Miketz or Mikeitz (—

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

for "at the end," the second word and first distinctive word of the ''parashah'') is the tenth

weekly Torah portion The weekly Torah portion refers to a lectionary custom in Judaism in which a portion of the Torah (or Pentateuch) is read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' (), is popularly abbre ...

(, ''parashah'') in the annual

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

cycle of

Torah reading Torah reading (; ') is a Jewish religious tradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) from the Torah ark, chanting the ap ...

. It constitutes

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...

41:1–44:17. The parashah tells of Joseph's interpretation of

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

's dreams, Joseph's rise to power in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, and Joseph's testing of his brothers. The parashah has the most letters (although not the most words or verses) of any of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Genesis. It is made up of 7,914 Hebrew letters, 2,022 Hebrew words, 146 verses, and 255 lines in a Torah Scroll (, ''

Sefer Torah file:SeferTorah.jpg, A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema file:Köln-Tora-und-Innenansicht-Synagoge-Glockengasse-040.JPG, An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Inte ...

''). (In the Book of Genesis, Parashat

Vayeira Vayeira, Vayera, or (—Hebrew for "and He appeared," the first word in the parashah) is the fourth weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 18:1–22:24. The parashah tells the ...

has the most words, and Parashiyot

Noach Noach (, ) is the second weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Judaism, Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Book of Genesis, Genesis 6:9–11:32. The parashah tells the stories of the Genesis flood narrative, Flood and N ...

and

Vayishlach Vayishlach (—Hebrew language, Hebrew for "and he sent," the incipit, first word of the parashah) is the eighth weekly Torah portion (, ) in the annual Judaism, Jewish cycle of Torah reading. In the parashah, Jacob reconciles with Esau after wre ...

have the most verses.)

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s read Parashat Miketz on the tenth

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

after

Simchat Torah Simchat Torah (; Ashkenazi: ), also spelled Simhat Torah, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Hebrew Bible ...

, generally in December, or rarely in late November or early January, usually during

Chanukah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Han ...

Readings

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or , '' aliyot''. In the

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...

of the

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' peh'')). Parashat Miketz has a single "closed portion" (, ''setumah'') division (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter (''

samekh Samekh or samech is the fifteenth Letter (alphabet), letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician ''sāmek'' 𐤎, Hebrew alphabet, Hebrew ''sāmeḵ'' , Aramaic alphabet, Aramaic ''samek'' 𐡎, and Syriac alphabet, Syr ...

'')) at the close of the parashah. Thus, the Masoretic Text treats the parashah as one continuous whole. Peter von Cornelius 002

First reading—Genesis 41:1–14

In the first reading, Pharaoh dreamed that he stood by the river, and out came seven fat cattle, who fed in the reed-grass. And then seven lean cattle came up out of the river and ate the seven fat cattle, and Pharaoh awoke. He went back to sleep and dreamed that seven good ears of corn came up on one stalk, and then seven thin ears sprung up after them and swallowed the good ears, and Pharaoh again awoke. In the morning, Pharaoh was troubled and sent for all the

magicians Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

and wise men of Egypt and told them his dream, but none could interpret it. Then the chief butler spoke up, confessing his faults and relating how Pharaoh had put him in prison with the baker, and a Hebrew there had interpreted their dreams, correctly predicting the future. Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who shaved, changed clothes, and came to Pharaoh. The first reading ends here.

Second reading—Genesis 41:15–38

In the second reading, Pharaoh told Joseph that he had had a dream that none could interpret and had heard that Joseph could interpret dreams, but Joseph said that

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

would give Pharaoh an answer. Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams, and Joseph told him that the two dreams were one, a prediction of what God was about to do. The seven good cattle and the seven good ears symbolized seven years of plenty, and the seven lean cattle and the seven empty ears symbolized seven years of famine that would consume thereafter. The dream was doubled because God had established the thing and would shortly bring it to pass. Joseph recommended that Pharaoh set over Egypt a man discreet and wise, that he appoint overseers to take up a fifth of the harvests during the years of plenty, and that he store that food for the years of famine. Pharaoh agreed, asking whether anyone could find a man such as Joseph in whom the spirit of God was. The second reading ends here. Jacopo Pontormo 032

Third reading—Genesis 41:39–52

In the third reading, Pharaoh told Joseph that in as much as God had shown him all this, there was none so discreet and wise as Joseph, and thus Pharaoh set Joseph over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Joseph his

signet ring A seal is a device for making an impression in Sealing wax, wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an Paper embossing, embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or ...

, fine linen, a gold chain about his neck, and his 2nd chariot, and had people cry "Abrech" before him. And Pharaoh renamed Joseph Zaphenath-paneah and gave him

Asenath Asenath (, ; Koine Greek: Ἀσενέθ, ''Asenéth'') is a minor figure in the Book of Genesis. Asenath was a high-born, aristocratic Egyptian woman. She was the wife of Joseph and the mother of his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. There are t ...

the daughter of

Potipherah According to the Hebrew Bible, Potiphera (, ) was a priest of the ancient Egyptian town of On (Ancient Egypt), On, mentioned in the and . He was the father of Asenath, who was given to Joseph (Genesis), Joseph as his wife by the Pharaohs in the B ...

priest of On to be his wife. Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and in the seven years of plenty he gathered up grain as plentiful as the sand of the sea. Joseph and Asenath had two sons, the first of whom Joseph called

Manasseh Manasseh () is both a given name and a surname. Its variants include Manasses and Manasse. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Ezekiel Saleh Manasseh (died 1944), Singaporean rice and opium merchant and hotelier * Jacob Manasseh ( ...

, for God had made him forget all his toil and all his father's house, and the second of whom he called

Ephraim Ephraim (; , in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath, as well as the adopted son of his biological grandfather Jacob, making him the progenitor of the Tribe of Ephrai ...

, for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction. The third reading ends here.

Fourth reading—Genesis 41:53–42:18

In the fourth reading, the seven years of plenty ended and famine struck, and when Egypt was famished, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold food to the Egyptians. People from all countries came to Egypt to buy grain, because the famine struck all the earth.

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

saw that there was grain in Egypt, asked his sons why they sat around looking at each other, and sent them down to Egypt to buy some. Ten of Joseph's brothers went down to Egypt, but Jacob kept

Benjamin Benjamin ( ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the younger of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob's twe ...

behind, so that no harm would befall him. Joseph's brothers came to buy grain from Joseph and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth. Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him, for he made himself strange to them and spoke roughly with them. Joseph remembered his dreams, and accused them of being spies. But they protested that they were not spies, but upright men come to buy food, ten sons of a man who had twelve sons, lost one, and kept one behind. Joseph told them that to prove their story, they would have to send one of them to fetch their brother, and he imprisoned them for three days. On the third day, Joseph proposed a plan to them, because he feared God. The fourth reading ends here. JacobandBenjamin1829

Fifth reading—Genesis 42:19–43:15

In the long fifth reading, Joseph told his brothers that he would allow them to prove themselves by letting one of them be bound in prison while the others carried grain to their houses and brought their youngest brother to Egypt. They said to one another that surely they were guilty concerning their brother, and so now this distress had come upon them.

Reuben Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include Reuvein in Yiddish or as an English variant spelling on th ...

said that he had told them not to sin against their brother, but they had not listened. They did not realize that Joseph understood them, for he used an interpreter, and Joseph turned aside and wept. When Joseph returned, he bound

Simeon Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew (Biblical Hebrew, Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated in English as Shimon. In Greek, it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Sy ...

before their eyes, and commanded that their vessels be filled with grain and that their money be restored to their sacks. They loaded their donkeys and departed. When they came to a lodging-place, one of them opened his sack and found his money, and their spirits fell, wondering what God had done to them. They went home and told Jacob what had happened, and Jacob accused them of bereaving him of his children, first Joseph and now Simeon, and told them that they would not take Benjamin away. Reuben answered that Jacob could kill Reuben's two sons if Reuben failed to bring Benjamin back, but Jacob insisted that his son would not go down with them, for Joseph was dead and only Benjamin was left, and if harm befell Benjamin then it would be the death of Jacob. The famine continued, and Jacob told the brothers to buy more grain. Judah reminded Jacob that the man had warned them that they could not see his face unless their brother came with them, so if Jacob sent their brother Benjamin they could buy food, but if Jacob did not send him they could not go. Jacob asked them why they had treated him so ill as to tell the man that they had a brother. They explained that the man asked them directly about their family, whether their father was alive, and whether they had another brother, and they answered him; how were they to know that he would ask them to bring their brother? Judah then asked Jacob to send the lad with him, so that they could go and the family could live, and Judah would serve as surety for him, for they could have been to Egypt and back if they had not lingered. Relenting, Jacob directed them to take a present for the man, double money in case the return of their payment was an oversight, and also their brother, and Jacob prayed that God might show them mercy before the man and that he might release Simeon and Benjamin. So the brothers went to Joseph. The fifth reading ends here.

Sixth reading—Genesis 43:16–29

In the sixth reading, when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he directed his steward to bring the men into the house and prepare a meal for him to eat with them at noon. When the brothers were conducted into Joseph's house, they grew afraid that Joseph was going to hold them as bondmen because they had taken the money that they found in their sacks. So they explained to Joseph's steward how they had discovered their money returned to them and had brought it back with them, plus more money to buy grain. But the steward told them not to fear, for their God had given them treasure in their sacks; he had their money. The steward brought Simeon out, brought them into Joseph's house, gave them water, and fed their donkeys. When Joseph came home, they brought their present and bowed down to him. Joseph asked about their and of their father's welfare. They said that Joseph's servant their father was well, and they bowed their heads. Joseph looked upon Benjamin and asked them whether this was their youngest brother of whom they had spoken, and he prayed that God would be gracious to Benjamin. The sixth reading ends here. Claes Cornelisz

Seventh reading—Genesis 43:30–44:17

In the seventh reading, Joseph left hastily for his chamber and wept, washed his face, returned, and called for the servants to serve the meal. Joseph sat by himself, the brothers sat by themselves, and the Egyptians sat by themselves, because it was an abomination to the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews. The brothers marveled that the servants had seated them according to their age. And Benjamin's portion was five times so much as any of his brothers'. Joseph directed the steward to fill the men's sacks with as much food as they could carry, put every man's money in his sack, and put Joseph's silver goblet in the youngest one's sack. At dawn, the brothers were sent away, but when they had not yet gone far from the city, Joseph directed his steward to overtake them and ask them why they had rewarded evil for good and taken the goblet with which Joseph drank and

divined Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

. They asked the steward why he accused them, as they had brought back the money that they had found in their sacks, and they volunteered that the one with whom the goblet was found would die, and the brothers would become bondmen. The steward agreed, with the amendment that the one with whom it was found would be a bondman and the others would go free. Hastily, every man opened his sack, starting with the eldest, and they found the goblet in Benjamin's sack. They rent their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city. In the ''maftir'' () reading that concludes the parashah, Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house and fell before him on the ground. Joseph asked them what they had done, did they not know that a man such as he would divine? Judah asked how they could clear themselves when God had found out their iniquity; they were all Joseph's bondmen. But Joseph insisted that only the man in whose hand the goblet was found would be his bondman, and the others could go in peace to their father. The seventh reading, the single closed portion, and the parashah end here.

