(Some) Villains of Tanakh - Potifar’s Wife By Vered Hollander-Goldfarb

Part 1: Text Genesis 39:1-13

Background: Joseph, 17 years old, finds himself taken to Egypt (see Gen 37 and decide for yourself what role his brothers played in the event) and sold as a slave.

Questions:

1. What is the source of Joseph’s success? Who comes to realize that this is the source of success, and what might be the ramifications for Joseph?

2. How do you understand the limitation on Joseph’s authority stated in 39:6?

• Restrictions surrounding food are among the most efficient ways of avoiding mingling with people who do not share your set of beliefs. Observing the laws of Kashruth certainly limits the food and social circle of its adherents. Did the Egyptians have any such laws? Please read Gen. 43:31-32. What, if anything, does this do for the understanding of 39:6?
  

3. Why does the narrator tell us about Joseph’s good looks?

• And where did he get them from…? (29:17)
  

4. What does Potifar’s wife ask of Joseph?

• Look at the Hebrew (last 2 words) in 39:7. Remember the difference between לשכב עם (to lay with) and לשכב את (to lay and object.) How do you understand the situation?
  

5. How does Joseph respond to her request? Could he have acted/answered differently?

• How many reasons does he give for refusing?
• Is his refusal based on a technical or ethical reason? What is the difference in the short and long run?
  

6. In 39:11, did Joseph know, or was he completely surprised, that there were no other workers in the house?

• How does each reading affect our understanding of Joseph and of this ongoing situation?
  

Part 2: Close reading of 39:14-20

The biblical narrative is brief in words, but rich in content. To direct our understanding of the views of the participants, the narrator uses titles to describe the role a character is playing at that moment. Pay attention to those titles.

39:14-15: Why does she call all her servants? How does she address them? What does she call Joseph? Why?

39:16: Who does Potifar’s wife address concerning Joseph’s misdeed? Think of all the options the narrator had to describe this person. Why did he choose this?

39:17-18: Carefully compare the 2 accounts of Potifar’s wife of what took place. What do the changes add to the story? Why did she change the description?

You might find the following set-up of 39:14-15 parallel to 39:16-18 helpful:

39:19: Who is Potifar’s master angry at in this verse? There are 2 possibilities. One might seem more obvious than the other, but try to consider the merit of each possibility in light of the work that you have done.

39:20: This verse might help you decide about your previous answer. What is unexpected about Joseph’s master’s behavior?

Do not think in modern terms; remember that the story takes place in ancient Egypt, with all that that implies.

Part 3: Outside Sources, both Rabbinic and Biblical

(One) rabbinic view of Potifar’s wife:

1) How does R. Shmuel b. Nahman understand the actions of Potifar’s wife?

Note the positive language he employs to describe it. It might be helpful to know that Joseph married Asenat the daughter of Poti Fera the priest of On when he became second to the king in Egypt, many years later.

2) What might have pushed the midrash to this kind of a reading?

It’s not easy being Joseph…

1) What tension did Rashi detect in the narrative that made him bring this midrash?

Rashi usually shies away from midrash that does not enhance our understanding of the narrative, sometimes on deeper human levels.

2) On a human level, what tensions might a person in Joseph’s position find himself in, and what might help him cope with these tensions?

Think of his age and looks, of his success, of the great distance from home, of the position he was used to occupying before being sold into slavery. This midrash does not claim to be historically true, but it offers and honest and deep look at the difficulties and temptations that Joseph faced, as well as the power of the values that he had been taught at home.

Of Interest: At an early stage the cantilation signs (te’amim) were added to the text. In

addition to their function as punctuation, stress markers and musical notes, they are a form of early commentary on the text. On the word “וימאן” (he refused) in verse 8 (the first word) appears a shalshelet, a rare sign that looks like a zigzag line. When read out loud, the word sounds prolonged and wavering. How does this work with the midrash above?

3) Finally, internal Tanakh commentary:

Midrash reflects an oral transmission – tradition regarding the understanding of a certain text. While most of the recorded account of this begins to show up (in written form) in the early centuries CE, early echoes of an oral tradition are detected already in the Tanakh itself. Sections in the Tanakh (especially in post Torah material) reflect and comment on stories found elsewhere in the Tanakh.

The story of Potifar’s wife and Joseph is commented on in II Samuel 13:1-22, the rape of Tamar by her half brother Amnon. Here is a comparison that demonstrates the linguistic link between the narratives: (If the Hebrew is difficult, skip to below the chart.)

In translation: These are the highlighted parallel words and phrases (some appear more than once):

Israel (=Jacob), loved/lusted, An Ornamented Coat (multi-colored coat? Striped coat?), brothers, father, hate, unable to speak to, go – let me send you, anything, bread/food, eating, beautiful [looks], And it was after…, lie with me, refused, this great evil, did not listen, these things/words, he was angry.

For those of you comfortable with the Hebrew, try to match up the language in two narratives. (I included a few verses from Genesis 37 regarding the family relations that led to Joseph’s sale to Egypt.) In either case, read II Samuel 13:1-22. Please contemplate the following points:

1) Who, in our narrative, is Tamar parallel to? How do you know?

And what is the narrator saying about our story by this new casting?

2) Why did the narrator of the story of Tamar choose to bring the listener (most people probably did not own a written copy) back to the story of Joseph?

It is not only the story of Potifar’s wife. If you are interested in Joseph’s story, the story of Tamar comments on the entire narrative from Genesis 37-45.

3) Our story is missing an evaluation (this is a biblical story, but the Tanakh does not declare Potifar’s wife a villain.) What role does the story of Tamar fill for us?