| 1Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar—a courtier of Pharaoh and chief of his butchers, a prominent Egyptian—had bought him from the Midianites, who had in turn bought him from the Ishmaelites and had brought him down there. |
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אוְיוֹסֵ֖ף הוּרַ֣ד מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיִּקְנֵ֡הוּ פּֽוֹטִיפַר֩ סְרִ֨יס פַּרְעֹ֜ה שַׂ֤ר הַטַּבָּחִים֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י מִיַּד֙ הַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֽוֹרִדֻ֖הוּ שָֽׁמָּה: |
| וְיוֹסֵף הוּרַד - Joseph had been taken down. The Torah now returns to the original subject, which it would have naturally continued uninterrupted, except that it interrupted it in order to juxtapose the demotion of Judah with the sale of Joseph, to indicate that on account of Judah’s role in Joseph’s sale, the brothers demoted him from his prominent status. Another reason for this order is to place the story of Potiphar’s wife next to that of Tamar, to tell you that just as Tamar acted for the sake of heaven, so did Potiphar’s wife act for the sake of heaven, for she foresaw through her astrological means that she would be an ancestress of his children, but she did not know if they would come from her or from her daughter. |
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וְיוֹסֵף הוּרַד.
חוֹזֵר לְעִנְיָן רִאשׁוֹן, אֶלָּא שֶׁהִפְסִיק בּוֹ כְּדֵי לִסְמֹךְ יְרִידָתוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה לִמְכִירָתוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף לוֹמַר שֶׁבִּשְׁבִילוֹ הוֹרִידוּהוּ מִגְּדֻלָּתוֹ, וְעוֹד כְּדֵי לִסְמֹךְ מַעֲשֵׂה אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל פּוֹטִיפַר לְמַעֲשֵׂה תָמָר לוֹמַר לְךָ, מַה זּוֹ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם אַף זוֹ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁרָאֲתָה בְאִצְטְרוֹלוֹגִין שֶׁלָּהּ שֶׁעֲתִידָה לְהַעֲמִיד בָּנִים מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאֵינָהּ יוֹדַעַת אִם מִמֶּנָּה אִם מִבִּתָּהּ:
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| 2God was with Joseph and thus he became a successful man, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. |
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בוַיְהִ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־יוֹסֵ֔ף וַיְהִ֖י אִ֣ישׁ מַצְלִ֑יחַ וַיְהִ֕י בְּבֵ֖ית אֲדֹנָ֥יו הַמִּצְרִֽי: |
| 3Joseph’s master saw that God was with him, that God granted Joseph success in everything he did. |
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גוַיַּ֣רְא אֲדֹנָ֔יו כִּ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה אִתּ֑וֹ וְכֹל֙ אֲשֶׁר־ה֣וּא עֹשֶׂ֔ה יְהֹוָ֖ה מַצְלִ֥יחַ בְּיָדֽוֹ: |
| כִּי ה' אִתּוֹ - That God was with him - i.e., the name of God (lit. heaven) was regularly on his lips. |
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כִּי ה' אִתּוֹ.
שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם שָׁגוּר בְּפִיו:
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| 4Joseph thus gained favor with him and became his attendant. His master put him in charge of his household, entrusting all that he owned into his care. |
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דוַיִּמְצָ֨א יוֹסֵ֥ף חֵ֛ן בְּעֵינָ֖יו וַיְשָׁ֣רֶת אֹת֑וֹ וַיַּפְקִדֵ֨הוּ֙ עַל־בֵּית֔וֹ וְכָל־יֶשׁ־ל֖וֹ נָתַ֥ן בְּיָדֽוֹ: |
| וְכָל־יֶשׁ־לוֹ - All he owned. This is an abbreviated phrase – the word אֲשֶׁר (“that”) is omitted after וְכָל. |
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וְכָל־יֶשׁ־לוֹ.
הֲרֵי לָשׁוֹן קָצָר, חָסֵר "אֲשֶׁר":
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| 5As soon as he had put him in charge of his household and all that he owned, God blessed the Egyptian’s household in Joseph’s merit. God’s blessing was evident in everything his master had, both in the house and in the field. |
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הוַיְהִ֡י מֵאָז֩ הִפְקִ֨יד אֹת֜וֹ בְּבֵית֗וֹ וְעַל֙ כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֶשׁ־ל֔וֹ וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־בֵּ֥ית הַמִּצְרִ֖י בִּגְלַ֣ל יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיְהִ֞י בִּרְכַּ֤ת יְהֹוָה֙ בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֶשׁ־ל֔וֹ בַּבַּ֖יִת וּבַשָּׂדֶֽה: |
| 6He left everything he had in Joseph’s care, and did not concern himself with any of his own affairs other than “the bread he ate”—a euphemism for his wife. Although he knew his father was mourning for him, Joseph was fixated on his beautiful facial form and complexion. |
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ווַיַּֽעֲזֹ֣ב כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ֘ בְּיַד־יוֹסֵף֒ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֤ע אִתּוֹ֙ מְא֔וּמָה כִּ֥י אִם־הַלֶּ֖חֶם אֲשֶׁר־ה֣וּא אוֹכֵ֑ל וַיְהִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף יְפֵה־תֹ֖אַר וִיפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה: |
| וְלֹֽא־יָדַע אִתּוֹ מְאוּמָה - (lit.) And he knew nothing of what was his - means “He paid no attention to anything of his.” |
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וְלֹֽא־יָדַע אִתּוֹ מְאוּמָה.
לֹא הָיָה נוֹתֵן לִבּוֹ לִכְלוּם:
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| כִּי אִם־הַלֶּחֶם - Other than the bread. This refers to his wife, but the Torah uses a euphemism. |
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כִּי אִם־הַלֶּחֶם.
הִיא אִשְׁתּוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁדִּבֵּר בְּלָשׁוֹן נְקִיָּה:
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| וַיְהִי יוֹסֵף יְפֵה־תואר - Joseph was of beautiful form. Once he saw himself in control of the house, he began to eat and drink and groom his hair. The Holy One, blessed be He, then said, “Your father is mourning and you are grooming your hair! I will incite ‘the bear’ against you.” Immediately – |
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וַיְהִי יוֹסֵף יְפֵה־תואר.
כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה עַצְמוֹ מוֹשֵׁל, הִתְחִיל אוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה וּמְסַלְסֵל בְּשַׂעֲרוֹ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָבִיךָ מִתְאַבֵּל וְאַתָּה מְסַלְסֵל בִּשְׂעָרְךָ, אֲנִי מְגָרֶה בְךָ אֶת הַדֹּב, מִיָּד:
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