Readings according to the triennial cycle

Jews who read the Torah according to the

triennial cycle The Triennial cycle of Torah reading may refer to either * The historical practice in ancient Israel by which the entire Torah was read in serial fashion over a three-year period, or * The practice adopted by many Reform, Conservative, Reconstruct ...

of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:

In ancient parallels

The parashah has parallels in these ancient sources:

Genesis chapter 41

Gerhard von Rad Gerhard von Rad (21 October 1901 – 31 October 1971) was a German academic, Old Testament scholar, Lutheran theologian, exegete, and professor at the University of Heidelberg. Early life, education, career Gerhard von Rad was born in Nu ...

argued that the Joseph narrative is closely related to earlier Egyptian wisdom writings. Von Rad likened Joseph's actions (for example in Genesis 41:14–33) to the admonition of

Ptahhotep Ptahhotep ( "Peace of Ptah"; (), sometimes known as Ptahhotep I or Ptahhotpe, was an ancient Egyptian vizier during the late 25th century BC and early 24th century BC Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. He is credited with authoring ''The Maxims of Ptahho ...

(an Egyptian

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

during the late 25th and early 24th centuries BCE): "If you are a tried counselor who sits in the hall of his lord, gather your wits together right well. When you are silent, it will be better than tef-tef flowers. When you speak, you must know how to bring the matter to a conclusion. The one who gives counsel is an accomplished man; to speak is harder than any labor."Gerhard von Rad, "Joseph Narrative," in ''Problem of the Hexateuch'', page 294.

In inner-Biblical interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:

Genesis chapter 41

Von Rad saw affinity between Joseph's actions (for example in Genesis 41:14) and

Proverbs A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial ...

22:29, "See a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." In Genesis 41:15, Pharaoh told Joseph that Pharaoh had heard that Joseph could interpret dreams, and in Genesis 41:16, Joseph replied: "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Similarly, in

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

2:26, King

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II, also Nebuchadrezzar II, meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir", was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC to his own death in 562 BC. Often titled Nebuchadnezzar ...

asked

whether Daniel could interpret dreams, and in Daniel 2:27–28, Daniel replied: "The secret which the king has asked can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers, declare to the king; but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the end of days."

Genesis chapter 42

In Genesis 44:19–23, Judah retells the events first told in Genesis 42:7–20. Von Rad noted that Joseph's words to his brothers in Genesis 42:18, "Do this, and live; for I fear God," echo Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge," and Proverbs 15:33, "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom." Similarly, Von Rad saw Joseph's hiding his emotions in Genesis 42:24 and 43:30 as the embodiment of Proverbs 12:23, "A prudent man conceals knowledge," and Proverbs 10:19, "he who refrains his lips is wise."

In early nonrabbinic interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:

Genesis chapter 44

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; ; ; ), also called , was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his representation of the Alexandrian J ...

observed that having attained authority and presented with the opportunity for revenge for the ill-treatment that he had received, Joseph nonetheless bore what happened with self-restraint and governed himself.

In classical rabbinic interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

nic sources from the era of the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

and the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Genesis chapter 41

The

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemore) is an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah and presented in 63 books. The term is derived from the Aram ...

noted that the words "two years of days (, ''yamim'')" in Genesis 41:1 means two years. A

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

asked what was so exceptional about the report of Genesis 41:1, "Pharaoh dreamed," as all people dream. The Midrash answered that while it is true that all people dream, a king's dream affects the whole world.

Genesis Rabbah Genesis Rabbah (, also known as Bereshit Rabbah and abbreviated as GenR) is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is an expository midrash comprising a collection of ...

89:4. The Gemara taught that a dream is a sixtieth part of prophecy. Rabbi Ḥanan taught that even if the Master of Dreams (an angel, in a dream that truly foretells the future) tells a person that on the next day the person will die, the person should not desist from prayer, for as

Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes ( ) is one of the Ketuvim ('Writings') of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly used in English is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ...

5:6 says, "For in the multitude of dreams are vanities and also many words, but fear God." (Although a dream may seem reliably to predict the future, it will not necessarily come true; one must place one's trust in God.) Rabbi Samuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Jonathan that a person is shown in a dream only what is suggested by the person's own thoughts (while awake), as Daniel 2:29 says, "As for you, Oh King, your thoughts came into your mind upon your bed," and Daniel 2:30 says, "That you may know the thoughts of the heart."Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 55b
When

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

had a bad dream, he used to quote Zechariah 10:2, "The dreams speak falsely." When he had a good dream, he used to question whether dreams speak falsely, seeing as in

Numbers A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...

12:6, God says, "I speak with him in a dream?" Rava pointed out the potential contradiction between Numbers 12:6 and Zechariah 10:2. The Gemara resolved the contradiction, teaching that Numbers 12:6, "I speak with him in a dream?" refers to dreams that come through an angel, whereas Zechariah 10:2, "The dreams speak falsely," refers to dreams that come through a demon. Rabbi Joḥanan taught that the wicked stand over their gods, as Genesis 41:1 says, "And Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood over the river." (The Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a god.) But God stands over them, as Genesis 28:13 says, "and, behold, the Lord stood over him." (Thus, idolaters must stand over and protect their idols, but God protects God's people.) A Midrash taught that in the words of Genesis 41:2, "And, behold, there came up out of the river seven cows," God hinted to Pharaoh what his dream symbolized, for plenty does not come to Egypt other than from the Nile River, and likewise famine does not come to Egypt other than from the Nile River.

Rabbi Judah Judah beRabbi Ilai (Mishnaic Hebrew: יהודה בר' אלעאי), usually known as Rabbi Judah or Judah bar Ilai, was a rabbi of the 2nd century (fourth generation of Tannaim), and a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. Of the many Judahs in the Talmud, he i ...

explained that Pharaoh's "spirit was troubled" in Genesis 41:8 because he wanted the interpretation of his dreams. The Midrash

Tanḥuma Midrash Tanhuma (), also known as Yelammedenu, is the name given to a homiletic midrash on the entire Torah, and it is known in several different versions or collections. Tanhuma bar Abba is not the author of the text but instead is a figure to wh ...

taught that the "magicians" (, ''chartumei'') for whom Pharaoh sent in Genesis 41:8 were those who inquire of the bones (, ''betimei'') of the dead (, ''meitim''). Reading in Genesis 41:8 that Pharaoh "sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt ... but there was none that could interpret them for Pharaoh," Rabbi Joshua of Siknin taught in Rabbi Levi's name that there were indeed interpreters of the dream, but their interpretations were unacceptable to Pharaoh (and thus "there were none ... for Pharaoh"). For example, the magicians said that the seven good cows meant that Pharaoh would have seven daughters and the seven ill-favored cows meant that Pharaoh would bury seven daughters. They told Pharaoh that the seven full ears of corn meant that Pharaoh would conquer seven provinces and the seven thin ears meant that seven provinces would revolt against him. Thus Rabbi Joshua concluded that the words of Proverbs 14:6, "A scorner seeks wisdom, and finds it not," applied to Pharaoh's magicians, while the continuation of the verse, "But knowledge is easy for him who has discernment," applied to Joseph.Genesis Rabbah 89:6
A Midrash read the words of Genesis 41:8, "he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt . . . but there was none that could interpret them for Pharaoh," to teach that every nation in the world appoints five wise men as its ministers. And God grants each nation wisdom, understanding, and strength. When God judges the world, God takes these things away from the nation that God punishes, as

Obadiah Obadiah (; – ''ʿŌḇaḏyā'' or – ''ʿŌḇaḏyāhū''; "servant/slave of Yah"), also known as Abdias, is a biblical prophet. The authorship of the Book of Obadiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Obadiah. The ma ...

1:8–9 says, "'Shall I not in that day,' says the Lord, 'destroy the wise men out of

Edom Edom (; Edomite language, Edomite: ; , lit.: "red"; Akkadian language, Akkadian: , ; Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom that stretched across areas in the south of present-day Jordan and Israel. Edom and the Edomi ...

, and discernment nderstandingout of the mount of

Esau Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the minor prophet, prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom, aiming ...

? And your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed—broken.'" The Midrash taught that the purpose of all this sending for and failing of magicians was so that Joseph might come at the end and be raised to high rank. God saw that if Joseph came at the beginning and interpreted the dream, Joseph would gain little praise, for the magicians would be able to say that had one asked them, we would have interpreted the dream long before. Therefore, God waited until the magicians had wearied and had exhausted Pharaoh's spirit, and then Joseph came and restored it. Thus Proverbs 29:11, "A fool spends all his spirit," refers to Pharaoh's magicians, and the continuation of Proverbs 29:11, "But a wise man stills it within him," alludes to Joseph, as Genesis 41:39 reports that Pharaoh said to Joseph, "There is none so discreet and wise as you." Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Joḥanan that God intervened to cause Pharaoh to be angry with his servants, the chief cupbearer and the baker, in order to fulfill the fate of a righteous man, Joseph, in Genesis 41:12. Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 040

Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 040

Rabbi Bana'ah argued that the import—and potential prophetic nature—of a dream on the waking world follows its interpretation. Rabbi Eleazar found Biblical support for the proposition in the chief cupbearer's words about Joseph in Genesis 41:13, "As he interpreted for us, so it came to pass." Rava added a qualification, concluding that a dream follows its interpretation only if the interpretation corresponds to the content of the dream, for the chief cupbearer said in Genesis 41:12, "To each man according to his dream he did interpret." Reading Genesis 41:14, "And Joseph shaved himself and changed his clothes," a Midrash taught that cutting his hair improved his appearance and made him look handsome. A Midrash taught that "Joseph shaved himself and changed his clothes" (as reported in Genesis 41:14) out of respect for royalty. Rabbi

Joshua ben Levi Joshua ben Levi or Yehoshua ben Levi (220 – 250 CE) was an amora—a scholar of Jewish law during the period in which the Gemara was codified—who lived in the Land of Israel in the first half of the third century. He lived and taught in the ...

taught that those who dream of shaving should rise early and say the words of Genesis 41:14, "And Joseph shaved himself and changed his clothes," to prevent thinking of Samson's less favorable encounter with the razor in

Judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

16:17, "If I am shaven, then my strength will go from me." Rabbi Joḥanan said that three kinds of dreams are fulfilled: A dream of the morning, a dream that one's friend dreamed about one, and a dream that is interpreted within a dream. And some say that a dream that is repeated several times is also fulfilled, as Genesis 41:32 says: "And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." Noting the differences between the narrator's account of Pharaoh's dreams in Genesis 41:1–7 and Pharaoh's recounting of them to Joseph in Genesis 41:17–24, a Midrash taught that Pharaoh somewhat changed his account so as to test Joseph. As reported in Genesis 41:18, Pharaoh said, "Behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat-fleshed and well-favored" (, ''beriot basar, vifot toar''). But Joseph replied that this was not what Pharaoh had seen, for they were (in the words of Genesis 41:2) "well-favored and fat-fleshed" (, ''yifot mareh, uvriot basar''). As reported in Genesis 41:19, Pharaoh said, "seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ill-favored ''dalot veraot''and lean-fleshed." But Joseph replied that this was not what Pharaoh had seen, for they were (in the words of Genesis 41:3) "ill-favored and lean-fleshed" (, ''raot mareh, vedakot basar''). As reported in Genesis 41:22, Pharaoh said that there were seven stalks, "full (, ''meleiot'') and good." But Joseph replied that this was not what Pharaoh had seen, for they were (in the words of Genesis 41:5) "healthy ''beriot''and good." As reported in Genesis 41:23, Pharaoh said that there were then seven stalks, "withered, thin" (, ''tzenumot dakot''). But Joseph replied that this was not what Pharaoh had seen, for they were (in the words of Genesis 41:6) "thin and blasted with the east wind" (, ''dakot u-shedufot kadim''). Pharaoh began to wonder, and told Joseph that Joseph must have been behind Pharaoh when he dreamed, as Genesis 41:39 says, "Forasmuch as God has shown you all this." And this was the intent of Jacob's blessing of Joseph in Genesis 49:22, "Joseph is a fruitful vine" (, ''bein porat Yoseif''), which the Midrash taught one should read as, "Joseph was among the cows" (, ''bein ha-parot Yoseif''). So Pharaoh then told Joseph, in the words of Genesis 41:40, "You shall be over my house." The

Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer (, 'Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer'; abbreviated , 'PRE') is an aggadic-midrashic work of Torah exegesis and retellings of biblical stories. Traditionally, the work is attributed to the tanna Eliezer ben Hurcanus and his scho ...

taught that the Holy Spirit rested upon Joseph, enabling him to interpret Pharaoh's dream, as Genesis 41:38 reports, "And Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?'"Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, chapter 39. A Midrash interpreted Pharaoh's exclamation in Genesis 41:38, "Can we find such a one as this?" to mean that if they went to the end of the world, they would not find another one like Joseph. Reading Genesis 41:43, "And he made him ride in his double chariot," a

Baraita ''Baraita'' ( "external" or "outside"; pl. ''bārayāṯā'' or in Hebrew ''baraitot''; also baraitha, beraita; Ashkenazi pronunciation: berayse) designates a tradition in the Oral Torah of Rabbinical Judaism that is not incorporated in the Mi ...

in the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

deduced that at first, only two horses pulled chariots. But from Exodus 14:6, "With three on all of them," the Baraita deduced that a later Pharaoh made chariots drawn by three horses. And the Baraita further reported that the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

made chariots drawn by four horses. Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 041

The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that when Joseph rode in his chariot (as described in Genesis 41:43), the Egyptian girls climbed up the walls to see him and threw him rings of gold so that he might look at them and they could see the beauty of his figure.

Rav ''Rav'' (or ''Rab'', Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah or is a Jewish spiritual guide or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (in the Talmud) states (1:6) that: The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi ...

read the reference in Genesis 41:45 to "Potiphera" to refer to "Potiphar." Reading the words of Genesis 39:1, "And Potiphar, an officer ''seris''of Pharaoh's, bought him," Rav taught that Potiphar bought Joseph for himself (to make Joseph his lover), but the archangel Gabriel castrated Potiphar (as the Hebrew word for "officer," , ''seris'', also means "

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

") and then mutilated Potiphar, for originally Genesis 39:1 records his name as "Potiphar," but afterwards Genesis 41:45 records his name as "Potiphera" (and the ending of his name, , ''fera'', alludes to the word ''feirio'', indicating his mutilation). Rabbi Levi used Genesis 37:2, 41:46, and 45:6 to calculate that Joseph's dreams that his brothers would bow to him took 22 years to come true, and deduced that a person should thus wait for as much as 22 years for a positive dream's fulfillment. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba taught in the name of Rabbi Joḥanan that when in Genesis 41:44 Pharaoh conferred power on Joseph, Pharaoh's astrologers questioned whether Pharaoh would set in power over them a slave whom his master bought for 20 pieces of silver. Pharaoh replied to them that he discerned royal characteristics in Joseph. Pharaoh's astrologers said to Pharaoh that in that case, Joseph must be able to speak the 70 languages of the world. That night, the angel

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

came to teach Joseph the 70 languages, but Joseph could not learn them. Thereupon Gabriel added a letter from God's Name to Joseph's name, and Joseph was able to learn the languages, as

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of H ...

81:6 reports, "He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I (Joseph) heard a language that I knew not." The next day, in whatever language Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, Joseph was able to reply to Pharaoh. But when Joseph spoke to Pharaoh in Hebrew, Pharaoh did not understand what he said. So Pharaoh asked Joseph to teach it to him. Joseph tried to teach Pharaoh Hebrew, but Pharaoh could not learn it. Pharaoh asked Joseph to swear that he would not reveal his failing, and Joseph swore. Later, in Genesis 50:5, when Joseph related to Pharaoh that Jacob had made Joseph swear to bury him in the Land of Israel, Pharaoh asked Joseph to seek to be released from the oath. But Joseph replied that in that case, he would also ask to be released from his oath to Pharaoh concerning Pharaoh's ignorance of languages. As a consequence, even though it was displeasing to Pharaoh, Pharaoh told Joseph in Genesis 50:6, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear." Reading Genesis 41:48, "He placed food in the cities; the food that came from a city's surrounding fields he placed in its midst," Rabbi Judah taught that Joseph stored the crops of

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

in Tiberias, and the crops of

Sepphoris Sepphoris ( ; ), known in Arabic as Saffuriya ( ) and in Hebrew as Tzipori ( ''Ṣīppōrī'')Palmer (1881), p115/ref> is an archaeological site and former Palestinian village located in the central Galilee region of Israel, north-northwe ...

in Sepphoris, so that every region preserved its own produce. Rabbi Judah thus argued that Joseph increased efficiency by decentralizing food distribution. The Rabbis observed that if all the citizens of Tiberias consumed the produce grown in Tiberias, and all the citizens of Sepphoris consumed the produce grown in Sepphoris, then they would not get a handful each. The Rabbis concluded that a blessing rested on the stored produce, for there was enough for all. Resh Lakish deduced from the words, "And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came," in Genesis 41:50 that Joseph did not have marital relations during the famine, and generalized that no man should. The Gemara qualified the injunction, however, teaching that childless people may have marital relations in years of famine. Similarly, reading Genesis 41:50, "And to Joseph were born two sons," Rabbi Muna and

Rav Huna Rav Huna (Hebrew: רב הונא) was a Jewish Talmudist and Exilarch who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; he was born about 216 CE (212 CE according to Gratz) and died in 296–297 ...

taught that this occurred before the famine came. Tissot The Glory of Joseph

A Midrash applied the words of Ecclesiastes 8:4, "the king's word has power" (, ''shilton'') to Joseph's story. The Midrash taught that God rewarded Joseph for resisting Potiphar's wife by making him ruler (, ''hashalit'') over the land of Egypt (as reported in Genesis 42:6). "The king's word" of Ecclesiastes 8:4 were manifest when, as Genesis 41:17 reports, "Pharaoh spoke to Joseph: In my dream ..." And the word "power" (, ''shilton'') of Ecclesiastes 8:4 corresponds to the report of Genesis 42:6, "And Joseph was the governor ''hashalit''over the land." The words of Ecclesiastes 8:4, "And who may say to him: 'What are you doing?'" are thus reflected in Pharaoh's words of Genesis 41:55, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do." The Midrash taught that Joseph received so much honor because he observed the commandments, as Ecclesiastes 8:5 teaches when it says, "Whoever keeps the commandment shall know no evil thing." A Midrash told that when the famine became severe in Egypt, the Egyptians cried out to Joseph for bread. Joseph told them to circumcise themselves first. They cried out to Pharaoh, as Genesis 41:55 reports, and Pharaoh told them to go to Joseph. The people complained that Joseph asked them to circumcise themselves, and they complained that it was not fitting for a Hebrew to wield power over Egyptians. Calling them fools, Pharaoh recalled that during the years of plenty, a herald had continually proclaimed that a famine was coming, and asked why they had not saved grain in reserve. The people replied that all the grain that they had left had rotted. Pharaoh asked them whether any flour was left from the day before. The people replied that even the bread in their baskets had gone moldy. Pharaoh answered that if grain rotted at Joseph's decree, perhaps he might decree that the Egyptians die. So Pharaoh directed them to go to Joseph and obey him, even if he told them to cut off something of their flesh.Genesis Rabbah 91:5. Reading Genesis 41:56, "And the famine was over ''all the face of'' the earth," a Midrash asked why the text did not simply say, "And the famine was over the earth." Rabbi Samuel ben Naḥman answered that Genesis 41:56 teaches that the famine began with the wealthy, for the expression "the face of the earth" refers to the wealthy. The wealthy have a smiling face to show their friends, but the poor hide their face in embarrassment. Rav Judah in the name of Samuel deduced from Genesis 47:14 that Joseph gathered in and brought to Egypt all the gold and silver in the world. The Gemara noted that Genesis 47:14 says: "And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan," and thus spoke about the wealth of only Egypt and Canaan. The Gemara found support for the proposition that Joseph collected the wealth of other countries from Genesis 41:57, which states: "And all the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy corn." The Gemara deduced from the words "and they despoiled the Egyptians" in

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

12:36 that when the Israelites left Egypt, they carried that wealth away with them. The Gemara then taught that the wealth lay in Israel until the time of King

Rehoboam Rehoboam (; , , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the Kingdom of Judah after the split of the united Kingdom of Israel. He was a son of and the successor to Solomon and a grandson of David. In the account of I Ki ...

, when King

Shishak Shishak, also spelled Shishaq or Susac (, Tiberian: , ), was, according to the Hebrew Bible, an Egyptian pharaoh who sacked Jerusalem in the 10th century BC. He is usually identified with the pharaoh Shoshenq I.Troy Leiland Sagrillo. 2015.Shoshe ...

of Egypt seized it from Rehoboam, as

1 Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Israel also including ...

14:25–26 reports: "And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

; and he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house." Similarly, the

Avot of Rabbi Natan Avot of Rabbi Natan, also known as Avot de-Rabbi Nathan (ARN) (), the first and longest of the minor tractates of the Talmud, is a Jewish aggadic work probably compiled in the geonic era (c.700–900 CE). It is a commentary on an early form of the ...

cited Genesis 47:14 for the proposition that the silver of Egypt thus returned to its place of origin in Egypt.

Genesis chapter 42

Rabbi Joḥanan reread the words of Genesis 42:1, "Now Jacob saw that there was corn ''shever''in Egypt," to read, "Now Jacob saw that there was hope ''sever''in Egypt." Rabbi Joḥanan taught that Genesis 42:1 thus bears out the text of Psalm 146:5, "Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope ''sivro''is in the Lord his God." Similarly, Resh Lakish taught that Psalm 146:5, "whose hope ''sivro''is in the Lord his God," refers to Joseph, who was the hope for the entire world when he was in Egypt. And God showed Jacob that his hope (, ''sivro'') was in Egypt, as Genesis 42:1 can be read, "Now Jacob saw that there was hope ''sever''in Egypt." The Sages read Genesis 42:1 to teach that Jacob warned his sons against appearing well fed when others around them were without food. The Sages taught that if one fasted on account of some trouble and it passed, or for a sick person and the sick person recovered, then the one fasting should nevertheless complete the fast. If one journeyed from a place where they were not fasting to a place where they were, then one should fast with the people of the new place. If one journeyed from a place where they were fasting to a place where they were not, then one should nevertheless complete the fast. If one forgot and ate and drank, then one should not make it apparent in public nor indulge in luxuries. For the Sages read Genesis 42:1 to say, "And Jacob said to his sons: 'Why should you show yourself? Thus, the Sages taught, Jacob conveyed to his sons: "When you are fully sated, do not show yourselves either before Esau or before Ishmael, so that they should not envy you."Babylonian Talmud Taanit 10b
Similarly, a Midrash read Genesis 42:1 to say, "And Jacob said to his sons: 'Why should you be conspicuous? The Midrash interpreted Genesis 42:1 to mean that Jacob told his sons that they were all strong and brotherly; they were not to enter through one gate and all stand in the same place, so that they should not tempt the

evil eye The evil eye is a supernatural belief in a curse brought about by a malevolent glaring, glare, usually inspired by envy. Amulets to Apotropaic, protect against it have been found dating to around 5,000 years ago. It is found in many cultures i ...

