Sforno Zayin - Ibn Ezra Chaf Vav Flashcards
וגם נצבה - what do we learn from the words and it stood upright?
(how long did he rule)
This implies that his (Yosef) rulership would last long - he ruled for 80 years
אם משול תמשל בנו
כפל לשון - double language
why is there double language of reign and dominate?
reign is consent
dominion is against the will
the brothers are saying
We will never consent to you reigning over us, so you’re going to have to dominate us
על דבריו - extra words
they hated his dreams and his words - meaning?
lesson?
1) they hated his dreams and hated him more for his boastful bragging way of speech
2) how you say something is sometimes more imp than what you say
ויספר אל אביו ואל אחיו
why does it repeat to his brothers?
after he told his brothers his dream
he repeated it to his father in front of his brothers
ויגער בו - why is Yaakov rebuking him?
bc Yosef was arousing hatred against himself by retelling the dream`
הבוא נבוא - what is yaakovs question
didn’t your mother die already?
Yaakov did not realize that the statement hinted to Bilhah
she had raised yosef like a mother
ואביו שמר את הדבר - what does “guarded the matter” mean?
side note abt שמר שבת
he waited for when it would come true - he was anticipating it
just like we should always wait for shabbos - should also be in our minds
ויקאו בו אחיו - why were they only hateful until now, but now it says they were jealous?
it made sense to them that Yosef would dream of ruling over them, but he wouldn’t be so disrespectful to rule over their father and now they have seen it must be divinely decreed and it has turned into jealousy
הנני - translation
what do we learn from yosefs response?
1) here I am
2) language of humility and zealousness. enthusiasm to do his fathers bidding - even tho he knows hes hated
לְכָ֖ה וְאֶשְׁלָֽחֲךָ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם - come and I will send you - why repetitive?
what is a shaliach mitzvah? an example of this
Yaakov “will send” Yosef in case Yosef is nervous the brothers will hurt him, Yaakov is making a shaliach mitzvah (messenger for a mitzvah)
ex: ppl will give one going to Israel tzedaka to give when they get to Israel
וַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּ אִ֔ישׁ
this is the angel of גבריאל - not a man
אִ֔ישׁ - why do we need to know this entire interaction?
Hasgacha Pratis?
Yosef was lost
it tells us the details to let us know that he could’ve turned around, made excuses
but he was loyal to Yaakov
it also shows hashgacha practice - we will take a wrong turn but HaShem will get us to where we need to be
נסעו מזה - meaning and extra words
they have traveled awya from here
they ahve departed from all brother hood feelings
נסעו מזה - gematria - meaning
זה = 12
they have moved on form being the 12 tribes
וַיִּרְא֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ מֵֽרָחֹ֑ק - “saw him (Yosef) from a distance”
saw him emotionally bc they have distanced themselves from him as a brother
וַיִּתְנַכְּל֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ לַֽהֲמִיתֽוֹ - how can it be that tzadikim were planning to kill yosef?
side note: they had not….
shows the power of human rationalization - they “conspired” - made conspiracies of trying to hurt him
they genuinely felt threatened and thought abt how to kill him in self-defense
הִנֵּ֗ה בַּ֛עַל הַֽחֲלֹמ֥וֹת - behold here comes the dreamer
what do they mean?
“the one who told us his dreams to make us angry” - goes w/ conspiracy that Yosef was purposely upsetting them to make them sin (so Yaakov would hate them)
וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּֽהְי֖וּ חֲלֹֽמֹתָֽיו - and we will see what will become of his dreams
q: who said this?
HaShem is saying we will see what will happen - whose words r true
either mine or urs
וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֨הוּ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד הַבֹּר֔וֹת - why are they throwing him in a pit - if they want to kill him?
they know that anyone who was in those pits would be eaten by rodents
this way they would be telling the truth that yosef was killed by animals
וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּֽהְי֖וּ חֲלֹֽמֹתָֽיו - - and we will see what will become of his dreams
q: what do the brothers mean by thus
they wanted to prove to themselves that his dreams were made up (for their ego)
so if they kill him it shows his dreams weren’t real
אַל־תִּשְׁפְּכוּ־דָם֒ - do not shed bood
why does it say dont shed blood and not his blood
Reuven wanted to sound uninterested in Yosef, more interested in peace and nonblood on their hands
(he really did want to save him, but only for selfish reasons, he knew Yaakov would hold him responsible)
וְהַבּ֣וֹר רֵ֔ק אֵ֥ין בּ֖וֹ מָֽיִם - and the pit was empty - there was no water
q: why does it mention that there is no water? it’s pretty self-explanatory if it’s empty there’s no water.
to inform us there was no water but there is snakes and scorpions
וְהַבּ֣וֹר רֵ֔ק אֵ֥ין בּ֖וֹ מָֽיִם - why does it say ist empty if there was snakes + scorpions in it?
the brothers couldn’t see the snakes and scorpions
this makes sense bc they were trying to save yosef by putting hi, in the pit
also if they had seen that, HaShem protected him from the animals, they would’ve known not to harm him
how does pasuk Chaf Daled relate to Hanukkah?
this pasuk is discussed in Gemara in the section of Hanukkah
there is a halacha that ur menorah cant be more than 30 ft above the ground bc it not visible
what’s the connection
we learn that the brothers couldn’t see 30ft above from the pit
יֵּֽשְׁבוּ֘ לֶֽאֱכָל־לֶחֶם֒ - why does it tell us what they’re eating?
it shows how sure they were that they were doing the right thing
they heard yosef calling for help but they were able 2 eat w/ no guilty conscience
וגמליהם נושאים - and their camels were carrying
why do we need to know what the camels were carrying?
how is this a metaphor for us
1) to show the reward 4 tzadikim
that it’s not usual for the Arabic
they usually carry tar
that smells terrible
but for Yosef they carried Bismamim - so he wouldn’t suffer a bad odor
2) no matter what difficulty we r going through, there are always sweet-smelling spices in the situation.
HaShem sends us signs to remind us he’s w/ us no matter what
(he wants us to suffer the least possible)
why do we need to suffer at all (2 answers)
1) in the moment
2) bc there needs
1) in the moment it seems like suffering but its ffrom hashem - who is ultiately doing it for the benefit of everyine (Yosef)
2) bc there needs to be consequences 4 our actions (need order in world) but haShem sends them as minor suffering (pebbles) instead
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוּדָ֖ה - why is it specifically calling him out?
what is the life lesson?
in the pasukim, it directly calls out Reuven and Yehuda bc they were the ones who attempted to save Yosef
for the ones acting wrong it doesn’t mention their name
life lesson: shows the Torahs sensitivity to not expose or say unnecessary loshon hara
what is Yehuda's argument Ramban: even though... sforno: revenge.. Hirsch: what is the difference.. Ibn Ezra: there is no ...
1) even though it’s not directly killing by leaving him in the pit, we still technically have his blood on our hands, we’re forever murderers
2) revenge either needs to feel like a suitable [unishment or be a discouragement to others. we won’t feel good from his death bc we’ll eventually feel bad but still want to scare off enemies bc we need to hide it
3) what is the difference between killing and just sending him away forever?
4) there is no monetary ($) gain in killing him, why waste this opportunity
וגמליהם נשאים
HaShem is with us, no matter what we go through
והבור רק אין בו מים
the menorah vant be more than 20 cubits high up `
ויתנכלו אתו להמיתו
human nature is to rationalize to the point of murder
והנה תעה בשדה
no matter what we do
Hashem makes sure we are where He wants us to be
לשה ואשלחך אליהם
the idea of a shaliach mitzvah
