Parsha catch-up: Vayeshev and Miketz

Parshat Vayeshev

• The sale of Yosef/Joseph

Yosef was an egocentric brat. His parents are responsible for not having taught him that being a braggart is obnoxious and creates hostility.

[ ¶ ]

Personally, I think that both Reuven and Yehudah (Judah) were trying to save Yosef’s life. In the absence of Reuven, who may have gone to um, answer a call of nature, Yehudah may have cooked up the idea of selling Yosef in order to prevent his brothers from abandoning Yosef to die in the well and/or killing him outright.

[ ¶ ]

I still can't believe that the other brothers never told Reuven that Yosef was still alive.

[ ¶ ]

Read the story of the sale of Yosef here.

[ ¶ ]

• Tamar outsmarts Yehudah to claim her due

Tamar was a smart strategist with nerves of steel—the stunt she pulled could have gotten her killed. But she got what she was entitled to. Read Tamar's tale here.

[ ¶ ]

See also my old post Onan's sin: Marital sexual abuse.

[ ¶ ]

Parshat Miketz

Yosef was one smart cookie. He also created what may have been one of the earliest recorded feudal societies. No wonder the later Egyptians hated him—he’d made them all Pharoah’s surfs.  [Tuesday, December 25, 2012 updated:  At least Garnel's spelling correction, in the comments to this post, is amusing.  "Hee, hee. Yosef turned Egypt into a surfer culture. Dude! The waves on the Nile are gnarly!


(It's spelled sErf)"]

 

[ ¶ ]

There’s also the rather interesting question of whether Yosef was too ticked at his father Yaakov (Jacob) to think of, ya know, letting the poor old man know that he was still alive.

[ ¶ ]

See also Shim'on, here. Remember me?