פרשת וישב תשכ"ח - יהודה ותמר

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law: ‘Remain a widow in thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown up’; for he said: ‘Lest he also die, like his brethren.’ And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law: ‘Go, return each of you to her mother’s house; the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

And Judah said unto Onan: ‘Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.’

והקם זרע AND RAISE SEED — The son will be called by the name of him who is dead.

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face.

Samson’s parents were being told that the oath of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, was negated, as it is written that Abimelech said to our forefather Abraham: “Now therefore swear unto me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son; but according to the kindness that I have done unto you, you shall do to me, and to the land wherein you have sojourned” (Genesis 21:23). The oath of the descendants of Abraham was no longer binding since the Philistines broke their oath by subjugating the Jewish people. The verse states: “And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him” (Judges 13:24). The Gemara asks: With what did He bless him? Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: It means that He blessed him with regard to his penis, that despite his youth his penis should function like that of physically mature men, and that his seed should be like an overflowing river. Prior to Samson’s death, the verse states: “And Samson called unto the Lord, and said: Lord God, remember me, I pray to You, and strengthen me, I pray to You, only this once, O God, that I may be this once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes” (Judges 16:28). Rav said that Samson said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, remember on my behalf the twenty-two years that I judged the Jewish people without receiving any reward, and I did not even say to any one of them: Move a stick for me from one place to another place. The verse states earlier: “And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the midst between every two tails” (Judges 15:4). The Gemara asks: What is different about foxes than any other animal, that he chose them for this purpose? Rabbi Aivu bar Nagdi says that Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says: Samson said: Let the animal that goes in reverse when it tries to escape, i.e., the fox, come and exact punishment from the Philistines, who reneged on their oath that Abimelech swore to Abraham. It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Shimon the Pious said: The width between the shoulders of Samson was sixty cubits, as it is stated: “And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and grabbed hold of the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain that is before Hebron” (Judges 16:3). The verse indicates that the width of the gate of the city of Gaza was equal to the width of Samson’s shoulders, and it is learned as a tradition that doors of the gate of Gaza were no less than sixty cubits wide. With regard to Samson’s capture, the verse states: “And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison-house” (Judges 16:21). Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Grinding is nothing other than a language of a transgression of sexual intercourse, and so the verse says: “Then let my wife grind unto another man” (Job 31:10). This teaches that each and every Philistine man brought his wife to the prison in order that she should be impregnated by Samson. Rav Pappa said: This is an example of the folk saying that people say: Before a wine drinker, bring wine; before one who digs in the ground, bring figs. So too, Samson, who married Philistine women, was brought more Philistine women while in prison. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: With regard to anyone who commits adultery, his wife commits adultery against him, as it is stated: “If my heart has been enticed unto a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door” (Job 31:9), and it is written: “Then let my wife grind unto another man and may strangers kneel over her” (Job 31:10). And this explains the folk saying that people say: He is found among the pumpkins [karei] and his wife among the zucchinis [butzinei], which are similar types of vegetables. In other words, she acts the same way that he does. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Samson judged the Jewish people as their Father in Heaven does, with complete justice, as it is stated: “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel” (Genesis 49:16), which is interpreted to mean that Samson, from the tribe of Dan, judges his people just as God, Who is “One.” And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Samson [Shimshon] is called by the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: “For the Lord God is a sun [shemesh] and a shield” (Psalms 84:12). The Gemara comments: If that is so, then his name should not be erased just like other sanctified names are not erased. Rather, he is not called by the name of God but his name is akin to the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, for just as the Holy One, Blessed be He, protects the entire world, so too Samson, in his generation, protected all the Jewish people. