(א) וַתֵּ֣רֶא רָחֵ֗ל כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָֽלְדָה֙ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב וַתְּקַנֵּ֥א רָחֵ֖ל בַּאֲחֹתָ֑הּ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙ הָֽבָה־לִּ֣י בָנִ֔ים וְאִם־אַ֖יִן מֵתָ֥ה אָנֹֽכִי׃ (ב) וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּרָחֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֲתַ֤חַת אֱלֹקִים֙ אָנֹ֔כִי אֲשֶׁר־מָנַ֥ע מִמֵּ֖ךְ פְּרִי־בָֽטֶן׃
(1) When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, she became envious of her sister; and Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die.” (2) Jacob was incensed at Rachel, and said, “Can I take the place of God, who has denied you fruit of the womb?”
(יט) וַיֹּ֧אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֛ם יוֹסֵ֖ף אַל־תִּירָ֑אוּ כִּ֛י הֲתַ֥חַת אֱלֹקִ֖ים אָֽנִי׃ (כ) וְאַתֶּ֕ם חֲשַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עָלַ֖י רָעָ֑ה אֱלֹקִים֙ חֲשָׁבָ֣הּ לְטֹבָ֔ה לְמַ֗עַן עֲשֹׂ֛ה כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לְהַחֲיֹ֥ת עַם־רָֽב׃ (כא) וְעַתָּה֙ אַל־תִּירָ֔אוּ אָנֹכִ֛י אֲכַלְכֵּ֥ל אֶתְכֶ֖ם וְאֶֽת־טַפְּכֶ֑ם וַיְנַחֵ֣ם אוֹתָ֔ם וַיְדַבֵּ֖ר עַל־לִבָּֽם׃
(19) But Joseph said to them, “Have no fear! Am I a substitute for God? (20) Besides, although you intended me harm, God intended it for good, so as to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. (21) And so, fear not. I will sustain you and your dependents.” Thus he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
[...] וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל זֶה תְּפָסוּהוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, אָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ע"א:ז'), אָמַר לוֹ הקב"ה, כָּךְ עוֹנִין אֶת הַמְּעִיקוֹת, חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁבָּנֶיךָ עֲתִידִין לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי בְּנָהּ. [...]
[...] It would appear that on account of Jacob’s answer, our Rabbis took him to task, saying in Bereshith Rabbah: (71:10) “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob, ‘Is this the way to answer a woman who is oppressed by her barrenness? By your life! Your children are destined to stand before her son Joseph!’” [...]
(ז) וַיִּחַר אַף יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל (בראשית ל, ב), [...] וַיִּחַר אַף יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל וַיֹּאמֶר וגו', אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כָּךְ עוֹנִים אֶת הַמְּעִיקוֹת, חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁבָּנֶיךָ עֲתִידִים לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי בְּנָה. [...]
(7) “Jacob’s wrath was enflamed at Rachel; he said: Am I in place of God, who withheld from you fruit of the womb?” (Genesis 30:2). [...] “Jacob’s wrath was enflamed at Rachel; he said…” The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Is that the way one answers the distressed? As you live, your sons are destined to stand before her son.’ [...]
The Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah picks up on the parallel between these statements and offers a stunning critique of Yaakov's response. God says to Yaakov: 'Is this how you answer someone in distress? By your life, your children will one day stand before her son [Yosef], and he will say these very words.'
This distinction between אנכי and אני deepens our understanding of the Midrash's criticism. Yaakov's use of the more formal אנכי might reflect the emotional distance he placed between himself and Rachel's pain. Yosef, learning from his father's experience, chooses the more intimate אני when comforting his frightened brothers.
https://www.hatanakh.com/en/content/yaakov-vs-yosef-am-i-place-god
Rabbi David Silverberg | Genesis 30, 1 - 2 Genesis 50, 19
The Torah in Parashat Vayetze records the brief, tension-ridden exchange between Yaakov and Rachel in the wake of Rachel’s inability to conceive. Rachel, who remained childless while her sister, Leah, bore several children in immediate succession to one another, confronts Yaakov and demands, “Give me children, for if not, [it is as though] I am dead!” (30:1). Yaakov angrily retorts, “Am I in the place of God, who has denied you fruit in the womb?”
