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

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

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

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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