. Similarly, a Midrash taught that Jacob asked his sons not to go out with food in their hands, or with weapons, and not to show themselves to be well fed, lest neighbors come and wage war against Jacob. For the Midrash read the words "look one on another" in Genesis 42:1 to allude to war, as in 2 Kings 14:8, "Come, let us look one another in the face." Interpreting Jacob's question to his sons in Genesis 42:1, "Why do you look one on another?" a Midrash taught that when Jacob told them to go down to Egypt, they looked at one another, thinking of Joseph. When Jacob realized this, he said in Genesis 42:2, "Go down there." Rava said that Rav Sheshet read Genesis 42:6 to teach that one who teaches Torah will receive blessings like Joseph. For Proverbs 11:26 (which the Gemara read to allude to teaching Torah) says, "But blessing shall be upon the head of one who provides (, ''mashbir'')

orah Orah (Serbo-Croatian for "walnut") may refer to: Places Bosnia and Herzegovina * Orah, Bileća, a village in Bileća, Republika Srpska * Orah, Rudo, a village in Rudo, Republika Srpska * Orah, Ravno, a village in Ravno, Federation of Bosnia and ...

" and Genesis 42:6 uses the same word "provide" (, ''mashbir'') to refer to Joseph when it says, "And Joseph was the governor of the land, and he was the provider (, ''ha-mashbir'') to all the people of the land." Reading Genesis 42:8, Rav Ḥisda explained that Joseph's brothers did not recognize him because when they last saw him, he did not yet have a full beard, and he did have a full beard when his brothers saw him in Egypt, demonstrating that people's appearance can change so much over time that even their own family may not recognize them. The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that all the nations came to Joseph to purchase food and Joseph understood their languages and spoke to each people in their own tongue. Therefore, he was called Turgeman (interpreter), as Genesis 42:23 says, "For Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them." A Midrash asked who "took him, and cast him into the pit" in Genesis 37:24, and replied that it was his brother

. And the Midrash taught that Simeon was repaid when in Genesis 42:24, Joseph took Simeon from among the brothers and had him bound before their eyes. When talking with Rabbi Joḥanan, the young son of Resh Lakish cited the complaint of Joseph's brothers in Genesis 42:28, "What is this that God has done to us?" as an example of how people blame God for misfortune that they bring upon themselves.

Genesis chapter 43

Rav Huna deduced from Judah's commitment to Jacob with regard to Benjamin in Genesis 43:9, "I will be surety for him; of my hand shall you require him," that a guarantor becomes responsible for the debt that he has guaranteed. Rav Ḥisda, however, demurred, saying that Judah assumed an unconditional obligation to return Benjamin, for in Genesis 42:37, Reuben promised, "Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you," and Judah surely promised no less than Reuben. Reading Judah's contingent vow in Genesis 43:8–9, "Send the lad with me ...; if I do not bring him to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever," Rav Judah in the name of Rav deduced that a conditional exclusion, even if self-imposed, requires formal annulment. The Gemara told that all through the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, Judah's bones were jolted about in their coffin until Moses asked God for mercy on Judah's behalf and to annul Judah's vow. A Midrash read the steward's words to the brothers in Genesis 43:23, "Peace be to you, fear not; your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure," to mean that God benefitted them either for their own sake or for their father Jacob's sake. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Elder met a Babylonian in the Land of Israel and asked him about the welfare of Rabbi Ḥiyya's ''father'' in Babylon. The Babylonian replied that Rabbi Ḥiyya's ''mother'' in Babylon had asked about Rabbi Ḥiyya. Rabbi Ḥiyya exclaimed that he asked one thing and the Babylonian spoke to him of another. The Babylonian replied that people ask about the living, but not about the dead (hinting that Rabbi Ḥiyya's father had died). The Midrash thus read Joseph's question, "Is your father well?" in Genesis 43:27 to allude to Jacob, and Joseph's reference in Genesis 43:27 to "the old man of whom you spoke" to allude to

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

. When Genesis 43:28 reports, "And they said: 'Your servant our father is well, he is yet alive,'" the Midrash interpreted the brothers to imply that Isaac had died. Rav Judah taught that three things shorten a person's years: (1) to be given a Torah scroll from which to read and to refuse, (2) to be given a cup of benediction over which to say grace and to refuse, and (3) to assume airs of authority. To support the proposition that assuming airs of authority shortens one's life, the Gemara cited the teaching of Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina that Joseph died (as Genesis 50:26 reports, aged 110) before his brothers because he assumed airs of authority (when in Genesis 43:28 and 44:24–32 he repeatedly allowed his brothers to describe his father Jacob as "your servant"). Rabbi Samuel ben Naḥman taught that when Joseph saw Benjamin, his mind was immediately set at rest and he exclaimed in the words of Genesis 43:29, "God be gracious to you, my son," and ordered that they bring him near. Joseph then asked Benjamin whether he had a brother. Benjamin replied that he had a brother, but did not know where he had gone. Joseph asked Benjamin whether he had wife. Benjamin replied that he had a wife and ten sons. Joseph asked what their names were. Benjamin replied with their names, as listed in Genesis 46:21, explaining that their names reflected Benjamin's loss of Joseph. The name Bela signified that Benjamin's brother was swallowed up (''nit-bala'') from him; Becher signified that he was a firstborn (''bechor''); Ashbel signified that he was taken away captive (''nishbah''); Gera signified that he became a stranger (''ger'') in a strange country; Naaman signified that his actions were seemly (''na'im'') and pleasant (''ne'im-im''); Ehi signified that he indeed was "my brother" (''ahi''); Rosh signified that he was Benjamin's superior (''rosh''); Muppim signified that he was exceedingly attractive (''yafeh ‘ad me'od'') in all matters; and Huppim signified that Benjamin did not see his marriage-canopy ('' huppah'') and he did not see Benjamin's; and Ard signified that he was like a rose-bloom (''ward''). Rabbi Melai taught in the name of Rabbi Isaac of

Magdala Magdala (; ; ) was an ancient Jews, Jewish city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, north of Tiberias. In the Babylonian Talmud it is known as Magdala Nunayya (), and which some historical geographers think may refer to Tarichaea (). It is belie ...

that from the day that Joseph departed from his brothers he abstained from wine, reading Genesis 49:26 to report, "The blessings of your father ... shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was a

nazirite In the Hebrew Bible, a nazirite or a nazarite ( ''Nāzīr'') is an Israelite (i.e. Jewish) man or woman who voluntarily took a vow which is described in . This vow required the nazirite to: * Abstain from wine and strong drink as well as all oth ...

(since his departure) from his brethren." Rabbi Jose ben Ḥanina taught that the brothers also abstained from wine after they departed from him, for Genesis 43:34 reports, "And they drank, and were merry with him," implying that they broke their abstention "with him." But Rabbi Melai taught that the brothers did drink wine in moderation since their separation from Joseph, and only when reunited with Joseph did they drink to intoxication "with him."

Genesis chapter 44

A Tanna taught that in Genesis 45:24 Joseph told his brethren not to take big strides and bring the sun into the city. For a Master taught that big strides rob a person of one five-hundredth part of that person's eyesight. And on bringing the sun into the city, Rav Judah said in the name of Rav that one should always leave a city by daylight and enter a city by daylight, as Genesis 44:3 reports that Joseph delayed until daylight to send his brothers away. Tissot The Cup Found

Rabbi Ishmael Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha Nachmani (Hebrew: רבי ישמעאל בן אלישע), often known as Rabbi Yishmael and sometimes given the title "Ba'al HaBaraita" (Hebrew: בעל הברייתא, “Master of the Outside Teaching”), was a rabbi of ...

cited Genesis 44:8 as one of ten ''a fortiori'' (''kal va-chomer'') arguments recorded in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

told God, "Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened to me," and reasoned that surely all the more, "How then shall

hear me?" (3) In

Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...

31:27, Moses said to the Israelites, "Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against the Lord," and reasoned that it would follow, "And how much more after my death?" (4) In Numbers 12:14, "the Lord said to Moses: 'If her (

Miriam Miriam (, lit. ‘rebellion’) is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Torah refers to her as "Miria ...

's) father had but spit in her face,'" surely it would stand to reason, "'Should she not hide in shame seven days?'" (5) In

Jeremiah Jeremiah ( – ), also called Jeremias, was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, book that bears his name, the Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, with t ...

12:5, the prophet asked, "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you," is it not logical to conclude, "Then how can you contend with horses?" (6) In

1 Samuel The Book of Samuel () is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Samuel) in the Old Testament. The book is part of the Deuteronomistic history, a series of books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) that constitute a theological ...

23:3,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

's men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in Judah," and thus surely it stands to reason, "How much more then if we go to

Keilah Keilah () was a city in the lowlands of the Kingdom of Judah. It is now a ruin known as Khirbet Qeyla near the modern village of Qila, Hebron, east of Bayt Jibrin and about west of Kharas.. History Late Bronze The earliest historical record ...

?" (7) Also in Jeremiah 12:5, the prophet asked, "And if in a land of Peace where you are secure" you are overcome, is it not logical to ask, "How will you do in the thickets of the

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

?" (8) Proverbs 11:31 reasoned, "Behold, the righteous shall be requited in the earth," and does it not follow, "How much more the wicked and the sinner?" (9) In

Esther Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and ma ...

9:12, "The king said to

the queen: 'The Jews have slain and destroyed 500 men in Shushan the castle,'" and it thus stands to reason, "'What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces?'" (10) In

Ezekiel Ezekiel, also spelled Ezechiel (; ; ), was an Israelite priest. The Book of Ezekiel, relating his visions and acts, is named after him. The Abrahamic religions acknowledge Ezekiel as a prophet. According to the narrative, Ezekiel prophesied ...

15:5, God came to the prophet saying, "Behold, when it was whole, it was usable for no work," and thus surely it is logical to argue, "How much less, when the fire has devoured it, and it is singed?" A Midrash told that when in Genesis 44:12 the steward found Joseph's cup in Benjamin's belongings, his brothers beat Benjamin on his shoulders, calling him a thief and the son of a thief, and saying that he had shamed them as

Rachel Rachel () was a Bible, Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph (Genesis), Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban (Bible), Laban. Her older siste ...

had shamed Jacob when she stole Laban's idols in Genesis 31:19. And by virtue of receiving those unwarranted blows between his shoulders, Benjamin's descendants merited having the Divine Presence rest between his shoulders and the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

rest in Jerusalem, as Deuteronomy 33:12 reports, "He dwells between his shoulders." Rabbi

Judah ben Ilai Judah beRabbi Ilai (Mishnaic Hebrew: יהודה בר' אלעאי), usually known as Rabbi Judah or Judah bar Ilai, was a rabbi of the 2nd century (fourth generation of Tannaim), and a disciple of Rabbi Akiva. Of the many Judahs in the Talmud, he ...

taught that Scripture speaks in praise of Judah. Rabbi Judah noted that on three occasions, Scripture records that Judah spoke before his brethren, and they made him king over them (bowing to his authority): (1) in Genesis 37:26, which reports, "Judah said to his brethren: 'What profit is it if we slay our brother'"; (2) in Genesis 44:14, which reports, "Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house"; and (3) in Genesis 44:18, which reports, "Then Judah came near" to Joseph to argue for Benjamin. Rav Naḥman bar Isaac quoted Judah's words, "What shall we speak or how shall we clear ourselves" (, ''niztadak''), in Genesis 44:16 as an example of where the Torah used an abbreviation. Rav Naḥman bar Isaac read the word , ''NiZTaDaK'', "can we show innocence," as an acronym for: We are honest (, ''Nekonim''), we are righteous (, ''Zaddikim''), we are pure (, ''Tehorim''), we are submissive (, ''Dakkim''), we are holy (, ''Kedoshim''). A Midrash read Judah's questions in Genesis 44:16, "What shall we speak or how shall we clear ourselves?" to hint to a series of sins. Judah asked, "What shall we say to my lord," with respect to the money that they retained after the first sale, the money that they retained after the second sale, the cup found in Benjamin's belongings, the treatment of Tamar in Genesis 38, the treatment of

