Parshat Miketz&Parshat Vayigash 5773/2012 thoughts
Parshat Miketz
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."
"37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him [Benjamin] not to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to thee.'"
First of all, if Yaakov's/Jacob's son Yosef/Joseph was already presumed by his father to be dead, and then Binyamin/Benjamin was taken from him, as well, of what possible benefit would it have been to Yaakov to have had two of his grandsons killed?
Second, where did Reuven get the unmitigated chutzpah/gall to offer the lives of two innocents as payment for a "crime" that they had not committed?
In my opinion, this was an impulsive, stupid, and immoral proposal. It's no wonder that Reuven didn't become the leader of the family."
Parshat Vayigash
But he put his half-brothers into prison for three days, accusing them of being spies. Then he took his half-brother Shim'on/Simeon/Simon hostage in an attempt to ensure that his other half-brothers would eventually return to Egypt with his brother Binyamin/Benjamin. Not only was he obnoxious to his half-brothers, he didn't care how his father would feel, either."
Both :)
Haftarat Vayigash (for Ashkenazim) is Ezekiel 37:15–28, but I recommend that you cheat a bit and read all of chapter 37. Honestly, I'm not sure why the whole chapter isn't read. After all, Yosef "returned from the dead," in a manner of speaking.
Note to self: Make sure you search your blog for "Yosef" when you write about Parshat Vayechi next week, since there are some relevant posts that don't contain the parshah's name.
- An Ulpan story . . . (Tuesday, April 24, 2007) The Quote-Hunter finds a quote from Parshat Miketz in a song by Aron Razel.
- Parsha catch-up: Vayeshev and Miketz (Thursday, December 09, 2010)
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."
- Parshat Miketz: Reuven said *what*?! (Monday, December 26, 2011)
"37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him [Benjamin] not to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to thee.'"
First of all, if Yaakov's/Jacob's son Yosef/Joseph was already presumed by his father to be dead, and then Binyamin/Benjamin was taken from him, as well, of what possible benefit would it have been to Yaakov to have had two of his grandsons killed?
Second, where did Reuven get the unmitigated chutzpah/gall to offer the lives of two innocents as payment for a "crime" that they had not committed?
In my opinion, this was an impulsive, stupid, and immoral proposal. It's no wonder that Reuven didn't become the leader of the family."
Parshat Vayigash
- Yosef haTzaddik? Well, yes and no (Sunday, December 20, 2009)
But he put his half-brothers into prison for three days, accusing them of being spies. Then he took his half-brother Shim'on/Simeon/Simon hostage in an attempt to ensure that his other half-brothers would eventually return to Egypt with his brother Binyamin/Benjamin. Not only was he obnoxious to his half-brothers, he didn't care how his father would feel, either."
- Parshat Vayigash (Thursday, December 09, 2010) My rant against favoritism in child-rearing: First it's Yitzchak vs. Yishmael, then it's Yaakov vs. Esav, now it's Yosef vs. all the other brothers--don't these people ever learn?
- Parshat Vayigash: Torah's cliffhanger resolved (Wednesday, December 28, 2011)
- This year's addition, Tuesday, December 25, 2012: Yehudah comes full circle.
Both :)
- Shim'on, here. Remember me? (Thursday, December 20, 2007) Ms. Just-Give-Me-the-P'shat/Literal Meaning writes a midrash, for a change. :)
Haftarat Vayigash (for Ashkenazim) is Ezekiel 37:15–28, but I recommend that you cheat a bit and read all of chapter 37. Honestly, I'm not sure why the whole chapter isn't read. After all, Yosef "returned from the dead," in a manner of speaking.
Note to self: Make sure you search your blog for "Yosef" when you write about Parshat Vayechi next week, since there are some relevant posts that don't contain the parshah's name.
- This year's Parshat Vayigash edition, posted Tuesday, December 25, 2012: Yehudah comes full circle.
posted by Shira Salamone at 12:26 PM
3 Comments:
> he’d made them all Pharoah’s surfs
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
He was biding his time to make sure his dreams played out. Plus there was a practical aspect. If he contacted Yaakov Avinu, his father would want to know how he wound up in Egypt. Okay, so Yosef could have given selective details and portrayed himself as a kidnap victim. But then Yaakov Avinu would have sent the brothers to rescue him and bring him home. That would simply cause more problems since he couldn't be sure that on the way home through the empty Sinai that they wouldn't arrange an "accident" for him.
> of what possible benefit would it have been to Yaakov to have had two of his grandsons killed?
Rashi, quoting the Midrash, says that Yaakov Avinun looked at Reuven with a "You moron!" response just because of that. Reuvan was a hothead, acting first and thinking later. See Yaakov Avinu's testament to him in this weeks' parsha.
> Not only was he obnoxious to his half-brothers, he didn't care how his father would feel, either
No, he was trying to make his dreams play out. He needed all 11 brothers to honestly bow down to him and this was the only way.
"Hee, hee. Yosef turned Egypt into a surfer culture. Dude! The waves on the Nile are gnarly!"
:)
"It's spelled sErf)"
I just love embarrassing myself on an international scale. Not. Oh, well, at least the correction was amusing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a couple of posts to correct. To be continued.
"Yaakov Avinu would have sent the brothers to rescue him and bring him home. That would simply cause more problems since he couldn't be sure that on the way home through the empty Sinai that they wouldn't arrange an "accident" for him."
Garnel, I can see why he wouldn't have wanted to contact his father while he was a slave, or, later, a prisoner, but his brothers wouldn't have dared make a move against him once he'd become viceroy!
"Not only was he obnoxious to his half-brothers, he didn't care how his father would feel, either
No, he was trying to make his dreams play out. He needed all 11 brothers to honestly bow down to him and this was the only way."
Why was it necessary for his dreams to play out? In my opinion, forcing his brothers to grovel before him had more to do with ego and revenge than anything else.
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