Sforno Zayin - Ibn Ezra Chaf Vav

Question 1

וגם נצבה - what do we learn from the words and it stood upright?
(how long did he rule)

Answer 1

This implies that his (Yosef) rulership would last long - he ruled for 80 years

Question 2

אם משול תמשל בנו
כפל לשון - double language
why is there double language of reign and dominate?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

על דבריו - extra words
they hated his dreams and his words - meaning?
lesson?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

ויספר אל אביו ואל אחיו

why does it repeat to his brothers?

Answer 4

after he told his brothers his dream

he repeated it to his father in front of his brothers

Question 5

ויגער בו - why is Yaakov rebuking him?

Answer 5

bc Yosef was arousing hatred against himself by retelling the dream`

Question 6

הבוא נבוא - what is yaakovs question

Answer 6

didn’t your mother die already?
Yaakov did not realize that the statement hinted to Bilhah
she had raised yosef like a mother

Question 7

ואביו שמר את הדבר - what does “guarded the matter” mean?

side note abt שמר שבת

Answer 7

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

Question 8

ויקאו בו אחיו - why were they only hateful until now, but now it says they were jealous?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

הנני - translation

what do we learn from yosefs response?

Answer 9

1) here I am

2) language of humility and zealousness. enthusiasm to do his fathers bidding - even tho he knows hes hated

Question 10

לְכָ֖ה וְאֶשְׁלָֽחֲךָ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֑ם - come and I will send you - why repetitive?
what is a shaliach mitzvah? an example of this

Answer 10

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

Question 11

וַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּ אִ֔ישׁ

Answer 11

this is the angel of גבריאל - not a man

Question 12

אִ֔ישׁ - why do we need to know this entire interaction?

Hasgacha Pratis?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

נסעו מזה - meaning and extra words

Answer 13

they have traveled awya from here

they ahve departed from all brother hood feelings

Question 14

נסעו מזה - gematria - meaning

Answer 14

זה = 12

they have moved on form being the 12 tribes

Question 15

וַיִּרְא֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ מֵֽרָחֹ֑ק - “saw him (Yosef) from a distance”

Answer 15

saw him emotionally bc they have distanced themselves from him as a brother

Question 16

וַיִּתְנַכְּל֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ לַֽהֲמִיתֽוֹ - how can it be that tzadikim were planning to kill yosef?
side note: they had not….

Answer 16

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

Question 17

הִנֵּ֗ה בַּ֛עַל הַֽחֲלֹמ֥וֹת - behold here comes the dreamer
what do they mean?

Answer 17

“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)

Question 18

וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּֽהְי֖וּ חֲלֹֽמֹתָֽיו - and we will see what will become of his dreams
q: who said this?

Answer 18

HaShem is saying we will see what will happen - whose words r true
either mine or urs

Question 19

וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֨הוּ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד הַבֹּר֔וֹת - why are they throwing him in a pit - if they want to kill him?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּֽהְי֖וּ חֲלֹֽמֹתָֽיו - - and we will see what will become of his dreams
q: what do the brothers mean by thus

Answer 20

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

Question 21

אַל־תִּשְׁפְּכוּ־דָם֒ - do not shed bood

why does it say dont shed blood and not his blood

Answer 21

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)

Question 22

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.

Answer 22

to inform us there was no water but there is snakes and scorpions

Question 23

וְהַבּ֣וֹר רֵ֔ק אֵ֥ין בּ֖וֹ מָֽיִם - why does it say ist empty if there was snakes + scorpions in it?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

how does pasuk Chaf Daled relate to Hanukkah?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

יֵּֽשְׁבוּ֘ לֶֽאֱכָל־לֶחֶם֒ - why does it tell us what they’re eating?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

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

Answer 26

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)

Question 27

why do we need to suffer at all (2 answers)

1) in the moment
2) bc there needs

Answer 27

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

Question 28

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוּדָ֖ה - why is it specifically calling him out?
what is the life lesson?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

what is Yehuda's argument
Ramban: even though...
sforno: revenge..
Hirsch: what is the difference..
Ibn Ezra: there is no ...

Answer 29

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

Question 30

וגמליהם נשאים

Answer 30

HaShem is with us, no matter what we go through

Question 31

והבור רק אין בו מים

Answer 31

the menorah vant be more than 20 cubits high up `

Question 32

ויתנכלו אתו להמיתו

Answer 32

human nature is to rationalize to the point of murder

Question 33

והנה תעה בשדה

Answer 33

no matter what we do

Hashem makes sure we are where He wants us to be

Question 34

לשה ואשלחך אליהם

Answer 34

the idea of a shaliach mitzvah