- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on May 28, 2022 7:16:49 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 37:1-36
Haftara- Jeremayah 38:1-13
D’rash: In this Parashah we see the family disfunction of a multiple marriage and a father who shows favoritism.
Genesis 37.3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים khetonet passim [lit. robe of stripes; robe of many colors; poss. a robe with long sleeves as pas can mean plam of the hand or sole of the foot].
This robe was very special, of a kind that might be given to royalty. Yoseph, the favored (spoiled) son is at an age when he is feeling his oats and maybe even a bit narcissistic. His brothers also apparently had no trouble ganging up and picking on the younger child, who was now at an age to “get some of his own back.“
Genesis 37: 2b,4 (redacted) Joseph, being seventeen years old, … brought a bad report of them [his brothers] to their father. … But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Yoseph, as it would turn out is both a prophetic dreamer and an interpreter of dreams:
Genesis 37:5-9 (redacted) Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “… Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? … “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
“In English Joseph is often labeled simply as ‘dreamer,’ but Hebrew term בּעל ההלמות ba’al hahalomot is stronger, and thus in context in Hebrew more sarcastic. The term בּעל ba’al suggests someone who has a special “proprietary relation to, or mastery of, the noun that follows it.”” (Robert Alter, Genesis).
Dreams were prevalent scripturally as a method of divine revelation. An interesting note, while God or His messengers appeared to Moshe (Moses) and the patriarchs, Yoseph never actually sees or hears his God. He dreams (as we all do) in images, however this imagery proves to come true, thus vetting Yoseph as a prophet of the Most High God.
His father rebuked him, and his brothers hated him the more for these dreams. Ultimately all this family drama landed Yoseph in Mitzrayim (Egypt). This is interesting, because the Egyptian Book of Dreams (c.1200 BCE, about the time of the Exodus) gives insight into Egyptian dream interpretation. It says “If a man sees himself in a dream… threshing grain upon the threshing floor, good; [it means] the giving of life to him in his house.” However if someone’s “looking into a deep well [it is] bad [evil]; [it means] he will be put in prison.” And of course in vs. 24, “And they took him and threw him into a בוֹר bor, a pit, cistern, or well. The בוֹר; bor was empty; there was no water in it.” The biblical account however reverses the Egyptian interpretations. Instead of life (wheat) the dreams result in imprisonment for Yoseph, and almost get him killed. But the imprisonment (both in a בוֹר bor and later actual imprisonment) result not in evil, but in life for his family and his being second in command of all Egypt! This is another way El Elohe Yisroel shows His superiority and domination over the elohim of Mitzrayim, by twisting the Egyptian interpretations of the dreams to His own ends.
We should note this is actually the story of Yisro’el. Genesis could be said to be the story of the creation of a family. However here we begin a transition to the Exodus story which is most definitely that of the creation of a nation!
Another interesting point about the account of Yoseph is the theme of recurring twists and doublets. Two dreams result in two imprisonments, once in a בוֹ bor, and then in an Egyptian prison. Pharaoh later will also have concurrent dreams which meanings are congruent. The chief butler and chief baker dream seemingly parallel dreams which are actually diametrically opposite. Yoseph will serve two Egyptians, Potepher and Pharaoh; once to his shame due to the lies of another, and once honorably as the number two ruler in all Mitzrayim. The brothers later will make two trips to Mitzrayim with goods and silver, a reflection of the caravan they sold Yoseph to. And these are a reflection of the trip a Young Yeshua would take to Egypt much later. Remember, reflections give a reversed image. While Yoseph went from almost being killed into slavery and eventually the second highest post in Egypt, Yeshua went to insure His life and freedom and will later be killed, then assume the highest place in all the world! But the brothers found forgiveness and the family redemption, a picture of what Yeshua does for us.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Another reflected doublet is that the brothers were so angry they either missed the grain imagery or were jealous that Yoseph was the center of such a dream, but when they later bowed before him it was to purchase grain; and while they once held his life in their hands, he now held theirs as a judge with unquestioned authority to have them executed or as the one man who could deny them life giving sustenance.There are other doublets as well, but time and space do not allow me to present them all here.
Genesis 37:18-20 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
The hatred of the brothers because of Yoseph’s dreams is telling. He was held in higher esteem by their father, and now if the dreams were true he was to be exalted by their Heavenly Father as well!
Genesis 37:21-22 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
Reuben will eventually lose his place as firstborn, possibly because it was his responsibility to stop this. He tried, but did not do nearly enough. Instead of standing firmly against it he resorted to trickery, and it failed.
Genesis 37:23-24 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
The brothers immediately remove the robe; the symbol of their fathers love for Yoseph and the special place he held in their fathers heart. Then they take the freedom Yoseph had and they lacked in not being loved by their father.
Genesis 37:25-28 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. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 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. 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.
Note the callousness as the brothers sat there to eat while discussing Yoseph’s fate. Their first concern is the profit margin in killing him or selling him. How would it benefit them and their purposes? Being a slave in Mitzrayim was in all likelihood a death sentence, albeit a slow one. Slaves were worked to death. They lived to serve others, having no real life of their own. And they had time to think about what they had lost; and what had been done to them.
Mekorot: scripture from the ESV unless otherwise noted; Dr. Eli and Dr. Parker of the IBC; R Alter; Rav S; FB Meyer; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 38:1-30
Haftara- Is 37:21-37
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Genesis 37:1-36
Haftara- Jeremayah 38:1-13
D’rash: In this Parashah we see the family disfunction of a multiple marriage and a father who shows favoritism.
