GEN 37
22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.
Rashi
The robe of many colors that he wore—This was what his father gave to him, more than his brothers (Bereshit Rabbah 84:16).
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him . . . MAT 27:28
24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Rashi
The pit was empty; there was no water in it—Since it states, “the pit was empty,” do I not know that “there was no water in it”? What then is the force of “there was no water in it”? Water, indeed it did not contain, but there were serpents and scorpions in it (Shabbat 22a).
Shabbat 22a:1
A Hanukkah lamp that one placed above twenty cubits is invalid, just as a sukka whose roofing is more than twenty cubits high, and just as an alleyway whose beam, its symbolic fourth partition in order to place an eiruv, is more than twenty cubits high, are invalid. The reason is the same in all three cases: People do not usually raise their heads and see objects at a height above twenty cubits. As there is a requirement to see all of these, they are deemed invalid when placed above that height. And the Gemara cites another statement that Rav Kahana said that Rav Natan bar Manyumi taught in the name of Rav Tanḥum: What is the meaning of the verse that is written with regard to Joseph: “And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it” (Gen 37:24)? By inference from that which is stated: The pit was empty, don’t I know that there was no water in it? Rather, why does the verse say: There was no water in it? The verse comes to emphasize and teach that there was no water in it, but there were snakes and scorpions in it.
For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my life. PSA 35:7
Rashi
They dug a pit for my life—They dug a pit into which I should fall.
But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: “They hated me without a cause.” JOH 15:25
25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
Rashi
אֹרְחַת means what the Targum says—a caravan; this is called אֹרְחַת with reference to the travelers on the road (אֹרַח).
With their camels bearing etc.—Why does Scripture announce what they were laden with? To tell you the reward of the righteous: it is not usual for Arabs to carry anything but naphtha and tar, which are evil-smelling, but for this one (Joseph) it was arranged that they should be carrying spices so that he should not suffer from a bad odor (Bereshit Rabbah 84:17).
Gum—Every collection of many spices is called נכאת. So, too (2Ki 20:13) “and he showed them all his storeroom of spices (בֵּית נְכֹתֹה)” (2Ki 20:13), the compounding of his spices. Onkelos translates it as meaning wax.
Balm—A resin that exudes from balsam trees, and this is נָטָתּ, that is enumerated among the ingredients of the incense used in the tabernacle (Exo 30:34; cf. Keritot 6a).
And myrrh—This is called לוֹטִיתָא in the language of the Mishnah. Our rabbis have in Tractate Niddah 8a explained that it is a vegetable root; it bears the name aristolochie (birthwort).
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
Rashi
What profit is it—What money will we profit? As the Targum renders.
And conceal his blood—And conceal his death.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? MAT 16:26
27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.
Rashi
And . . . listened—The Targum renders this by “and they accepted from him.” Wherever the verb שְׁמִיעָה that means acceptance, as here, and as (28:7) “And that Jacob had obeyed (וַיִשְׁמַע) his father,” and Exo 24:7 “We will do, and we will listen (וְנִשְׁמָע)” it is translated נְקַבֵּל. Every instance that means hearing of the ear, however, are rendered respectively: “And they heard (וַיִשְׁמְעוּ) the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden” (3:8), “Now Rebekah was listening (שׁוֹמַעַת)” (27:5), “And Israel heard (וַיִשְׁמַע) of it” (ibid. 35:22), and Exo 16:12 “I have heard (שָׁמַעְתִּי) the grumbling.”
. . . cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. REV 18:13
28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
Rashi
Then Midianite traders passed by—This is another caravan, and Scripture informs you that he was sold many times.
And they drew—The sons of Jacob drew Joseph out the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites, and the Ishmaelites to the Midianites, and the Midianites to Egypt.
. . . and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. MAT 26:15
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes
Rashi
When Reuben returned—When he (Joseph) was sold he (Reuben) had not been present, for it was his day to go to attend to his father (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19). Another explanation: he was occupied with his sackcloth and fast for having disturbed his father’s couch (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19).
