Joseph, Sarah and the Power of Heh

בראש השנה יצא יוסף מבית האסורין מנלן דכתיב (תהלים פא, ד) תקעו בחדש שופר (בכסא) ליום חגנו כי חק לישראל הוא וגו' עדות ביהוסף שמו בצאתו וגו'

Rosh Hashanah 11a:18

On Rosh HaShana Joseph came out of prison. The Gemara asks: From where do we derive this? As it is written: “Sound a shofar at the New Moon, at the covered time of our Festival day. For this is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob.” This is a reference to Rosh HaShana, the only Festival that occurs at the time of the New Moon, when the moon is covered and cannot be seen. And immediately afterward it is written: “This He ordained in Joseph for testimony, when he went out over the land of Egypt,” implying that Joseph’s release from prison took place on Rosh HaShana.

תהילים פ״א:ד׳-ו׳

(ד) תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֝כֵּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ׃(ה) כִּ֤י חֹ֣ק לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ה֑וּא מִ֝שְׁפָּ֗ט לֵאלֹקֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃(ו) עֵ֤דוּת ׀ בִּֽיה֘וֹסֵ֤ף שָׂמ֗וֹ בְּ֭צֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם שְׂפַ֖ת לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶשְׁמָֽע׃

Psalms 81:4-6

(4) Blow the horn on the new moon, on the full moon for our feast day.(5) For it is a law for Israel, a ruling of the God of Jacob;(6) He imposed it as a decree upon Jehoseph when he went over the land of Egypt; I heard a language that I knew not.

סוטה ל״ו ב:י״ט-כ״ב

א"ר חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן בשעה שאמר לו פרעה ליוסף (בראשית מא, מד) ובלעדיך לא ירים איש את ידו וגו' אמרו איצטגניני פרעה עבד שלקחו רבו בעשרים כסף תמשילהו עלינו אמר להן גנוני מלכות אני רואה בו אמרו לו א"כ יהא יודע בשבעים לשון בא גבריאל ולימדו שבעים לשון לא הוה קגמר הוסיף לו אות אחת משמו של הקב"ה ולמד שנאמר (תהלים פא, ו) עדות ביהוסף שמו בצאתו על ארץ מצרים (שפת לא ידעתי אשמע) ולמחר כל לישנא דאישתעי פרעה בהדיה אהדר ליה אישתעי איהו בלשון הקדש לא הוה קא ידע מאי הוה אמר א"ל אגמרי אגמריה ולא גמר אמר ליה אישתבע לי דלא מגלית אישתבע לו כי א"ל (בראשית נ, ה) אבי השביעני לאמור א"ל זיל איתשיל אשבועתך אמר ליה ואיתשלי נמי אדידך ואע"ג דלא ניחא ליה א"ל עלה וקבור את אביך כאשר השביעך

Sotah 36b:19-22

Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: When Pharaoh said to Joseph: “And without you no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:44), Pharaoh’s astrologers said: You will appoint a slave whose master bought him for twenty silver coins to rule over us? He said to them: I perceive royal characteristics [ginnunei malkhut] in him and see that he was not initially a slave.They said to him: If that is so and he is a child of royalty, he should know the seventy languages that all kings’ children learn. The angel Gabriel then came and taught him the seventy languages, but he could not learn all of them. Gabriel then added one letter, the letter heh, to Joseph’s name from the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and then he was able to learn the languages, as it is stated: “He appointed it in Joseph [Yehosef] for a testimony, when he went forth against the land of Egypt, the speech of one that I did not know I heard” (Psalms 81:6). And the next day, when he appeared before Pharaoh, in every language that Pharaoh spoke with him, he answered him.

ראש השנה י״א א:ט״ז

בראש השנה נפקדה שרה רחל וחנה מנלן א"ר אלעזר אתיא פקידה פקידה אתיא זכירה זכירה כתיב ברחל (בראשית ל, כב) ויזכור אלקים את רחל וכתיב בחנה (שמואל א א, יט) ויזכרה ה׳ ואתיא זכירה זכירה מראש השנה דכתיב (ויקרא כג, כד) שבתון זכרון תרועה

Rosh Hashanah 11a:16

It was taught in the baraita: On Rosh HaShana, Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were revisited by God and conceived children.

בראשית י״ז:ט״ו-ט״ז

(טו) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹקִים֙ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתְּךָ֔ לֹא־תִקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמָ֖הּ שָׂרָ֑י כִּ֥י שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמָֽהּ׃(טז) וּבֵרַכְתִּ֣י אֹתָ֔הּ וְגַ֨ם נָתַ֧תִּי מִמֶּ֛נָּה לְךָ֖ בֵּ֑ן וּבֵֽרַכְתִּ֙יהָ֙ וְהָֽיְתָ֣ה לְגוֹיִ֔ם מַלְכֵ֥י עַמִּ֖ים מִמֶּ֥נָּה יִהְיֽוּ׃

Genesis 17:15-16

(15) And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.(16) I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations; rulers of peoples shall issue from her.”

חידושי אגדות על ראש השנה י״א א:י״ד

בר"ה יצא יוסף כו' שנאמר עדות ביהוסף וגו'. אותה ה׳ שנטלה משרה שנפקדה בר"ה נתוספה בו בר"ה ואח"כ לזרעו יהושע כמפורש במדרשות וע"ד הסוד כי הה׳ אחרונה בשם היא מורה על מדת המלכות שביום ר"ה והיא נתוספה ליוסף ונעשה מלך בצאתו על וגו' וכן ליהושע:

Chidushei Agadot on Rosh Hashanah 11a:14

The same heh that was given to Sarah who was remembered for children on Rosh HaShana, was added to Joseph's name on Rosh HaShana...and according to the secrets of the Torah this is the final heh of the tetragrammaton which represents the attribute of kingship (malchus) of Rosh Hashana. This letter was added to Joseph and he was made king over the land...

Innerspace, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

The ultimate good is to partake of G-d, and it is this good that He planned to give the world. He would create a world where His creatures could ultimately partake of His essence and experience Him. The Kabbalists teach that this is the concept of G-d's most sacred name, the Tetragrammaton (YHVH)...We can understand this on the basis of an ancient Kabbalistic teaching which states that the four letters of the Name contain the mystery of charity. According to this teaching, the first letter, yud, can be likened to a coin...The second letter, heh, represents the hand that gives the coin...The third letter, vav, which has the form of an arm, denotes reaching out and giving. Furthermore, in Hebrew vav means a hook...Finally, the fourth letter, the final heh, is the hand of the beggar who receives the coin...the last heh of the Name is our hand which receives existence. Of course, G-d must give us even this hand. Thus, in a sense G-d gives us the ability to receive existence from Him. (pg. 11)

While the six sefiros from chesed to yesod are masculine, Malchus (kingship) is a feminine sefirah...These six sefiros parallel the vav of the Tetragrammaton whereas malchus parallels the last heh of the Tetragrammaton...(MS-the six sefiros create the ability to connect to HaShem (the arm reaching out), the seventh Sefirah is the our ability to receive that connection and it's called malchus!)

The seventh sefirah is likened to the womb of the female. It represents the power to receive, hold and eventually give back something more perfect and complete. It is therefore related to the seventh day of creation, the Shabbos. (pg. 42)

When we bring in the last heh of the Tetragrammaton, corresponding to Malchus, we have the idea of receiving. It is the idea of being a kli (vessel). Malchus is the power that G-d gives us to receive from Him. Furthermore, it is in Malchus that the purpose of giving is realized; a relationship where the one who receives can reciprocate and become a "giver." (pg. 75)