אנשים אנונימים (בראשית ל"ז-מ')
יִשְׁמְעֵאלִ֔ים
הַ֨מְּדָנִ֔ים
בַּת־אִ֥ישׁ כְּנַעֲנִ֖י
אֵֽשֶׁת־אֲדֹנָ֛יו
שַׂ֥ר בֵּית־הַסֹּֽהַר
מַשְׁקֵ֥ה...וְהָאֹפֶ֑ה
פַּרְעֹ֔ה
Anonymous Characters (Genesis 37-40)
(37:25) Ishmaelites
(37:36) The Midianites
(38:2) The Daughter of a Canaanite
(39:7) The Wife of his Master
(39:21) The Chief Jailor
(40:1) The Cupbearer and the Baker
(40:2) Pharaoh
What are some things we notice in these names?
(15) a man came upon him wandering in the fields. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?” (16) He answered, “I am looking for my brothers. Could you tell me where they are pasturing?” (17) The man said, “They have gone from here, for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothan.” So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Who is this man who discovers Joseph wandering? Why is this character only referred to as "the man," whereas Scripture generally includes a reference to one's nationality, familial origin, or profession?
(א) וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ זֶה גַּבְרִיאֵל, שֶנֶּאֱמַר וְהָאִישׁ גַּבְרִיאֵל (דניאל ט':כ"א)
(1) וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ AND A MAN FOUND HIM — This is Gabriel, as it is said, "and the man (וְהָאִישׁ) Gabriel” (Daniel 9:21)
What is Rashi's basis for his inference?
(כא) וְע֛וֹד אֲנִ֥י מְדַבֵּ֖ר בַּתְּפִלָּ֑ה וְהָאִ֣ישׁ גַּבְרִיאֵ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ רָאִ֨יתִי בֶחָז֤וֹן בַּתְּחִלָּה֙ מֻעָ֣ף בִּיעָ֔ף נֹגֵ֣עַ אֵלַ֔י כְּעֵ֖ת מִנְחַת־עָֽרֶב׃
(21) while I was uttering my prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had previously seen in the vision, was sent forth in flight and reached me about the time of the evening offering.
What does Rashi conclude from this verse?
What more can we learn from other sources?
(ג) ...וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ, אֵין אִישׁ הָאָמוּר כָּאן אֶלָּא גַּבְרִיאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָאִישׁ גַּבְרִיאֵל (דניאל ט, כא).
(3) And a certain man found him (Gen. 37:15). The man referred to is none other than (the angel) Gabriel, as it is said: The man Gabriel (Dan. 9:21).
Artscroll, The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary (Vayeshev, Footnotes)
Tanchuma 2. "A man discovered him" rather than "A man saw him" indicates that the "man" intended to encounter Joseph before Joseph saw him (see Levush HaOrah; Lekut Bahir). גַּבְרִיאֵל is composed of the words גֶבֶר, "man" and אֵל, "God." He is sometimes referred to by the word אִישׁ, a synonym for גֶבֶר (Yosef Daas).
How might this add to what Rashi and other commentators are suggesting about Gabriel and "the man?"
(יד) וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ וְהִנֵּה תֹעֶה בַּשָּׂדֶה (בראשית לז, טו), אָמַר רַבִּי יַנַּאי שְׁלשָׁה מַלְאָכִים נִזְדַּוְּגוּ לוֹ, וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ, וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ הָאִישׁ, וַיֹּאמֶר הָאִישׁ...
AND A MAN FOUND HIM AND BEHOLD HE WAS WANDERING IN THE FIELD — Rabbi Yannai said three angels approached Joseph: One found him, one asked him, and one said to him...
Where have we seen this before?
(ב) וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃
(2) Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground:
(א) והנה שלשה אנשים. מאן ננהו שלשה אנשים, מיכאל וגבריאל ורפאל, מיכאל שבא לבשר את שרה, רפאל לרפאות את אברהם, וגבריאל דאזל למהפכה לסדום.
(1) AND BEHOLD THERE WERE THREE MEN — Who are the three men?Michael and Gabriel and Raphael. Michael came to inform Sarah of the news (of her forthcoming pregnancy), Raphael came to heal Abraham (who had been recently circumcised), and Gabriel who went to the destruction of Sodom.
How does this connect to "the man" in Vayeishev?
(ב) ...מה שאמרו בעלי הקבלה ז"ל רבו של אדם הראשון רזיאל (תפארת)... רבו של אברהם צדקיאל. רבו של יצחק רפאל. רבו של יעקב פליאל. רבו של יוסף גבריאל (יסוד)...
(2) This is what the Masters of Kabbalah said (z"l): The first man's teacher was Raziel (who represents Tiferet). Abraham's teacher was Tzadkiel. Isaac's teacher was Raphael. Joseph's teacher was Gabriel (Yesod)...
How does this enhance the point Rashi and other commentators were trying to make?
Rabbi Moshe Miller, "Netzach, Hod, & Yesod"
...Yesod functions as the connector between all of the sefirot which precede it, and the recipient, malchut, below it. In order for the distribution to reach its intended destination, there must be a proper channel of communication between the giver, yesod, and the receiver, malchut.
What can this explanation of the sefirah of Yesod tell us about Gabriel? How do we better understand Gabriel's actions after considering this?
What if we look at Kabbalah's Tree of Life from the opposite direction (from the bottom to the top)? (See B'rachot 2:2)
(א) זה גבריאל. דעל כרחך מלאך היה, דאם לא כן למה צריך כל הסיפור שמצאו איש ושאל אותו "איפה הם רועים", ואמר לו בדותן הם והלך אליהם, מאי נפקא מיניה אם מתחלה הלך אליהם בלי טעות או על ידי טעות, ולמה הוצרך הכתוב לכל זה לומר "וימצאהו איש", אלא שהשם יתברך שלח מלאך להגיעו אל אחיו, ואם לא כן לא הלך אל אחיו אלא היה חוזר משכם לביתו כיון שלא מצא את אחיו, כי לא ידע איפה הם, ולכך שלח אליו המלאך...
(1) This is Gabriel. In regards to whether it is necessary to say that "the man" was an angel... If not, why do we need the whole story? The story could have been simplified to tell us that Joseph found a man and asked him, "Where are they (my brothers) pasturing?" Then the man would have told him that they were in Dothan, and Joseph would have gone to them. What is gained from beginning the narrative 'he walked to them' without wandering or 'he walked to them' as a result of wandering, and why did scripture require the detail "a man found him?"
So that HaShem would bless Joseph by sending h