30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”
Rashi
Where shall I go?—Where can I flee from my father’s grief?
31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
Rashi
And slaughtered a goat—Its blood resembles that of a human (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19).
The robe—This is its name in the absolute state, but when it is in the construct state—as in “Joseph’s robe” (כְּתֹנֶת יוֹסֵף), “a robe of many colors” (כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִים) (above, verse 3), “a linen coat” (כְּתֹנֶת בַּד) (Lev 16:4)—it is punctuated כְּתֹנֶת.
32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”
Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 2:6
When Reuben descended to the pit during the night to rescue his brother, and found that Joseph was no longer there, he tore his clothing and wept. He returned to his brothers and told them: The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go? (ibid., v. 30). They related to him what had transpired and told him about the pact they had entered into. And he remained silent. Though it is written about the Holy One, blessed be he: He declares his word to Jacob (Psa 147:19), He did not disclose this matter to him because of the pact of excommunication. That is why Jacob said: Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces (Gen 37:33). R. Mana maintained: The tribes were punished because they sold Joseph, and their sin was not forgiven until they died. Hence Scripture says of them: Surely, this iniquity shall not be expiated by you until you die.
Rashi
A fierce animal has devoured him—The spirit of prophecy was enkindled within him: Potiphar’s wife would attack him (Bereshit Rabbah 84:19). Why did not the Holy One, blessed be he, make known to him? Because they had placed under a ban and a curse anyone who would make it known, and they made the Holy One, blessed be he, a party with them to this agreement (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayeshev 2), but Isaac, however, knew that he was living, but he thought, “How dare I reveal it since the Holy One, blessed be he does not wish to reveal it” (Bereshit Rabbah 84:21).
Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” JOH 13:7
34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
Rashi
Many days—Twenty-two years (Bereshit Rabbah 84:20)—from the time he (Joseph) left him until Jacob went down to Egypt. For it is said (v. 2), “Joseph, being seventeen years old,” and he was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh; seven years of plenty, “For this is already two years of the famine” (Gen 45:6) by the time Jacob came to Egypt—making in all 22 years. These correspond to the 22 years during which Jacob had not practised the duty of honouring his parents (Megillah 17a): 20 years that he was in Laban’s house, and two years that he was on the journey when he was returning from Laban’s house—one and a half year at Succoth and six months at Bethel. This is what he meant when he said to Laban (31:41) “These twenty years for me in your house”—they are for me—upon me, and I shall be punished for twenty years, corresponding to them.
35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
Rashi
And all his daughters—R. Judah said: Twin sisters were born with every tribe, and they married them. R. Nehemiah said: Their wives were Canaanite women. But what is the meaning of “and all his daughters?” A person does not hesitate to call his son-in-law his son and his daughter-in-law his daughter (Bereshit Rabbah 84:21).
But he refused to be comforted—A person does not accept consolation for one living whom he believes to be dead, for with regard to the dead it is decreed that he be forgotten from the heart, but not the living (Bereshit Rabbah 84:20).
I shall go down . . . to my son—There are many examples where אֶל is used in the sense of עַל: “because of (אֶל) Saul and because of (וְאֶל) the house” (2Sa 21:1); “because (אֶל) the ark of God had been captured and because of (וְאֶל) (the death of) (sic) her father-in-law and her husband” (1Sa 4:21).
To Sheol . . . mourning—According to the literal meaning שְׁאֹלָה means “Sheol.” In my mourning I will be interred and I shall not be comforted all my life. According to its midrashic interpretation, however, שְׁאוֹל means Gehinom. “This omen has been given me by God: if none of my sons die during my lifetime I may be assured that I shall not see Gehinnom” (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayigash 9).
Thus his father wept for him—This refers to Isaac: he wept for Jacob’s trouble, but he did not mourn for Joseph, for he knew that he was alive (Bereshit Rabbah 84:21).
36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Rashi
Captain of the guard—Those who slaughter the king’s animals.
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