Bilhah Bilhah ( "unworried", Standard Hebrew: ''Bilha'', Tiberian Hebrew: ''Bīlhā'') is a woman mentioned in the Book of Genesis. describes her as Laban's handmaiden (), who was given to Rachel to be her handmaid on Rachel's marriage to Jacob. When ...

in Genesis 35:22, the treatment of

Dinah In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only named daughter of Leah and Jacob. The episode of her rape by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent revenge of her brothers Simeon and Levi, commonly ...

in Genesis 34, the sale of Joseph, allowing Simeon to remain in custody, and the peril to Benjamin. Reading the words of Genesis 44:16, "God has found out ''mazah''the iniquity of your servants," Rabbi Isaac taught that the Creditor—God—had found (, ''mazah'') the opportunity to exact His debt. Rabbi Levi said like one who drains (, ''mizuy'') a barrel of wine, leaving only its lees (God punished them to the last drop). As Exodus 1:6 reports that "Joseph died, and all his brethren," the Rabbis concluded that Joseph died before his brothers. Rabbi

Judah haNasi Judah ha-Nasi (, ''Yəhūḏā hanNāsīʾ‎''; Yehudah HaNasi or Judah the Prince or Judah the President) or Judah I, known simply as Rebbi or Rabbi, was a second-century rabbi (a tannaim, tanna of the fifth generation) and chief redactor and e ...

taught that Joseph died before his brothers because Joseph "commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father" (as Genesis 50:2 reports). But the Rabbis taught that Jacob had directed his sons to embalm him, as Genesis 50:12 reports that "his sons did to him as he commanded them." According to the Rabbis, Joseph died before his brothers because nearly five times Judah said to Joseph, "Your servant my father, your servant my father" (four times himself in Genesis 44:24, 27, 30, and 31, and once together with his brothers in Genesis 43:48), yet Joseph heard it and kept silent (not correcting Judah to show humility to their father).

In medieval Jewish interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Jewish sources: Zohar

Genesis chapter 41

The

Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...

taught that a dream is a sixtieth part of prophecy, and so forms the sixth grade removed from prophecy, which is the grade of Gabriel, the supervisor of dreams. The Zohar taught that as a normal dream proceeds from that grade, there is not a dream that is not intermingled with it some spurious matter, so that it is a mixture of truth and falsehood. Hence, all dreams follow their interpretation, as Genesis 41:13 says, "And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was," for since the dream contains both truth and falsehood, the word has power over it, and therefore it is advisable that every dream should be interpreted sensibly. Nahmanides painting

Reading the account of Pharaoh's dream in Genesis 41:2,

Naḥmanides Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...

taught that the cows symbolized plowing, and the ears of corn symbolized the harvest, as Joseph said in Genesis 45:6, "there shall be neither plowing nor harvest." Thus he saw that the river would rise so slightly that there would be no plowing, and the little that would be planted would be burned because (in the words of

Hosea In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea ( or ; ), also known as Osee (), son of Beeri, was an 8th-century BC prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is the first of the Twelve Minor Prophets, whose collective writing ...

13:15) "an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord coming up from the wilderness," and thus he saw (in the words of Genesis 41:6) "ears

f corn F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounce ...

thin and blasted with the east wind." Reading Genesis 47:48, "And he gathered up ''all'' the food,"

Abraham ibn Ezra Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...

argued that one cannot read the word "all" literally, for if Joseph had taken all the food, then the Egyptians would have starved to death. Rather, Ibn Ezra argued that Joseph gathered as much of the food as he could without causing starvation. Naḥmanides, however, disagreed, arguing that Joseph took control of ''all'' the food in Egypt and distributed quantities to the Egyptian people each year in accordance with their needs for sustenance. Joseph centralized the distribution of food so that people would not waste it. Naḥmanides noted that it is unclear whether Joseph paid money for the food from the royal treasury at a low price or Pharaoh took the food by force. Maimonides-2

Genesis chapter 42

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

used Joseph's words in Genesis 42:15 to illustrate how God and God's life are one. Maimonides argued that were God to live as life is usually conceived, there would be more than one god—God and God's life—and this is not so. Maimonides taught that it is beyond human capacity to relate or to grasp this matter in its entirety. Thus in Genesis 42:15, Joseph says, "By the life (, ''chei'') of Pharaoh," and in 1 Samuel 25:26, Abigail says to David, "By the life ''chei''of your soul," but 1 Samuel 25:26 does not say, "By the life ''chei''of God" but "As God lives" (, ''chai Adonai''). This shows that God and God's life are not two separate things, as are the lives of living beings. Rashi woodcut cropped

Genesis chapter 43

Following the Midrash,

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

read the steward's words to the brothers in Genesis 43:23, "Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure," to mean that God gave them the money in their merit, and if their merit was insufficient, the God of their father Jacob gave it to them in the merit of their father. Similarly, Menaḥem ben Shlomo taught that the words "your God" signified that it was a reward for their fearing God, while the words "the God of your fathers" signified that it was a reward for Jacob's fearing God.

Rashbam Samuel ben Meir (Troyes, c. 1085 – c. 1158), after his death known as the "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi". Biography He was born in the vicinity of ...

, however, read Genesis 43:23 to report that everyone knew that the brothers regularly benefitted from miracles. And

David Kimhi ''Cervera Bible'', David Kimhi's Grammar Treatise David Kimhi (, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian ...

(RaDaK) interpreted the steward to mean that if the brothers found the money in their sacks, it was a gift from heaven, comparable to if a human being had given them a treasure.

In modern interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:

Genesis chapters 37–50

Donald Seybold schematized the Joseph narrative in the chart below, finding analogous relationships in each of Joseph's households. Ephraim Speiser argued that in spite of its surface unity, the Joseph story, on closer scrutiny, yields two parallel strands similar in general outline, yet markedly different in detail. The

Jahwist The Jahwist, or Yahwist, often abbreviated J, is one of the most widely recognized sources of the Pentateuch (Torah), together with the Deuteronomist, the Priestly source and the Elohist. The existence of the Jahwist text is somewhat controver ...

's version employed the

Tetragrammaton The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliteration, transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from ...

and the name "Israel." In that version, ''Judah'' persuaded his brothers not to kill Joseph but sell him instead to ''Ishmaelites'', who disposed of him in Egypt to an ''unnamed'' official. Joseph's new master ''promoted'' him to the position of chief retainer. When the brothers were ''on their way'' home from their first mission to Egypt with grain, they opened their ''bags'' at a night stop and were shocked to find the payment for their purchases. ''Judah'' persuaded his father to let Benjamin accompany them on a second journey to Egypt. Judah finally convinced Joseph that the brothers had really reformed. ''Joseph'' invited Israel to settle with his family in ''Goshen''. The

Elohist According to the documentary hypothesis, the Elohist (or simply E) is one of four source documents underlying the Torah, together with the Jahwist (or Yahwist), the Deuteronomist and the Priestly source. The Elohist is so named because of its ...

's parallel account, in contrast, consistently used the names "Elohim" and "Jacob." Reuben—not Judah—saved Joseph from his brothers; Joseph was left in an empty cistern, where he was picked up, unknown to the brothers, by Midianites; they—not the Ishmaelites—sold Joseph as a slave to an Egyptian named Potiphar. In that lowly position, Joseph served—not supervised—the other prisoners. The brothers opened their sacks—not bags—at home in Canaan—not at an encampment along the way. Reuben—not Judah—gave Jacob—not Israel—his personal guarantee of Benjamin's safe return. Pharaoh—not Joseph—invited Jacob and his family to settle in Egypt—not just Goshen. Speiser concluded that the Joseph story can thus be traced back to two once separate, though now intertwined, accounts. John Kselman noted that as in the Jacob cycle that precedes it, the Joseph narrative begins with the deception of a father by his offspring through an article of clothing; the deception leads to the separation of brothers for 20 years; and the climax of the story comes with the reconciliation of estranged brothers and the abatement of family strife. Kselman reported that recent scholarship points to authorship of the Joseph narrative in the Solomonic era, citing Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter (reported in 1 Kings 9:16) as indicative of that era as one of amicable political and commercial relations between Egypt and Israel, thus explaining the positive attitude of the Joseph narrative to Egypt, Pharaoh, and Egyptians. Kselman argued that the Joseph narrative was thus not part of the

's work, but an independent literary work. Gary Rendsburg noted that Genesis often repeats the motif of the younger son. God favored

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

over Cain in Genesis 4; Isaac superseded Ishmael in Genesis 16–21; Jacob superseded Esau in Genesis 25–27; Judah (fourth among Jacob's sons, last of the original set born to Leah) and Joseph (eleventh in line) superseded their older brothers in Genesis 37–50; Perez superseded

Zerah Zerah or Zérach ( / "sunrise" Standard Hebrew ''Zéraḥ'' / ''Záraḥ'', Tiberian Hebrew ''Zéraḥ'' / ''Zāraḥ'') refers to several people in the Hebrew Bible.For the etymology see An Edomite Zerah was the name of an Edomite chief. He w ...

in Genesis 38 and

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ark ...

4; and

superseded

in Genesis 48. Rendsburg explained Genesis's interest with this motif by recalling that David was the youngest of

Jesse Jesse may refer to: People * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible * Jesse (given name), including a list of people * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' (album), a 2003 album by Jesse Powell * "Jesse" (s ...

's seven sons (see 1 Samuel 16), and Solomon was among the youngest, if not the youngest, of David's sons (see 2 Samuel 5:13–16). The issue of who among David's many sons would succeed him dominates the Succession Narrative in 2 Samuel 13 through 1 Kings 2.

Amnon Amnon ( ''’Amnōn'', "faithful") was, in the Hebrew Bible, the oldest son of King David and his second wife, Ahinoam of Jezreel. He was born in Hebron during his father's reign in Judah. He was the heir apparent to the throne of Israel until ...

was the firstborn, but was killed by his brother

Absalom Absalom ( , ), according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite prince. Born to David and Maacah, who was from Geshur, he was the only full sibling of Tamar. He is described in the Hebrew Bible as being exceptionally beautiful, as is his siste ...

(David's third son) in 2 Samuel 13:29. After Absalom rebelled, David's general

Joab Joab (; ), the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army according to the Hebrew Bible. Name The name Joab is, like many other Hebrew names, theophoric—derived from Yahweh (), the name of the God of Israel, ...

killed him in 2 Samuel 18:14–15. The two remaining candidates were

Adonijah According to 2 Samuel, Adonijah (, ''’Ǎḏōnīyyā''; "my lord is Yah") was the fourth son of King David. His mother was Haggith as recorded in the book of . Adonijah was born at Hebron during the long conflict between David and the House o ...