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Balaam was lame in one of his legs, as it is stated with regard to him: “And he went, limping [shefi]” (Numbers 23:3). Samson was lame in both of his two legs, as it is stated that when Jacob mentioned the tribe of Dan in the prophecy that pertained to Samson, he referred to him as: “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake [shefifon] in the path” (Genesis 49:17), which is double shefi, i.e., doubly lame. § The Sages taught in a baraita: Five individuals were created with a characteristic that is akin to a representation of the One on High, and they were all stricken by that characteristic. Samson was glorified in his strength, Saul in his neck (see I Samuel 9:2), Absalom in his hair, Zedekiah in his eyes, and Asa in his feet. The Gemara clarifies: Samson was stricken by his strength, which led to his demise, as it is written: “And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man and had the seven locks of his head shaved off; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him” (Judges 16:19). Saul was smitten in his neck, as it is written: “Then said Saul to his armor-bearer: Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make a mock of me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore, Saul took his sword and fell upon it” (I Samuel 31:4); he fell with his neck upon the sword. Absalom was stricken in his hair, as we will state later. Zedekiah was stricken in his eyes, as it is written: “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon” (II Kings 25:7). Asa was stricken in his feet, as it is written: “Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet” (I Kings 15:23). And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: This indicates that gout [padagra] grabbed hold of him. Mar Zutra, son of Rav Naḥman, said to Rav Naḥman: What are the circumstances of gout? What pain does it involve? He said to him: It feels like a needle inserted into living flesh. The Gemara asks: From where did he know this? The Gemara answers: Some say that he himself suffered from this condition, and some say that he heard it from his teacher, and some say that he knew it through divine inspiration, as it stated: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and His covenant, to make them know it” (Psalms 25:14). Rava taught: For what reason was Asa punished in his feet? Because he made Torah scholars perform forced labor [angarya], as it is stated: “Then King Asa made a proclamation unto all Judah; none was exempted; and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timber thereof, with which Baasa had built, and King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah” (I Kings 15:22). The superfluous expression “unto all” indicates that the proclamation was issued to everyone, including Torah scholars. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the next phrase in the verse: “None was exempted [ein naki]”? Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: This includes even a bridegroom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy, as the verse states with regard to a bridegroom: “He shall be free [naki] for his house one year” (Deuteronomy 24:5). § It is written with regard to Samson: “And Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines” (Judges 14:1), and it is written in the Torah passage concerning the incident of Judah and Tamar: “And it was told to Tamar, saying: Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to sheer his sheep” (Genesis 38:13). The verses contain an apparent contradiction as to whether Timnah was a place to which one must descend or a place to which one must ascend. Rabbi Elazar says: These terms do not refer to the manner of traveling to Timnah but are used figuratively. Concerning Samson, who was disgraced there in Timnah, the term indicating descent is written with regard to his journey. Concerning Judah, who was elevated there, the term indicating ascent is written with regard to his journey. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says differently: There were two cities named Timnah, one was reached by descent into a valley, and one was reached by ascent. Rav Pappa said differently: There was one Timnah, and it was located on the slope of a mountain. One who came from this side reached it by descent, and one who came from that side reached it by ascent. The Gemara presents examples of such cities: For example: Vardonia, and Bei Varei, and the market of Neresh. The verse states with regard to Tamar: “And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entrance of Enaim [befetaḥ einayim], which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife” (Genesis 38:14). The amora’im dispute the meaning of the word einayim. Rabbi Alexandri says: This teaches that she went and she sat at the entrance of the home of Abraham our forefather, a place that all eyes hope to see it, as she was certain that Judah would pass there. Rabbi Ḥanin says that Rav says: It is a place called Enaim, and similarly the verse states in the list of cities in Eretz Yisrael in the portion of Judah: “Tappuah and Enam” (Joshua 15:34). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says: She provided eyes [einayim] for her statements, i.e., with her words she provided an opening [petaḥ] for Judah to solicit her. When Judah solicited her to engage in sexual intercourse with him, he first attempted to verify her status and said to her: Are you perhaps are a gentile? She said to him: I am a convert. He asked: Perhaps you are a married woman? She said to him: I am an unmarried woman. He asked: Perhaps your father accepted betrothal for you and you are unaware of it? She said to him: I am an orphan. He asked: Maybe you are impure? She said to him: I am pure. The Gemara discusses Abraham’s house: It is written: “And he planted an eshel in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33). Reish Lakish says: This teaches that Abraham made an orchard and planted in it all kinds of sweet things. The tanna’im Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya disagree as to the meaning of the word “eshel.” One said that it means an orchard [pardes], and one said that it means an inn [pundak]. The Gemara continues: Granted, according to the one who said that it means an orchard, this is what is written: “And he planted,” and this is suitable language for an orchard. But according to the one who said that he opened an inn, what is the meaning of the phrase “and he planted”? The Gemara answers: As it is written: “And he shall plant [vayitta] the tents of his palace between the seas and the beauteous holy mountain; and he shall come to his end, and none shall help him” (Daniel 11:45), indicating that the word vayitta, and he planted, is also used to indicate pitching tents. The verse there states: “And he planted an eshel in Beersheba, and called there [vayyikra] on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33). Reish Lakish said: Do not read this word literally as “vayyikra,” and he called,

