Envisioning one’s father and mother (Vayeshev)

Rav Johnny's original thoughts on the weekly parsha

If we pay close attention to the language of the Tanach, we often discover subliminal references about one character while the Torah is speaking about another.

When Yosef is described in our parsha (while speaking about his role in the household of Potiphar), we are told: ‘Now, Yosef was slender and handsome (Yafeh To’ar ViYafeh Mar’eh), and after a while, his master’s wife cast her eyes on Yosef’ (Bereishit 39:6).

Here the Torah is speaking about Yosef. At the same time, the same phrase used to describe Yosef’s features and beauty is also found in Bereishit 29:17 with reference to Rachel, Yosef’s mother, whom we are told was ‘slender and beautiful’ (Y’fat To’ar V’Yifat Mar’eh). Accordingly, by using this phrase, the reader is being encouraged to think about the connection between Yosef and his mother Rachel - who died when Yosef was just six years old.

Eleven years later, and having been callously sold by his brothers, Yosef is now working in Potiphar’s house, far from any familiar surroundings, when he finds himself having to refuse his master’s wife who repeatedly insists that he sleep with her (Bereishit 39:7, 39:12).

The stakes for Yosef are staggeringly high and he protests to her, saying: ‘How could I do so great a wrong? It would be a sin against God!’ (Bereishit 39:9). At the same time, he also knows that if he refuses her, he could be sent to prison, or even sentenced to death.

Potiphar’s wife does not desist, and she continues to demand that Yosef acquiesce. But then, at the very moment when she seems to have won Yosef over, we are taught (see Sotah 36b) that an image of Yaakov appears to Yosef in the window - as if to tell him that his actions in that moment would shape his destiny and his legacy. This image shocks Yosef, it provides him with a clear reminder of his spiritual heritage, and it ultimately inspires him to run away from Potiphar’s wife.

However, there is a lesser-known second tradition mentioned in the Yerushalmi (Horayot 2:5) and likely prompted by the intentional use of the phrase Yafeh To’ar ViYafeh Mar’eh in Bereishit 39:6, that in addition to the image of Yaakov, Yosef also sees an image of his mother Rachel.

This itself is fascinating because, as previously mentioned, Rachel died when Yosef was just six. Given this, we may wonder how much Yosef actually remembered of Rachel’s teachings, and what lesson was being taught to Yosef through this image of his mother?

You will recall that the connection between these episodes is the description of Rachel & Yosef’s beauty, and if we look back to where Rachel is called ‘slender and beautiful’ (Y’fat To’ar V’Yifat Mar’eh), it is then immediately followed by the Torah’s description of Yaakov’s love for Rachel, and his preparedness to wait and work seven years before marrying her (see Bereishit 29:18). Yaakov’s marriage to Rachel was expressive of real love, not fleeting lust, and it was a bond that was well worth waiting for.

And so, when seeing his mother in this moment, Yosef sees the polar opposite of Potiphar’s wife. While Rachel was loyal to her sister and her husband, Potiphar’s wife did not believe in loyalty. While Rachel was a model of modesty, Potiphar’s wife anything but. And while Rachel believed in life-long love, Potiphar’s wife was driven by mere lust.

Perhaps the image of Yaakov was sufficient to dissuade Yosef. Still, when he saw the image of his beloved mother Rachel, Yosef knew clearly that where he was wasn’t where he should be, and so, inspired by the values that he learnt from both his mother and father, he escaped from house of Potiphar.

Shabbat Shalom!