(David's fourth son) and Solomon, and although Adonijah was older (and once claimed the throne when David was old and feeble in 1 Kings 1), Solomon won out. Rendsburg argued that even though firstborn royal succession was the norm in the ancient Near East, the authors of Genesis justified Solomonic rule by imbedding the notion of ultimogeniture into Genesis's national epic. An Israelite could thus not criticize David's selection of Solomon to succeed him as king over Israel, because Genesis reported that God had favored younger sons since Abel and blessed younger sons of Israel—Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Perez, and Ephraim—since the inception of the covenant. More generally, Rendsburg concluded that royal scribes living in Jerusalem during the reigns of David and Solomon in the tenth century BCE were responsible for Genesis; their ultimate goal was to justify the monarchy in general, and the kingship of David and Solomon in particular; and Genesis thus appears as a piece of political propaganda. James Kugel cropped

Calling it "too good a story,"

James Kugel James L. Kugel (Hebrew: Yaakov Kaduri, יעקב כדורי; born August 22, 1945) is professor emeritus in the Bible department at Bar Ilan University in Israel and the Harry M. Starr Professor Emeritus of Classical and Modern Hebrew Literature at ...

reported that modern interpreters contrast the full-fledged tale of the Joseph story with the schematic narratives of other Genesis figures and conclude that the Joseph story reads more like a work of fiction than history.

Donald Redford Donald Bruce Redford (2 September 1934 – 18 October 2024) was a Canadian Egyptologist, archaeologist, and Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Pennsylvania State University; he retired in 2024. Redford directed a number of ...

and other scholars following him suspected that behind the Joseph story stood an altogether invented Egyptian or Canaanite tale that was popular on its own before an editor changed the main characters to Jacob and his sons. These scholars argue that the original story told of a family of brothers in which the father spoiled the youngest, and the oldest brother, who had his own privileged status, intervened to try to save the youngest when his other brothers threatened him. In support of this theory, scholars have pointed to the description of Joseph (rather than Benjamin) in Genesis 37:3 as if he were Jacob's youngest son, Joseph's and Jacob's references to Joseph's mother (as if Rachel were still alive) in Joseph's prophetic dream in Genesis 37:9–10, and the role of the oldest brother Reuben intervening for Joseph in Genesis 37:21–22, 42:22, and 42:37. Scholars theorize that when the editor first mechanically put Reuben in the role of the oldest, but as the tribe of Reuben had virtually disappeared and the audience for the story were principally descendants of Judah, Judah was given the role of spokesman and hero in the end. Von Rad and scholars following him noted that the Joseph story bears the particular signatures of ancient Near Eastern

wisdom literature Wisdom literature is a genre of literature common in the ancient Near East. It consists of statements by sages and the wise that offer teachings about divinity and virtue. Although this genre uses techniques of traditional oral storytelling, i ...

. The wisdom ideology maintained that a Divine plan underlay all of reality, so that everything unfolds in accordance with a preestablished pattern—precisely what Joseph says to his brothers in Genesis 44:5 and 50:20. Joseph is the only one of Israel's ancestors whom the Torah (in Genesis 41:39) calls "wise" (, ''chacham'')—the same word as "sage" in Hebrew. Specialties of ancient Near Eastern sages included advising the king and interpreting dreams and other signs—just as Joseph did. Joseph displayed the cardinal sagely virtue of patience, which sages had because they believed that everything happens according to the Divine plan and would turn out for the best. Joseph thus looks like the model of an ancient Near Eastern sage, and the Joseph story looks like a didactic tale designed to teach the basic ideology of wisdom. George Coats argued that the Joseph narrative is a literary device constructed to carry the children of Israel from Canaan to Egypt, to link preexisting stories of ancestral promises in Canaan to an

narrative of oppression in and liberation from Egypt. Coats described the two principal goals of the Joseph story as (1) to describe reconciliation in a broken family despite the lack of merit of any of its members, and (2) to describe the characteristics of an ideal administrator.

Genesis chapter 41

James Charlesworth reported the relation between the biblical narrative of Genesis 41:39–42:46 and the Ancient Greek ''History of Joseph''. Its theological relevance is, among other elements, in that Joseph is called "king of the people" "foster father" or—more literally—"nourisher of Egyptians" and "savior," while there occurred many times the phrases "the God of Joseph" and "Joseph remembering Jacob," emphasizing the ancestral role of his forefathers and not to have since lent support to different traditions. Their union is similar to the Biblical expression "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," in Exodus 3:15. The ''History of Joseph'' is also related with ''

Joseph and Aseneth ''Joseph and Asenath'' is a narrative that dates from between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It concerns the Hebrew patriarch Joseph and his marriage to Asenath, expanding the fleeting mentions of their relationship in the Book of Genesis. The text was t ...

'' and the '' Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs.'' In ''Joseph and Aseneth'', Joseph is again referred as "king" (''basileus''), "giver of grain" (''sinodotēs'') and "savior" (''sōter''), in the same line of text (25:6), whereas the central theme of the ''Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs'' is "Joseph remembering Jacob," "while recounting the temptation by the wife of Potiphar." Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia e10 569-0

Brockhaus and Efron Jewish Encyclopedia e10 569-0

Genesis chapter 43

Malbim Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser (March 7, 1809 – September 18, 1879), better known as the Malbim (), was a rabbi, master of Hebrew grammar, and Bible commentator. The name ''Malbim'' was derived from the Hebrew initials of his name. He ...

read the steward's words to the brothers in Genesis 43:23, "Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure," to mean that since the money being brought to Egypt from all over the world was only "a treasure"—that is, hidden away in the treasury until the time of the Exodus from Egypt, when it would become the Israelites'—the steward told the brothers that their treasure could remain in their sacks, for it made no sense to place it in Pharaoh's treasury, when it was destined for them in any case.

Nahum Sarna Nahum Mattathias Sarna (Hebrew: נחום סרנא; March 27, 1923 – June 23, 2005) was a modern biblical scholar who is best known for the study of Genesis and Exodus represented in his ''Understanding Genesis'' (1966) and in his contributions ...

wrote that the steward's reassuring reply was intelligible only on the assumption that he was privy to Joseph's scheme. His purpose was to lull the brothers into a false sense of relief.

Robert Alter Robert Bernard Alter (born 1935) is an American professor emeritus of Hebrew language, Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught since 1967. He has published two dozen books, including an aw ...

wrote that the steward dismissed the brothers' fears by introducing a kind of

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

explanation for the silver that they found in their bags. But

Jon Levenson Jon Douglas Levenson is an American Hebrew Bible scholar who is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at the Harvard Divinity School. Education *A.B. ''summa cum laude'' in English, Harvard College, 1971. *A.M. Department of Near Eastern ...

wrote that the steward sensed the hand of a beneficent Providence in the strange events.

Genesis chapter 44

Speiser argued that the Jahwist's art rose to greatest heights in Genesis 44, which Speiser considered the real climax of the Joseph story. Speiser argued that the Jahwist was not concerned in the main with the poetic justice of Joseph's triumph over his brothers, or Joseph's magnanimity in forgiving them for tormenting him. Speiser thought that the Jahwist's interest reached much deeper to Joseph's gnawing doubts over whether his brothers had morally regenerated in the intervening years. To find the answer, Joseph resorted to an elaborate test, using his full brother Benjamin as bait in a trap. When Judah offered himself as a substitute, Joseph got his answer that the brothers had indeed reformed.

Genesis chapter 45

Commenting on Genesis 45:5–8 and 50:19–20,

Walter Brueggemann Walter Albert Brueggemann (March 11, 1933 – June 5, 2025) was an American Christian scholar and theologian who is widely considered an influential Old Testament scholar. His work often focused on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and the sociop ...

wrote that the Joseph story's theme concerns God's hidden and decisive power, which works in, through, and sometimes against human power. Calling this either providence or predestination, Brueggemann argued that God thus worked out God's purpose through and in spite of Egypt, and through and in spite of Joseph and his brothers. Modern document hypothesis

In critical analysis

Some scholars who follow the

documentary hypothesis The documentary hypothesis (DH) is one of the models used by biblical scholars to explain the origins and composition of the Torah (or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible: Book of Genesis, Genesis, Book of Exodus, Exodus, Leviticus, Bo ...

find evidence of four separate sources in the parashah. Thus some scholars consider the bulk of chapters 42–44 (with some minor exceptions inserted by the

, sometimes abbreviated E) to have been composed by the

(sometimes abbreviated J) who wrote possibly as early as the 10th century BCE. And these scholars attribute the bulk of chapter 41 to the Elohist, with insertions in Genesis 41:46 by the

Priestly source The Priestly source (or simply P) is perhaps the most widely recognized of the sources underlying the Torah, both stylistically and theologically distinct from other material in it. It is considered by most scholars as the latest of all sources, a ...

(sometimes abbreviated P) who wrote in the 6th or 5th century BCE and a late Redactor (sometimes abbreviated R). For a similar distribution of verses, see the display of Genesis according to the Documentary Hypothesis at

Wikiversity Wikiversity is a Wikimedia Foundation project that supports learning communities, their learning materials, and resulting activities. It differs from Wikipedia in that it offers tutorials and other materials for the fostering of learning, rather ...

Commandments

According to Maimonides and

Sefer ha-Chinuch ''Sefer ha-Chinuch'' (, "Book of Education") is a rabbinic text which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was written in 13th-century Spain by an anonymous "Levite of Barcelona". Content The work's enumeration of th ...

, there are no

commandments Commandment may refer to: * The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, ...

in the parashah. Giuseppe Cades Judgment of Solomon

Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 109

Haftarah

haftarah The ''haftara'' or (in Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazic pronunciation) ''haftorah'' (alt. ''haftarah, haphtara'', ) "parting," "taking leave" (plural form: ''haftarot'' or ''haftoros''), is a series of selections from the books of ''Nevi'im'' ("Pr ...

is a text selected from the books of

Nevi'im The (; ) is the second major division of the Hebrew Bible (the ''Tanakh''), lying between the () and (). The Nevi'im are divided into two groups. The Former Prophets ( ) consists of the narrative books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings ...

("The Prophets") that is read publicly in the synagogue after the reading of the Torah on Sabbath and holiday mornings. The haftarah usually has a thematic link to the Torah reading that precedes it. The text read following Parashat Miketz varies according to different traditions within

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Generally

The

for the parashah is 1 Kings 3:15–4:1. It is the story of

King Solomon King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

and the two women, one with a dead baby and one with a live baby. Joseph's rule of Egypt "becomes a precursor to wise Solomon's reign."Gregory Goswell, "The Hermeneutics of the Haftarot," ''

Tyndale Bulletin The ''Tyndale Bulletin'' is an academic journal published by Tyndale House in Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county tow ...

'', volume 58 (2007): page 89. Gregory Goswell argues that "in both cases it is wisdom that equips a man to exercise authority."

On Shabbat Chanukah

When Parashat Miketz coincides with the first Sabbath of Chanukah (as it did in 2015 and 2016), the haftarah is Zechariah 2:14–4:7. When Parashat Miketz coincides with the second Sabbath of Chanukah (as it did in 2009), the haftarah is 1 Kings 7:40–50. Additionally, when Parashat Miketz occurs on

Rosh Chodesh In Judaism, Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh (; trans. ''Beginning of the Month''; lit. ''Head of the Month'') is a minor holiday observed at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. Rosh Chodesh is obs ...

(as it did in 2015 and 2019), some congregations read additional verses in honor of the new month. (The month of ''

Tevet Tevet (Hebrew: , ''Ṭevet''; ; from Akkadian ) is the fourth month of the civil year and the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It follows Kislev and precedes Shevat. It is a month of 29 days. Tevet usually occurs ...

'' always begins during Chanukah.)

