| דברי השבטים ליוסף לאחר מות יעקב |
| The Words of the Brothers to Joseph after the Death of Jacob |
And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said: ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us....’
It was taught: Rabban Shimon Gamliel said, "Peace is great, as even the [brothers] spoke words that were made up, so as to bring peace between Joseph and the brothers. This is what is written (in Genesis 50:16), 'Your father commanded before his death, saying....' And where did he command? We did not find that he commanded!"
אמר ר' אליעא משום ר' אלעזר בר' שמעון: מותר לו לאדם לשנות בדבר שלום, שנאמר: "אביך ציוה... כה תאמרו ליוסף אנא שא נא..".
אביך צוה THY FATHER DID COMMAND — They altered the facts (they stated something that was false) for the sake of peace, for Jacob had given them no such command because Joseph was not suspect in his sight (Yevamot 65b)).
רמב"ן, בראשית מ"ה כ"ז:
ד"ה וידברו אליו את כל דברי יוסף: ... נראה לי על דרך הפשט, שלא הוגד ליעקב כל ימיו כי אחיו מכרו את יוסף, אבל חשב כי היה תועה בשדה, והמוצאים אותו לקחוהו ומכרו אותו אל מצרים, כי אחיו לא רצו להגיד לו חטאתם, אף כי יראו לנפשם פן יקצוף ויקללם... ויסף במוסרו הטוב לא רצה להגיד לו. ולכך נאמר "ויצוו אל יוסף לאמור: אביך צוה לפני מותו לאמור... אנא שא נא פשע אחיך..." (בראשית נ' ט"ז-י"ז), ואילו ידע יעקב בעניין הזה, היה ראוי להם, שיחלו פני אביהם במותו לצוות את יוסף מפיו, כי לא יישא פניו ולא ימרה את דברו, ולא היו בסכנה ולא יצטרכו לבדות מלבם דברים.
And they told him all the words of Joseph: It appears to me according to the simple meaning that throughout all the days of his life, Jacob was never told that the brothers sold Joseph. Rather he thought that he got lost in the field and that the ones that found him took him and sold him to Egypt. For the brothers did not want to tell him their sin, especially since they feared for their lives, lest he get enraged and curse them.... And Joseph did not want to tell him because of his high morals. And it therefore states (Genesis 50:16-17), "Your father commanded before his death, saying... 'Please now forego the sin of your brothers.'" And if Jacob had known about this matter, it would have been fitting for them to beseech the face of their father at his death to command Joseph from his [own] mouth - as [Joseph] would not raise [himself against his father] and violate his words. And [then] they would not have been in danger, nor would they have needed to make up words from their hearts (that he had not said).
(השווה גם דברי הפסיקתא רבתי:
הרי כל שבחו של יוסף, שהיה מפליג על כבוד אביו, ולא נכנס אצלו בכל שעה?! שאילולא שבאו אחרים ואמרו לו: "אביך חולה", לא היה יודע? אלא להודיעך צדקו, שלא רצה להתייחד עם אביו, שלא יאמר לו: "האיך עשו בך אחיך?" – ומקללם... לפיכך לא היה הולך אצל אביו כל שעה.)
(Compare this also to the words of the Pesikta Rabbati 3: [What about all] the praise of Joseph, who exceeded in the honor of his father? And yet he did not enter into him all the time, such that were it not that they came to tell him, "Your father is sick," he would not have known! Rather this is to inform you of his righteousness. For he did not want to be alone with his father, lest he say to him, "How did your brothers act with you?" And [then] he would curse them.... Hence he did not go to his father all the time.)
"לא מצינו שציוה" – והלא מצינו כמה מילי דלא כתיבי בדוכתייהו וילפינן להו (=שלא נאמרו במקומם ולמדנום) מסיפורים אחרים כמו (דברים א' כ"ב) "ותקרבון אלי כולכם ותאמרו נשלחה אנשים לפנינו", שלא נזכר כך במקומו וכאלה רבים. ומנא לו דלא ציוה באמת?
1 The author of the Yafeh Toar (R. Samuel ben Issac Ashkenazi Yafeh) raises a difficulty with the words of the midrash, "We did not find that he commanded!": And have we not found a number of things that were not written in their place, but we [rather] learn about them from other stories; such as, "And all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men in front of us' (Deuteronomy 1:22), which is not mentioned like this in its place. And there are many [examples] like these. And from where did it know that he really did not command?
A. Explain what is his difficulty.
B. Cite other examples from the Torah, of those about which he said, "There are many like these."
C. Answer his difficulty and prove that he truly "did not command."
2. השווה את דברי רש"י לדברי מקורו בבראשית רבה, והסבר מה שינה בניסוח הדברים, ומה סיבת השינויים. (השווה גם לגיליון דברים תש"ד שאלה אחרונה).
2. Compare the words of Rashi to the words of his source in Bereishit Rabbah, and explain what he changed in the wording and the reason for the changes. (Compare this also to the last question in the sheet on parshat Devarim from 1944.)
3. למה הביא הרמב"ן את דבריו אלה לפרשת ויגש מ"ה כ"ז ולא הביאם במקומנו? מה קושי רצה ליישב שם בדבריו?
3. Why did Ramban write these words of his on Parshat Vayigash (Genesis 45:27) and not in our place? What difficulty did we want to answer there with his words?
4. השווה לדברי רש"י כאן (וכן לדברי רמב"ן ופסיקתא) את דברי רש"י בפרשתנו:
4 Compare the words of Rashi here (as well as the words of Ramban and the Pesikta) to the following words of Rashi in our parsha:
וברצונם עקרו שור AND IN THEIR SELFWILL THEY LAMED AN OX — they desired to exterminate Joseph who is called שור, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 23:17) “His firstling bullock (שורו) (Joseph), majesty is his”.
בני עלית THOU WENTEST UP, O MY SON — from that murderous deed you withdrew saying, (Genesis. 5:26) “what profit is it if we slay our brother”.
ד"ה וימררוהו: אחיו.
וימררהו AND THEY EMBITTERED HIM — His brothers dealt bitterly with him;
ורבו means his brothers became his adversaries (literally, men of strife).
האין דבריו אלה סותרים לדבריו שהבאנו לעיל בפרשתנו נ' ט"ז?
Are these words above not contradicting his words that we cited above in our parsha on 50:16?
5 According to the words of the Sages (in Bereishit Rabbah and in Yevamot) that the brothers had made it all up, did Joseph understand that it was made up or did he believe that this was the testament of his father? And why did he cry?