ויחשבה לזונה AND HE THOUGHT HER TO BE AN HARLOT, because she was sitting at the cross-roads.

ויחשבה לזונה AND HE THOUGHT HER TO BE AN HARLOT, because she was sitting at the cross-roads. כי כסתה פניה FOR SHE HAD COVERED HER FACE — so that he could not see her face and thus recognize her. A Midrashic explanation of our Rabbis is that כי כסתה פניה means BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS COVERED HER FACE: when she had stayed in her father-in-law’s house she had shown herself a modest woman, and therefore he did not suspect her (of being the woman who was sitting there for that evil purpose) (Sotah 10b).

כי כסתה פניה FOR SHE HAD COVERED HER FACE — so that he could not see her face and thus recognize her. A Midrashic explanation of our Rabbis is that כי כסתה פניה means BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS COVERED HER FACE: when she had stayed in her father-in-law’s house she had shown herself a modest woman, and therefore he did not suspect her (of being the woman who was sitting there for that evil purpose) (Sotah 10b).

When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: ‘By the man, whose these are, am I with child’; and she said: ‘Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.’

And God said, "Let there be a firmament" - It is written (Psalms 104:3), "Who lays the beams of his upper chambers in the waters." It is the custom of the world that a king of flesh and blood constructs a palace and makes a roof for it out of stones and wood and dirt. But the Holy One Blessed Be He made a roof for his world out of water, as it says "Who lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters." "And God said 'let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters'". The rabbis said regarding this in the name of Rabbi Chanina, but Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Jacob the son of Rabbi Avin said this in the name of Rabbi Samuel son of Nachman: "when the Holy One, blessed be He, said 'let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters', the middle liquid layer solidified, and the lower heavens were formed, and the heavens above the heavens, the upper ones [were formed]". Rab said "their works on the first day were liquid and on the second they were solid. "Let there be a firmament" [means] let the firmament solidify". Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Simon said "['let there be a firmament' means] let a thin plating be made for the firmament (raqi'a), just as you see it said "and they beat thin (vayeraq'u) the plates of gold (Exodus 39:3)"". Rabbi Chanina said "the fire came forth from above and dried the surface of the firmament [solidifying it]". Rabbi Yochanan came to this conclusion with this verse: "By His breath [meaning fire] the heavens are smoothed (Job 26:13)." He used to say: "Rabbi Chanina taught me well". Rabbi Yudan the son of Rabbi Shimon said "the fire went forth from above and it made the surface of the firmament gleam". R. Berakhyah, R. Yaakov bar R. Avina in the name of R. Abbah bar Kahana said: The work of creation came to teach about the giving of the Torah, and the teaching was revealed through it: "As when fire kindles the parts” (Isaiah 64:1)—its halves. When did the fire split between the upper and lower [heavens], is it not when the Torah was given!? Thus it was at the creation of the universe.Thus it was at the creation of the universe." Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya said: "as the empty space that is between the earth and the firmament, so there is an empty space between the firmament and the upper waters. So "let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters" [means] between them and in the middle of them". Rabbi Tanchuma said: "I will explain the reasoning. If it is said "and God made the firmament and divided between the waters which were above the firmament" I would say that the water is positioned on the very body of the firmament. But as it says "and between the waters which are over the firmament", see!, the upper waters are hung upon the word". Rabbi Acha said: "[it is] like the flickering of candles, and [its] fruits are the rain waters". A certain Samaritan asked Rabbi Meir and said to him "Is it possible that the upper waters are suspended on a word?" And he replied to him "yes". And Rabbi Meir said "bring me a clepsydra (a water clock)" and the Samaritan brought a clepsydra and he placed upon it a gold plate, but the water did not stand still [under the plate]. He placed a silver plate on it, but the water did not stand still [under the plate]. But when he placed his finger on [the plate], the water stood still [and the plate did not bob]. The Samaritan said to him "you are putting your finger on it!" And Rabbi Meir responded "See how if my finger stills the water, and I am flesh and blood, how much more does the finger of the Holy One, blessed be He [control the water]. Therefore, the water is hung on a word." The Samaritan said to him "Is it possible that he himself, concerning whom it is written "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth (Jeremiah 23:24)" was speaking with Moses from between the poles of the ark?" Rabbi Meir responded: "bring to me large mirrors" and he continued "look at yourself in what is brought; your reflection in large!" Meir said to him "bring me small mirrors" and he brought small mirrors. Rabbi Meir said "look at yourself in what is brought, your reflection is small!" Rabbi Meir said to him "See how if you can change yourself whenever you want, and you are flesh and blood, how much more he who spoke and the universe came into existence, blessed is He! And so when he wishes to be "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth (Jeremiah 23:24)" he is and when he wishes he spoke with Moses from between the poles of the ark. Rabbi Chanina the son of Isei said: "sometimes the universe and its fullness is not strong enough for the glory of His divinity, and at other times He speaks with man from between the hairs of his head. This is written: "Then Hashem answered Job out of the whirlwind (se'arah) (Job 38:1)" [but read instead] from between the hairs (sha'arot) of his head. And still further the Samaritan asked Rabbi Meir "Is it possible that "the river of God is full of water (Psalm 65:10)" from the six days of creation and has not all diminished? How strange!" And Rabbi Meir said to him: "Go in and wash yourself and weigh yourself when you have not gone in and then after you have gone in." As soon as the Samaritan left he weighed himself and his body weight was not at all diminished. Rabbi Meir said "now all that sweat that comes out of you, did it not come out of you?" And the Samaritan said "yes". Rabbi Meir responded "See how if you lost no fluid from your body's spring of fluids, and you are flesh and blood, how much more is it [true regarding] the spring of the Holy One, blessed be He, [that] "the river of God is full of water (Psalm 65:10)" and from the six days of creation has not all diminished?" Rabbi Yochanan said: "The Holy One, blessed be He, raised up all the waters of creation and set half of them in the firmament and half in the Ocean; it is surprising! It is thus written "the river (peleg) of God is full of water (Psalm 65:10)" [the word "river" (peleg) must be understood as the Aramaic word] half (palg'a). The firmament is similar to a lake and above the lake is a covering. From the from the lake heat condensation flows from the covering, and the condensation [as rain] descends to the midst of the salt waters [of the sea] and the rain does not mix itself [with the salt water]. Rabbi Jonah said "do not be amazed, as it is the case that the Jordan River passes through the Sea of Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) and it does not mix itself with it; this is a miraculous thing to say! A man sifting wheat or chaff in a sieve, the grains have not descended two or three finger-breadths and they have mixed together, but these [raindrops] have traveled and traveled year after year and have not mixed themselves [with salt water]." Rabbi Yudan, son of Rabbi Shimon says "it is because he sends them down by a measured deduction, as it is said "for He draws away (yegara') the drops of water (Job 36:27)". But see how it says "and an abatement shall be made (venigra') from your assessment (Leviticus 27:18)" [showing that the financial use of this root gr' proves that God sends them down in a measured deduction]. The thickness of the earth is equal to the thickness of the firmament, as it is said "He sits above the circle (chug) of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)" [and] "He walked about the circle (chug) of the heavens (Job 22:14)". Since "circle" (chug) occurs in both verses, they are a gezeira shavah [proving the earth and firmament have the same thickness]. Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: "This is like a metal plate". Rabbi Joshua, the son of Rabbi Nehemiah, said: "They are about two or three finger-breadths". Rabbi Shimon the son of Pazzi said: "The upper waters are greater than the lower waters by about thirty xestes (pints). "Between the waters above the waters (la-mayim)" [the lamed's gematria is] thirty [thus proving his point that the waters above have thirty extra pints]. The rabbis said "they are half and half". the verse states: "and god made the heavens", this is one of the verses that ben zoma shook the world with, he made implying a physical action , this cant be for we know that the heavens were created with gods speech? which is what it says: " with the word of god the heavens were made and with the wind of his mouth all of their army's"?. why doesn't it say "it was good" on the second day of creation?r yochanan taught in the name of r yosi the son of r chalafta, because hell was created on the second day, as it says " the topheth has been ready for him since yesterday, a day that has a yesterday but not three days ago. another reason that it dose not say "it was good" on the second day, r channina says its because division was created on the second day, as it says: "and it (the heavens) should separate between the two body's of water". r tivyomi said if division that is for the sake of fixing the world does not have good all the more so division that is to mix up the world doesn't have good. r shmuel says because the creation of water wasnt finished, it was written on the third day "it was good" twice, one for the creation of water and one for the days work. a noble woman asked r yosi, why dosen't it say "and it was good on the second day? he answered her even so it was included in the end as it says: "and god saw all that he did and it was very good" she said back to him this is analogous to six people coming to you give each one a manna and to one of them you don't give anything, then you go back and give one manna to everyone, is it not true that 5 of them have a mana and a 1/6 manna and the last one only has 1/6? he said to her like r shmuel says because the creation of water wasnt finished, it was written on the third day "it was good" twice, one for the creation of water and one for the days work. r levi in the name of r tanchum the son of r chnelyayi said, it states in the verse:" he (god) tells the end in the beginning", from the beginning of creation god saw Moses who is called "good" and was ultimately was going to be punished from an issue regarding water and therefore did not write and it was good regarding the water. r simon in the name of r levi said it is analogous to a king who had a bad legion, the king said since this legion is no good my name shouldn't be called on it, so too god said, since these waters punished the generation of the flood, dor enosh, and haflaga it should not be written regarding them "forit was good" "and god called the ferment heavens", rav says it means fire and water mixed together. r abba the son of r chahna said in the name of rav , god took fire and water, joined them together and made the heavens. another matter, the word שמים can be read as meaning "evaluation" for the heavens evaluate the actions of people, if they merit than "the heavens will tell his righteousness" and if he doesn't merit "the heavens will reveal his sin". another matter why is it called shumiaim because people wonder about them are they water or fire?!!! r pinchas said he came and revealed it "

ויט אליה אל הדרך AND HE TURNED UNTO HER BY THE WAY — from the road he was following he turned to the road where she was. In old French détourner; English to turn aside.

ויט אליה אל הדרך AND HE TURNED UNTO HER BY THE WAY — from the road he was following he turned to the road where she was. In old French détourner; English to turn aside.

And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; wherefore Israel turned away from him.

and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times; unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.’

‘כי אמר וגו FOR HE SAID etc. — that is to say, he pushed her off with a straw (i.e., he put her off with a lame excuse) because he never intended to give her to him in marriage

ויעל על גזזי צאנו AND HE WENT UP UNTO HIS SHEEP-SHEARERS — it means: and he went up to Timnah to stand by his sheep-shearers.

And she said: ‘Drink, my lord’; and she hastened, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.

אָסוּרָה means I WILL TURN ASIDE from here in order that I may approach thither.