Genesis 37.3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים khetonet passim [lit. robe of stripes; robe of many colors; poss. a robe with long sleeves as pas can mean plam of the hand or sole of the foot].
This robe was very special, of a kind that might be given to royalty. Yoseph, the favored (spoiled) son is at an age when he is feeling his oats and maybe even a bit narcissistic. His brothers also apparently had no trouble ganging up and picking on the younger child, who was now at an age to “get some of his own back.“
Genesis 37: 2b,4 (redacted) Joseph, being seventeen years old, … brought a bad report of them [his brothers] to their father. … But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
Yoseph, as it would turn out is both a prophetic dreamer and an interpreter of dreams:
Genesis 37:5-9 (redacted) Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “… Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? … “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
“In English Joseph is often labeled simply as ‘dreamer,’ but Hebrew term בּעל ההלמות ba’al hahalomot is stronger, and thus in context in Hebrew more sarcastic. The term בּעל ba’al suggests someone who has a special “proprietary relation to, or mastery of, the noun that follows it.”” (Robert Alter, Genesis).
Dreams were prevalent scripturally as a method of divine revelation. An interesting note, while God or His messengers appeared to Moshe (Moses) and the patriarchs, Yoseph never actually sees or hears his God. He dreams (as we all do) in images, however this imagery proves to come true, thus vetting Yoseph as a prophet of the Most High God.
His father rebuked him, and his brothers hated him the more for these dreams. Ultimately all this family drama landed Yoseph in Mitzrayim (Egypt). This is interesting, because the Egyptian Book of Dreams (c.1200 BCE, about the time of the Exodus) gives insight into Egyptian dream interpretation. It says “If a man sees himself in a dream… threshing grain upon the threshing floor, good; [it means] the giving of life to him in his house.” However if someone’s “looking into a deep well [it is] bad [evil]; [it means] he will be put in prison.” And of course in vs. 24, “And they took him and threw him into a בוֹר bor, a pit, cistern, or well. The בוֹר; bor was empty; there was no water in it.” The biblical account however reverses the Egyptian interpretations. Instead of life (wheat) the dreams result in imprisonment for Yoseph, and almost get him killed. But the imprisonment (both in a בוֹר bor and later actual imprisonment) result not in evil, but in life for his family and his being second in command of all Egypt! This is another way El Elohe Yisroel shows His superiority and domination over the elohim of Mitzrayim, by twisting the Egyptian interpretations of the dreams to His own ends.
We should note this is actually the story of Yisro’el. Genesis could be said to be the story of the creation of a family. However here we begin a transition to the Exodus story which is most definitely that of the creation of a nation!
Another interesting point about the account of Yoseph is the theme of recurring twists and doublets. Two dreams result in two imprisonments, once in a בוֹ bor, and then in an Egyptian prison. Pharaoh later will also have concurrent dreams which meanings are congruent. The chief butler and chief baker dream seemingly parallel dreams which are actually diametrically opposite. Yoseph will serve two Egyptians, Potepher and Pharaoh; once to his shame due to the lies of another, and once honorably as the number two ruler in all Mitzrayim. The brothers later will make two trips to Mitzrayim with goods and silver, a reflection of the caravan they sold Yoseph to. And these are a reflection of the trip a Young Yeshua would take to Egypt much later. Remember, reflections give a reversed image. While Yoseph went from almost being killed into slavery and eventually the second highest post in Egypt, Yeshua went to insure His life and freedom and will later be killed, then assume the highest place in all the world! But the brothers found forgiveness and the family redemption, a picture of what Yeshua does for us.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Another reflected doublet is that the brothers were so angry they either missed the grain imagery or were jealous that Yoseph was the center of such a dream, but when they later bowed before him it was to purchase grain; and while they once held his life in their hands, he now held theirs as a judge with unquestioned authority to have them executed or as the one man who could deny them life giving sustenance.There are other doublets as well, but time and space do not allow me to present them all here.
Genesis 37:18-20 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
The hatred of the brothers because of Yoseph’s dreams is telling. He was held in higher esteem by their father, and now if the dreams were true he was to be exalted by their Heavenly Father as well!
Genesis 37:21-22 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
Reuben will eventually lose his place as firstborn, possibly because it was his responsibility to stop this. He tried, but did not do nearly enough. Instead of standing firmly against it he resorted to trickery, and it failed.
Genesis 37:23-24 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
The brothers immediately remove the robe; the symbol of their fathers love for Yoseph and the special place he held in their fathers heart. Then they take the freedom Yoseph had and they lacked in not being loved by their father.
Genesis 37:25-28 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. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 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. 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.
Note the callousness as the brothers sat there to eat while discussing Yoseph’s fate. Their first concern is the profit margin in killing him or selling him. How would it benefit them and their purposes? Being a slave in Mitzrayim was in all likelihood a death sentence, albeit a slow one. Slaves were worked to death. They lived to serve others, having no real life of their own. And they had time to think about what they had lost; and what had been done to them.
Mekorot: scripture from the ESV unless otherwise noted; Dr. Eli and Dr. Parker of the IBC; R Alter; Rav S; FB Meyer; my father and others.
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Gen 38:1-30
Haftara- Is 37:21-37
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