The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 71) notes the parallel between Yaakov’s angry retort to Rachel and Yosef’s reassuring words to his brothers spoken after Yaakov’s death. Later in Sefer Bereishit (50:15-21), we read that the brothers feared Yosef would avenge their mistreatment of him, and they begged him for compassion, claiming that Yaakov issued an instruction before his death that Yosef should forgive them. Yosef, in his response, rhetorically asks, “Am I in God’s place?” (“Ha-tachat Elokim ani” – 50:19), reminiscent of Yaakov’s response to Rachel – “Ha-tachat Elokim anokhi.” The Midrash comments: “The Almighty said to him [Yaakov]: Is this the way one responds to women in distress? By your life, your children will in the future stand before her son, and he will say, ‘Am I in God’s place?’” Chazal here clearly criticize Yaakov for reacting insensitively to his anguished wife, though it is not entirely clear, at least at first glance, how the parallel to Yosef’s soothing words to his brothers sheds any sort of light on this critique.
In both instances, the speaker avows his limited capability, deferring to God’s omnipotence. When Rachel expresses her frustration to Yaakov and “demands” children, he responds by denying his ability to assist her, essentially saying, “This depends on God, not on me.” In Yosef’s situation, too, the brothers fearfully anticipated some kind of reprisal on Yosef’s part, but he informed them that retribution is God’s department, so-to-speak, not his.
Chazal, in their criticism of Yaakov’s response to Rachel, and by contrasting it with Yosef’s response to his brothers, perhaps seek to instruct when to step back and leave it to God, and when to stubbornly insist on our power and capability. In Chazal’s view, Yosef’s question of “Am I in God’s place” was valid, but Yaakov’s wasn’t. When we are victimized, as Yosef was, the appropriate response is “Am I in God’s place,” to leave the matter in God’s hands rather than seek vengeance. But in Yaakov’s situation, when we encounter a person in distress, it is improper to excuse ourselves by deferring to God.
Yaakov was undoubtedly correct that only God could grant Rachel fertility, but he was incorrect in professing powerlessness. Even if he could not make Rachel fertile, he could, at least, offer the emotional support and encouragement that she so desperately needed. When we come upon a person in need of assistance, “There’s nothing I can do” is not a legitimate response. We might not be able to cure the patient’s illness or find gainful work for an unemployed friend, but there is always something we can do to help. These situations call for bold, proactive initiative. Humble withdrawal and a sense of dependency on God should be reserved for Yosef’s situation, when we have been wronged and feel an instinctive desire for revenge. It is here where we should present the claim of “Am I in God’s place.”
The role of judge should be reserved for God, but the role of generous benefactor is one which we should keep for ourselves and refuse to relinquish to the Almighty. When it comes to helping people in need, we are, in fact, to see ourselves as assuming God’s role, to feel empowered and determined to offer assistance in any way we can.
(Shared with me by Rabbi Efraim Tepler - 1/13/25)
Barak Mor suggests that the brothers of Yosef always viewed him as the rejected son—of the Bnei Rachel, distinct from them as the children of Leah. In their eyes, Yosef was not part of the chosen lineage of the family. They saw him as a parallel to Yishmael and Esav, who were excluded from Avraham’s and Yitzchak’s households, respectively. This perception is what drove them to sell Yosef. To them, he represented an "Esav figure," an outsider within the covenantal family.
Their fear of Yosef further manifests after Yaakov's death. Esav's defining move, as described in the Torah, is his vow to take revenge on Yaakov after their father’s passing: “I will wait until my father dies, then I will kill my brother Yaakov” (Bereishit 27:41). The brothers project this same paradigm onto Yosef, suspecting that his kindness toward them was merely a façade maintained while their father was alive. Now, with Yaakov gone, they fear Yosef will finally exact his revenge.
This projection is embedded in the language of the Torah. When the brothers voice their fear, they say, “Lu yistimeinu Yosef” (Bereishit 50:15)—“What if Yosef will hate us and take revenge?” The root ש.ט.ם (sin-tet-mem), which means “hate” or “bear a grudge,” is rare in the Torah. This is the third appearance of three significant instances, all connected to this theme:
The first instance, where Esav hates Yaakov (Bereishit 27:41), establishes the archetype of the grudge-bearing brother who seeks revenge after their father’s death. This archetype frames the brothers' perception of Yosef. Having cast him as the Esav figure, they assume he will follow Esav’s pattern, further shaping their fear and mistrust.