Notes

, Land of Israel, circa 400 CE. In, e.g., ''Talmud Yerushalmi''. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 1–2, 5, 10, 13–14, 25–27, 29–30, 44, 49. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005–2019. And in, e.g., ''The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary''. Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, B. Barry Levy, and Edward Goldman. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. *

br>31:1234:769:3
84:16–17; 89:1–92:9; 93:7; 100:3. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Genesis''. Translated by

Harry Freedman Harry Freedman (''Henryk Frydmann''), (April 5, 1922 – September 16, 2005) was a Canadian composer, English hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphonic works, including the scores to films such as '' ...

and Maurice Simon, volume 2, pages 820–856. London: Soncino Press, 1939. *Babylonian

Berakhot 10b55a–b56b57b105a139aPesachim 2a7bTaanit 9a10b11aMegillah 13bYevamot 17b22a88aKetubot 27b30aNazir 5aSotah 13b36bBava Metzia 39a–b53bBava Batra 4a15a173bSanhedrin 63b92a112bMakkot 11a–b19bChullin 85a91a95b

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

, 6th century. In, e.g., ''Talmud Bavli''. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006. *

, chapter 41. Circa 700–900 CE. In, e.g., Judah Goldin, translator, ''The Fathers According to Rabbi Nathan'', page 172.

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

, 1955.

Medieval

. ''Commentary''
Genesis 41–44

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

, France, late 11th century. In, e.g., Rashi. ''The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated''. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 1:447–491. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995. *

. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Troyes, early 12th century. In, e.g., ''Rabbi Samuel Ben Meir's Commentary on Genesis: An Annotated Translation''. Translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 278–310.

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Niagara County, New York, Niagara County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named aft ...

: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989. *

Judah Halevi Judah haLevi (also Yehuda Halevi or ha-Levi; ; ; c. 1075 – 1141) was a Sephardic Jewish poet, physician and philosopher. Halevi is considered one of the greatest Hebrew poets and is celebrated for his secular and religious poems, many of whic ...

. ''

Kuzari The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' (; : ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also known as the Book of the Khazar (: ''Sefer ha-Kuzari''), is one of the most ...

''
4:15

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( ; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla� ...

, 1130–1140. In, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. ''Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel.'' Introduction by Henry Slonimsky, page 221. New York: Schocken, 1964. *

. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Mid-12th century. In, e.g., ''Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Genesis (Bereshit)''. Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, pages 372–96. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1988. Maimonides bas-relief in the U

. ''

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...

''
''Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah (The Laws that Are the Foundations of the Torah)'', chapter 2, halachah 10
Egypt, circa 1170–1180. In, e.g., ''Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah: The Laws

hich Are Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

the Foundations of the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, volume 1. New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1989. *Maimonides. ''Mishneh Torah'': ''Hilchot Ta'aniyot (The Laws of Fasts)''
chapter 1, halachah 15
Egypt, circa 1170–1180. In, e.g., ''Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Eruvin: The Laws of Eruvin: and Hilchot Sh’vitat Asor: The Laws of Resting on the Tenth (Day of Tishrei): and Hilchot Sh’vitat Yom Tov: The Laws of Resting on the Holidays)''. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, volume 11. New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1993. *

Hezekiah ben Manoah Hezekiah ben Manoah, or Hezekiah bar Manoah, was a French rabbi and Bible commentator of the 13th century. He is generally known by the title of his commentary, Chizkuni (). In memory of his father, who lost his right hand through his steadfastness ...

. ''Hizkuni''. France, circa 1240. In, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. ''Chizkuni: Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 293–309.

: Ktav Publishers, 2013. *

. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Jerusalem, circa 1270. In, e.g., ''Ramban (Nachmanides): Commentary on the Torah: Genesis.'' Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 1, pages 493–528. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1971. *

volume 1, pages 25a, 145a, 175a, 183a
193a–205a
206a; volume 2, pages 198a; volume 3, pages 22b, 62b, 268a.

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, late 13th century. *

Isaac ben Moses Arama Isaac ben Moses Arama ( 1420 – 1494) was a Spanish rabbi and author. He was at first principal of a rabbinical academy at Zamora (probably his birthplace); then he received a call as rabbi and preacher from the community at Tarragona, and later ...

. ''Akedat Yizhak (The Binding of Isaac)''. Late 15th century. In, e.g., Yitzchak Arama. ''Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah''. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 253–70. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001.

Modern

Isaac Abravanel Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (;‎ 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel (; also spelled Abravanel, Avravanel or Abrabanel), was a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher, Bible commentator, and financier. Name Some debate exists ove ...

. ''Commentary on the Torah''.

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, between 1492 and 1509. In, e.g., ''Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 1: Bereishis/Genesis''. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 278–352. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015. And excerpted in, e.g., ''Abarbanel on the Torah: Selected Themes''. Translated by Avner Tomaschoff, pages 322–344. Jerusalem:

Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel (), formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO). As an ...

, 2007. *

Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Obadja Sforno, Hebrew: עובדיה ספורנו) was an Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician. A member of the Sforno family, he was born in Cesena about 1475 and died in Bologna in 1549. Bi ...

. ''Commentary on the Torah''. Venice, 1567. In, e.g., ''Sforno: Commentary on the Torah''. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 218–39. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. *

Moshe Alshich Moshe Alshich , also spelled Alshech, (1508–1593), known as the ''Alshich Hakadosh (the Holy)'', was a prominent rabbi, preacher, and biblical commentator in the latter part of the sixteenth century. Life The Alshich was born in 1508 in the ...

. ''Commentary on the Torah''.

Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...

, circa 1593. In, e.g., Moshe Alshich. ''Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich on the Torah''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 265–94. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000. *Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. ''Commentaries on the Torah''. Cracow, Poland, mid 17th century. Compiled as ''Chanukat HaTorah''. Edited by Chanoch Henoch Erzohn. Piotrkow, Poland, 1900. In Avraham Yehoshua Heschel. ''Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash''. Translated by Avraham Peretz Friedman, pages 96–98.

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Southfield borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Downtown Detroit, Detroit. As of the 2020 Uni ...

Targum Press Menucha Publishers is an Orthodox Jewish English-language publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York. Originally founded as a distributor for Targum Press, in 2011 after Targum's shutdown. Menucha established itself as an independent publis ...

Feldheim Publishers Feldheim Publishers (or Feldheim) is an American Orthodox Jewish publisher of Torah books and literature. Its extensive catalog of titles includes books on Jewish law, Torah, Talmud, Jewish lifestyle, Shabbat and Jewish holidays, Jewish history, ...

, 2004. *

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. He is considered t ...

. ''

Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...

'', 3:34. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, page 431. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. *

Chaim ibn Attar Chaim ibn Attar or Ḥayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (, ; – 7 July 1743) also known as the Or ha-Ḥayyim after his popular commentary on the Torah, was a Talmudist and Kabbalist. He is arguably considered to be one of the most prominent Rabbis o ...

. ''Ohr ha-Chaim''. Venice, 1742. In Chayim ben Attar. ''Or Hachayim: Commentary on the Torah''. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 324–54. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999. *

Judah Leib Gordon Judah Leib Gordon (, ; December 7, 1830 – September 16, 1892), also known as Leon Gordon, was among the most important Hebrew poets of the Haskalah. Biography Gordon was born to well-to-do Jewish parents who owned a hotel in Vilnius. As a p ...

. ''Osenath, Daughter of Potiphera''.

Vilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Russia, 1868. *

Samuel David Luzzatto Samuel David Luzzatto (, ; 22 August 1800 – 30 September 1865), also known by the Hebrew acronym Shadal (), was an Italian-Austrian Jewish scholar, poet, and a member of the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement. Early life Luzzatto was born ...

(Shadal). ''Commentary on the Torah.''

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

, 1871. In, e.g., Samuel David Luzzatto. ''Torah Commentary''. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 393–431. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012. * Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. ''Sefat Emet''.

Góra Kalwaria Góra Kalwaria (; "Calvary Mountain", , ''Ger'') is a town on the Vistula River in the Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is situated approximately southeast of Warsaw and has a population of around 12,109 (as of 2019). The town has ...

(Ger),

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, before 1906. Excerpted in ''The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet''. Translated and interpreted by

Arthur Green Arthur Green (, born March 21, 1941) is an American scholar of Jewish mysticism and Neo-Hasidic theologian. He was a founding dean of the non-denominational rabbinical program at Hebrew College in Boston. He describes himself as an American Jew ...

, pages 61–65. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. Reprinted 2012. *

Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as HaRav Kook, and also known by the Hebrew-language acronym Hara'ayah (), was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbina ...

. ''The Lights of Penitence'', 11:6. 1925. In ''Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems''. Translated by

Ben Zion Bokser Ben-Zion Bokser (July 4, 1907 – January 30, 1984) was a major Conservative rabbi in the United States. Biography Bokser was born in Liuboml, Poland (now Ukraine). He immigrated to the United States at the age of 13 in 1920. He attended City ...

, page 83. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press 1978. *Alexander Alan Steinbach. ''Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch'', pages 30–32. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936. Thomas Mann 1937

*Irving Fineman. ''Jacob, An Autobiographical Novel''. New York: Random House, 1941. *

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

. ''

Joseph and His Brothers ''Joseph and His Brothers'' (, ) is a four-part novel by Thomas Mann, written over the course of 16 years. Mann retells the familiar stories of Genesis, from Jacob to Joseph (chapters 27–50), setting it in the historical context of the ...

''. Translated by John E. Woods, pages 257, 274–75, 526–27, 609, 672–74, 765, 788, 1007–1253, 1287–373. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Originally published as ''Joseph und seine Brüder''. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943. *Walter Orenstein and Hertz Frankel. ''Torah and Tradition: A Bible Textbook for Jewish Youth: Volume I: Bereishis'', pages 107–121. New York: Hebrew Publishing Company, 1964. *

. "The Joseph Narrative and Ancient Wisdom." In ''The Problem of the Hexateuch and Other Essays'', pages 292–300. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966. *

Donald B. Redford Donald Bruce Redford (2 September 1934 – 18 October 2024) was a Canadian Egyptologist, archaeologist, and Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Pennsylvania State University; he retired in 2024. Redford directed a number of ...

. ''A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (Genesis 37–50)''. Boston:

Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers () is a Dutch international academic publisher of books, academic journals, and Bibliographic database, databases founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the South ...

, 1970. *George W. Coats. "The Joseph Story and Wisdom: a Reappraisal." ''

Catholic Biblical Quarterly The ''Catholic Biblical Quarterly'' is a refereed peer-reviewed theology journal published by the Catholic Biblical Association of America (CBA) (CBA) in January, April, July, and October. It was established in 1939 and its circulation in 2010 w ...

'', volume 35 (1973): pages 285–297. *Eric I. Lowenthal. ''The Joseph Narrative in Genesis'', pages 47–96. Ktav, 1973. *George W. Coats. "Redactional Unity in Genesis 37–50." ''

Journal of Biblical Literature The ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' (''JBL'') is one of three academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academ ...

'', volume 93 (1974): pages 15–21. *Donald A. Seybold. "Paradox and Symmetry in the Joseph Narrative." In ''Literary Interpretations of Biblical Narratives''. Edited by Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis, with James S. Ackerman and Thayer S. Warshaw, pages 59–73.

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

: Abingdon, 1974. *George W. Coats. ''From Canaan to Egypt: Structural and Theological Context for the Joseph Story''.

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Catholic Biblical Association The Catholic Biblical Association of America (CBA) is an American learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible. The suggestion to form a permanent association of biblical scholars was made at the beginning of 1936 at a meeting in ...

, 1976. *Seän M. Warner
"The Patriarchs and Extra-Biblical Sources"
''

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament The ''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'' (JSOT) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of Biblical studies. The editors-in-chief are David Shepherd (Trinity College Dublin) and Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer ( Örebro School of Theol ...

