Parshas Vayeshev

For the week ending 21 Kislev 5758; 19 & 20 December 1997

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Contents:

Parsha Questions

Bonus Question

I Did Not Know That!

Recommended Reading List

Answers to Parsha Questions

Answer to Bonus Question

Back issues of Parsha Q&A

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Parsha Questions

Answers | Contents

1. "These are the offspring of Yaakov: Yosef...." Give three reasons why Yosef is considered Yaakov's main offspring.
2. What was praiseworthy about the fact that Yosef's brothers did not speak to him in a friendly manner?
3. How do we see from Yosef's dream about the sun, moon and stars that all dreams contain some untrue element?
4. Who brought Yosef down to Egypt?
5. Where was Reuven when Yosef was sold?
6. In addition to the brothers, who else knew that Yosef was alive?
7. Why didn't Hashem reveal prophetically to Yaakov that Yosef was alive?
8. For how long did Yaakov mourn the loss of Yosef?
9. Verse 37:35 states "his father wept." To whom does this refer?
10. Who was Tamar's father?
11. In what merit did Tamar deserve to have kings as her descendants?
12. Why is the word "hand" mentioned four times in connection to the birth of Zerach?
13. Why does the Torah relate the incident with Potiphar's wife immediately after the incident of Yehuda and Tamar?
14. How did Potiphar "see" that Hashem was with Yosef?
15. Who in this week's Parsha pretended to be sick?
16. Why were the butler and the baker imprisoned?
17. For how long were the butler and the baker in prison?
18. How did the baker know that Yosef had correctly interpreted the butler's dream?
19. What promoted the butler and baker to tell Yosef their dreams?
20. How was Yosef punished for asking the butler for help?

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Answer Contents	"...They put him in jail, the place where the royal prisoners were imprisoned." (39:20) Yosef, a Hebrew slave on the lowest rung of Egyptian society, was accused of a capital crime. Why, then, was he given special privileges? Why was he put in the special jail with the royal prisoners?"

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I Did Not Know That!

"And Behold! - we were in the field... And Behold! - my bundle arose ... And Behold! - your bundles surrounded and bowed to my bundle." (37:7)

When a dream is very clear and the dreamer feels he is actually awake, then the dream is a Heavenly vision. But a dream accompanied by confusion and a sense of non-reality indicates that the dream is a figment of the dreamer's imagination. That's why Yosef said "And Behold!" to describe each aspect of his dream: He wanted his brothers to know that each detail of his dream was crystal-clear in his mind, indicating that it was a prophetic vision.

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Recommended Reading List

Ramban 37:2 The Evil Report 37:10 The Moon 38:24 Tamar's Punishment

Sforno 37:2 The Evil Report 37:3 Yosef's Coat 37:18 The Brothers' Concern 38:1 Yehuda's Punishment 39:19 Why Yosef was Imprisoned

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Answers to this Week's Questions

Questions | Contents

All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated

1. 37:2 - (A) Yosef was the son of Rachel, Yaakov's primary wife. (B) Yosef looked like Yaakov. (C) All that befell Yaakov befell Yosef.
2. 37:4 - They did not act hypocritically.
3. 37:10 - The moon represented Rachel. Since she had already died, it was impossible for that element of the dream to come true.
4. 37:28 - A caravan of Midianites.
5. 37:29 - He was attending to Yaakov.
6. 37:33 - Yitzchak.
7. 37:33 - Because the brothers had issued a ban against revealing the truth to Yaakov, and Hashem, so to speak, abided by their ban.
8. 37:34 - Twenty-two years.
9. 37:35 - Yitzchak, who wept because of Yaakov's suffering.
10. 38:24 - Shem.
11. 38:26 - In the merit of her modesty.
12. 38:30 - To allude to his descendent, Achan, who sinned with his hand by taking four things from the spoils of Jericho.
13. 39:1 - To teach us that just as Tamar acted with pure motives, so did Potiphar's wife.
14. 39:3 - Yosef mentioned Hashem's name frequently in his speech.
15. 39:11 - Potiphar's wife.
16. 40:1 - The butler was imprisoned because a fly was found in the king's goblet, and the baker was imprisoned because a pebble was found in the king's bread.
17. 40:4 - Twelve months.
18. 40:5 - The baker dreamed the interpretation of the butler's dream.
19. 40:6 - Yosef asked them why they looked troubled.
20. 40:23 - He remained in prison an additional two years.

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Question Contents	Potiphar knew Yosef was righteous and he strongly suspected that his wife was lying. Publicly, however, he needed to pretend that he supported her. Therefore he punished Yosef, but he chose the most lenient punishment possible under the circumstances. (Ramban)

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