Parshat Vayeshev - Speaking Shalom Minyan Torah Study 12-05-15

Shelah (Sh'ney Luchot HaBrit) - Isaiah Horovitz (c.1565-1630) -- Kedoshim, Ner Mitzvah #63

The Torah exhorts us not to bottle up our hatred against a fellow Jew in our heart (Leviticus 19:17), but to tell him openly if we wish to criticize his conduct, i.e. הוכח תוכיח. Proverbs 27:5 provides the rationale, namely that a rebuke reveals loving concern for the person so rebuked.

This is a virtue as explained by Rashi on Genesis 37:4 that Joseph's brothers, rather than concealing their dislike of Joseph and flattering him, spoke out about it.

One must not contrast this with the statement of our sages who condemned Naval for saying what was in his heart. They even changed the reading of the name of his ancestor from נבל to כלבו so as to emphasise that every evil thing in his heart he expressed with his lips. (Samuel 25; also Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 2,3). His was a special case; he should not have spoken at all instead of using his power of speech only to denigrate others. Joseph's brothers, on the other hand, had to maintain relations with him. Rather than pretend to like him they chose to say what was on their minds.

I Samuel 25

And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. ²And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful form; but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. ⁴And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men: ‘Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name; ⁶and thus ye shall say: All hail! and peace be both unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast . . . . ⁹And when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. ¹⁰And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said: ‘Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master . . .

¹⁴But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying: ‘Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he flew upon them. ¹⁵But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields; ¹⁶they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ¹⁷Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house; for he is such a base fellow, that one cannot speak to him.’

Sforno 1475-1550, Italy

Even though the brothers had to speak to Joseph pertaining to their business dealing

both concerning household problems and problems with the herds and flocks, something imposed upon them by their father’s command to see in him their manager

they did not speak to him concerning any private matters, brotherly concerns

Meshech Hochmah - Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (1843–1926)

​And the brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, and they hated him [because of this.] The main concept is that they could not understand [that their father loved him] because he was the son of his beloved Rachel. Hence he [Jacob] also loved her son more than the others. However, when they saw that he loved him [Joseph] more than any of the brothers, even Benjamin (who was also Rachel's son); therefore they [turned to] hate him because he [Joseph] brough evil reports about them and there fore became even more honored and precious to their father. Hence, try hated him - it is that simple.

Kli Yakar - Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 1619, Prague)

ולא יכלו דברו לשלום - [Actually], they could have spoken peaceably [towards him,] but they were not able to because they distrusted all of the evil reports he [Joseph] had brought about them. His father said, "It is out of hatred that he has spoken." If so, they were not able to speak to their father in words that could bring about peace. Hence, the text says לשלום

Radak - Rabbi David Kimchi (1160–1235)

Any conversation with Joseph did not revolve around peacefully discussed matters of common interest, but concerned only matters of dispute between them.

Ha'Amek Davar - Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin - 1816-1893,Volozhin

They could not bear (tolerate) his words to them as [possibly being] peaceful. They were convinced that he [Joseph] hated them. They also beli that he concealed his hatred. Hence they could not bear [his words.] The sense of "they could [not]" is a matter of patience (or tolerance)

Shmuel David Luzzatto - 1800-65, Italy

ולא יכלו דברו לשלום - [Most of] the commentators explain this, "They could not speak with him peaceably." But we do not find this [sentence structure] anywhere else. [Therefore, it should read/be read], "They could not bear to speak of matters of peace with him." When he [Joseph] would speak with them, even peaceful words, they could not bear [to hear anything he had to say.]