'', volume 1, number 2 (June 1976): pages 50–61. * J. Maxwell Miller
"The Patriarchs and Extra-Biblical Sources: A Response"
''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 1, number 2 (June 1976): pages 62–66. *Peter D. Miscall
"The Jacob and Joseph Stories as Analogies"
''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 3, number 6 (April 1978): pages 28–40. *S. David Sperling
"Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation"
''

Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society The ''Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society'' (JANES) is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1968 as ''The Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia University'', and since 1980 it has been housed a ...

'', volume 10 (1978): pages 113–19. *Ivan Caine. "Numbers in the Joseph Narrative." In ''Jewish Civilization: Essays and Studies: Volume 1''. Edited by Ronald A. Brauner, pages 3–17.

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) is a Jewish seminary in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. It is the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Assoc ...

, 1979. *

"Joseph and his Brothers"
''

Commentary Commentary or commentaries may refer to: Publications * ''Commentary'' (magazine), a U.S. public affairs journal, founded in 1945 and formerly published by the American Jewish Committee * Caesar's Commentaries (disambiguation), a number of works ...

'' (November 1980). * Neḥama Leibowitz. ''Studies in Bereshit (Genesis)'', pages 439–482. Jerusalem: The

World Zionist Organization The World Zionist Organization (; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the Zionist Organization (ZO; 1897–1960) at the initiative of Theodor Herzl at the F ...

, 1981. Reprinted as ''New Studies in the Weekly Parasha''. Lambda Publishers, 2010. *

. ''Genesis: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching'', pages 325–342.

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

: John Knox Press, 1982. *Robert Sacks
"The Lion and the Ass: A Commentary on the Book of Genesis (Chapters 44–50)"
. ''Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy'', volume 12, numbers 2 and 3 (May and September 1984): pages 141–192. * Pinchas H. Peli. ''Torah Today: A Renewed Encounter with Scripture'', pages 41–44. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987. *Murray H. Lichtenstein
"Idiom, Rhetoric and the Text of Genesis 41:16"
''Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society'', volume 19 (1989): pages 85–94. *

Nahum M. Sarna Nahum Mattathias Sarna (Hebrew: נחום סרנא; March 27, 1923 – June 23, 2005) was a modern biblical scholar who is best known for the study of Genesis and Exodus represented in his ''Understanding Genesis'' (1966) and in his contribution ...

. ''The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation'', pages 280–306. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989. *Lawrence M. Wills. ''Jew in the Court of the Foreign King: Ancient Jewish Court Legends''. Fortress Press, 1990. *

Arnold Ages Arnold Ages (17 May 1935 – 9 October 2020) was a Canadian-born scholar, author, editor and journalist. As an academic, he published 90 scholarly articles and books between 1956 and 2001, not limited to his specialty of French Enlightenment litera ...

. "Why Didn't Joseph Call Home?" ''

Bible Review ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' is a magazine appearing every three months and sometimes referred to as ''BAR'' that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible, the ...

'', volume 9, number 4) (August 1993). KassPCOB

*Frederick Buechner. ''The Son of Laughter'', pages 240–261. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. *Leon Kass, Leon R. Kass
"Assimilation versus Separation, by Aaron Wildavsky: To assimilate or to stay apart?"
''

''. (September 1, 1993). *Aaron Wildavsky. ''Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel''. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1993. *Judith S. Antonelli. "Asnat: Joseph's Wife." In ''In the Image of God: A Feminist Commentary on the Torah'', pages 114–122. Northvale, New Jersey: Jason Aronson, 1995. *Naomi H. Rosenblatt and Joshua Horwitz. ''Wrestling With Angels: What Genesis Teaches Us About Our Spiritual Identity, Sexuality, and Personal Relationships'', pages 341–362. Delacorte Press, 1995. *Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. ''The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis'', pages 284–313. New York: Image Books/Doubelday, 1995. Gunther Plaut cropped

*Ellen Frankel. ''The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman's Commentary on the Torah'', pages 81–83. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1996. *Gunther Plaut, W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Haftarah Commentary'', pages 101–107. New York: UAHC Press, 1996. *Walter Wangerin, Jr. ''The Book of God: The Bible as a Novel'', pages 86–98. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996. *Sorel Goldberg Loeb and Barbara Binder Kadden. ''Teaching Torah: A Treasury of Insights and Activities'', pages 65–70. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 1997. *Susan Freeman. ''Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities'', pages 165–178. Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, Springfield, New Jersey: A.R.E. Publishing, 1999. (Genesis 43:11). *Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. "Searching for the Patriarchs." In ''The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts'', pages 27–47. New York: Free Press (publisher), The Free Press, 2001. *Lainie Blum Cogan and Judy Weiss. ''Teaching Haftarah: Background, Insights, and Strategies'', pages 118–126. Denver: A.R.E. Publishing, 2002. *Michael Fishbane. ''The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot'', pages 67–71. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002. *Leon R. Kass. ''The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis'', pages 561–593. New York: Free Press, 2003. *

. ''The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary'', pages 230–256. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2004. *Jon D. Levenson. "Genesis." In ''The Jewish Study Bible''. Edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, pages 81–88. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. *John Van Seters. "The Joseph Story: Some Basic Observations." In ''Egypt, Israel, and the Ancient Mediterranean World: Studies in Honor of Donald B. Redford''. Edited by Gary N. Knoppers and Antoine Hirsch. Boston: Brill Publishers, 2004. *''Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading''. Edited by Leib Moscovitz, pages 71–76. Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2005. *W. Gunther Plaut. ''The Torah: A Modern Commentary: Revised Edition''. Revised edition edited by David E. Stern, David E.S. Stern, pages 267–285. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, 2006. *Nili Shupak. "A Fresh Look at the Dreams of the Officials and of Pharaoh in the Story of Joseph (Genesis 40–41) in the Light of Egyptian Dreams." ''Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society'', volume 30 (2006): pages 103–138. *Suzanne A. Brody. "Incubus." In ''Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems'', page 72. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007. *Lisbeth S. Fried. "Why Did Joseph Shave?" ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', volume 33, number 4 (July/August 2007): pages 36–41. *Shmuel Goldin. ''Unlocking the Torah Text: Bereishit'', pages 225–39. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2007. *James Kugel, James L. Kugel. ''How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now'', pages 176–97. New York: Free Press, 2007. *''The Torah: A Women's Commentary''. Edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea Weiss (rabbi), Andrea L. Weiss, pages 233–258. New York: Union for Reform Judaism, URJ Press, 2008. *Reuven Hammer. ''Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion'', pages 57–61. New York: Gefen Publishing House, 2009. *Dawn Rose. "Yusuf Come Home: Parashat Miketz (Genesis 41:1–44:17)." In ''Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible''. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by Judith Plaskow, pages 60–63. New York: New York University Press, 2009. Sirjonathansacks

*Jonathan Sacks. ''Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Genesis: The Book of Beginnings'', pages 271–300. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2009. *Carolyn J. Sharp. "'Am I in the Place of God?': Joseph the Pretender." In ''Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible'', pages 54–61. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2009. *John H. Walton. "Genesis." In ''Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary''. Edited by John H. Walton, volume 1, pages 129–133. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009. *Bradford A. Anderson
"The Inversion of the Birth Order and the Title of the Firstborn"
''Vetus Testamentum'', volume 60, number 4 (2010): pages 655–658. Shmuel Herzfeld at House of Representatives cropped

Shmuel Herzfeld at House of Representatives cropped

*Anna Patricio. ''Asenath''. Imajin Books, 2011. *Calum Carmichael. ''The Book of Numbers: A Critique of Genesis'', pages 9, 21, 23, 46–48, 55, 59, 61–63, 65, 69, 74–76, 80, 95–97, 171. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012. *Shmuel Herzfeld. "The Miracle of Overflowing Oil." In ''Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons'', pages 52–58. Jerusalem: Gefen Publishing House, 2012. *Hillel I. Millgram. ''The Joseph Paradox: A Radical Reading of Genesis 37–50''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2012. Darahorn

*Eve Woogen
"The Best of Stories: Yusuf as Joseph in Hebrew Translations of the Qur'an"
''Classics Honors Projects''. (2012). *Dara Horn. ''A Guide for the Perplexed''. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013 (novel retelling the Joseph story). *Philip Y. Yoo
"Why Does Joseph Wash his Face?"
''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 38, number 1 (September 2013): pages 3–14. *Atar Hadari
"The Crucial Contrast Between Joseph and Moses: Moses acts, while Joseph sees himself as being acted upon"
''Mosaic Magazine''. (December 11, 2015). *Jonathan Sacks. ''Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 47–50. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015. *Katie M. Heffelfinger
"From Bane to Blessing: The Food Leitmotif in Genesis 37–50"
''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'', volume 40, number 3 (March 2016): pages 297–320. *Jean-Pierre Isbouts. ''Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era'', pages 76–83.

: National Geographic Society, National Geographic, 2016. *Jonathan Sacks. ''Essays on Ethics: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible'', pages 59–63. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016. *Shai Held. ''The Heart of Torah, Volume 1: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Genesis and Exodus'', pages 88–98. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. *James L. Kugel. ''The Great Shift: Encountering God in Biblical Times'', pages 22, 34, 204, 350–51. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. *Steven Levy and Sarah Levy. ''The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary'', pages 30–32. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. *Jeffrey K. Salkin. ''The JPS B'nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary'', pages 43–48. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. *Andrew Tobolowsky
"The Problem of Reubenite Primacy: New Paradigms, New Answers"
''Journal of Biblical Literature'', volume 139, number 1 (2020): pages 27–45. *Liana Finck. ''Let There Be Light: The Real Story of Her Creation'', pages 295–313. New York: Random House, 2022.

External links

Texts

Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translationHear the parashah chanted

Commentaries

Academy for Jewish Religion, CaliforniaAcademy for Jewish Religion, New YorkAleph Beta AcademyAmerican Jewish University—Ziegler School of Rabbinic StudiesBar-Ilan UniversityChabad.orgJewish Theological SeminaryMechon HadarMyJewishLearning.comPardes from JerusalemReconstructing Judaism

Sephardic InstituteTheTorah.comTorah.orgUnion for Reform JudaismUnited Synagogue of Conservative JudaismYeshivat Chovevei TorahYeshiva University
{{Weekly Torah Portions Weekly Torah readings in Kislev Weekly Torah readings from Genesis Asenath Joseph (Genesis)

Readings

First reading—Genesis 41:1–14

Second reading—Genesis 41:15–38

Third reading—Genesis 41:39–52

Fourth reading—Genesis 41:53–42:18

Fifth reading—Genesis 42:19–43:15

Sixth reading—Genesis 43:16–29

Seventh reading—Genesis 43:30–44:17

Readings according to the triennial cycle

In ancient parallels

Genesis chapter 41

In inner-Biblical interpretation

Genesis chapter 41

Genesis chapter 42

In early nonrabbinic interpretation

Genesis chapter 44

In classical rabbinic interpretation

Genesis chapter 41

Genesis chapter 42

Genesis chapter 43

Genesis chapter 44

In medieval Jewish interpretation

Genesis chapter 41

Genesis chapter 42

Genesis chapter 43

In modern interpretation

Genesis chapters 37–50

Genesis chapter 41

Genesis chapter 43

Genesis chapter 44

Genesis chapter 45

In critical analysis

Commandments

Haftarah

Generally

On Shabbat Chanukah

Notes

Further reading

Ancient

Biblical

Early nonrabbinic

Classical rabbinic

Medieval

Modern

External links

Texts

Commentaries