I thought that the second occurrence, in Yaakov’s blessings (Bereishit 49:23), provides a critical insight. Yaakov explicitly acknowledges the animosity Yosef endured, saying that others “hated him” and “shot at him.” This highlights how the brothers’ own hostility toward Yosef colored their perception of him. They mistakenly assumed that Yosef bore the same grudge against them as they had felt toward him. By explicitly recognizing the hatred Yosef faced, Yaakov’s words expose the brothers’ projection and set the stage for Yosef’s ultimate rejection of the Esav archetype they imposed on him. This reflects the brothers’ own hostility toward Yosef, rooted in their jealousy and resentment. When they later project the Esav archetype onto Yosef, imagining that he harbors a grudge and plans revenge, they are, in reality, projecting their own feelings. They assume that Yosef feels the same animosity toward them that they once felt toward him.
Barak Mor further highlights that Yosef’s response to his brothers directly addresses this mischaracterization. He says to them, “HaTachas Elokim Ani?”—“Am I in place of G-d?” (Bereishit 50:19). This phrase echoes Yaakov’s words to Rachel when she pleads for children: “HaTachas Elokim Anochi?” (Bereishit 30:2). By using Yaakov’s exact language, Yosef hammers home the point: “You’ve misunderstood me entirely. I am not Esav. I am Yaakov. I don’t take revenge, and I don’t assume a role that belongs to G-d. We are all part of Yaakov’s legacy, united as his children.”
The Torah’s precise language reinforces this message. Yosef’s use of Yaakov’s “textbook phrase” demonstrates his rejection of the Esav archetype his brothers had imposed on him. Instead, he affirms that he operates within the framework of Yaakov—one of humility, faith, and unity.
An additional wrinkle, suggested by Rabbi Efraim Tepler, further underscores this dynamic. At the end of Vayechi, the brothers come before Yosef, bowing to him and offering to become his servants: “Behold, we are your slaves” (Bereishit 50:18). This scene reenacts Yaakov’s encounter with Esav, where Yaakov bows seven times and refers to himself as “Avdecha Yaakov”—“Your servant, Yaakov” (Bereishit 32:4-5). Here again, the brothers project onto Yosef the paradigm of Esav, fearing that they must submit to him to avoid his wrath.
Yosef’s response shatters their misconception: “HaTachas Elokim Ani!” By evoking Yaakov’s language and rejecting their projection, Yosef reaffirms his role not as an Esav but as a Yaakov—one who acknowledges G-d’s ultimate authority and seeks harmony within the family.
This powerful exchange teaches us the danger of misperception and the redemptive strength of humility and reconciliation. Yosef’s refusal to conform to the archetype imposed on him transforms a moment of potential revenge into one of profound forgiveness and unity.
(מא) וַיִּשְׂטֹ֤ם עֵשָׂו֙ אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹ֔ב עַ֨ל־הַבְּרָכָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּרְכ֖וֹ אָבִ֑יו וַיֹּ֨אמֶר עֵשָׂ֜ו בְּלִבּ֗וֹ יִקְרְבוּ֙ יְמֵי֙ אֵ֣בֶל אָבִ֔י וְאַֽהַרְגָ֖ה אֶת־יַעֲקֹ֥ב אָחִֽי׃
(טו) וַיִּרְא֤וּ אֲחֵֽי־יוֹסֵף֙ כִּי־מֵ֣ת אֲבִיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ ל֥וּ יִשְׂטְמֵ֖נוּ יוֹסֵ֑ף וְהָשֵׁ֤ב יָשִׁיב֙ לָ֔נוּ אֵ֚ת כׇּל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר גָּמַ֖לְנוּ אֹתֽוֹ׃
(כג) וַֽיְמָרְרֻ֖הוּ וָרֹ֑בּוּ וַֽיִּשְׂטְמֻ֖הוּ בַּעֲלֵ֥י חִצִּֽים׃
They shot at him and harried him.
(5) and instructed them as follows, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau, ‘Thus says your servant Jacob I stayed with Laban and remained until now;