, when Joseph saw that his brothers have changed and they would give up their lives to save Benjamin he began to cry. He told them in their own language that he was Joseph and brothers were shocked. His sobbing was so intense that the Egyptians heard it and this news was reported to the Pharaoh himself (Gen.45:1-2).
א נ י י וס ף א ח יכ ם א ש ר מ כ ר ת ם א ת י מ צ ר י מ ה I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt. (Gen 45:4)
ו י ש ל ח נ י א לה ים ל פ נ יכ ם ל ש ום ל כ ם ש א ר ית ב א ר ץ ול ה ח י ות ל כ ם ל פ ל יט ה ג ד ל ה ו ע ת ה ל א א ת ם ש ל ח ת ם א ת י ה נ ה כ י ה א לה ים. God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So, it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Gen 45:7-8)
Reading Siddur
ר פ א נ ו י ה ו ה ו נ ר פ א, ה וש יע נ ו ו נ ו ש ע ה, ת ה ל ת נ ו א ת ה כ י Heal us, Lord and we will be healed, save us and we will be saved, because You are our praise (from Amidah)
Reading Dead Sea Scrolls
מ ע ט ה ת ה ל ה ת ח ת ר וח כ ה ה ו ק ר א ל ה ם א יל י ה צ ד ק מ ט ע יהוה ל ה ת פ א ר The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. (Is 61:3b)
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