Weekly Commentary on the Torah Portion

Vayyeishev – “And he dwelt” – וישו

Shalom Chaverym;
This Sabbath’s video Torah study at 4pm Central Time with the staff and friends of Sabbath Keepers Fellowship.

Here is the Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/4731209848
(If you can’t access that link, you may be able to join in a voice-only connection by calling 1-346-248-7799 and use the group code 473-120-9848.)

This week’s parasha is:Vayyeishev – “And he dwelt” – וישו
Torah reading: B’reishyth 37:1-40:23
Haftarah reading: Amos 2:6-3:8
Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: Ma’asei (Acts) 7:9-16

Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem YHWH Tzidkeinu ~ Peace to you, my brothers, in the name of YHWH our righteousness.V’eyk e’eseh hapa’ah hag’dolah hazoth v’chatatiy Lelohym ~ “And how can I perform this great evil and sin against Elohym?”

The word “Torah” means teaching or instruction. Simply put, the five books of Moshe are basically divided into two distinct kinds of teachings: Aggadic and Halakhic. Aggadah is akin to teaching in the form of stories or parables. Halakah is teaching of method in clear-cut rules and laws. Both are required for complete understanding of a concept in scripture.

Nearly the entire book of B’reishyth is composed of aggadic teachings. Parshath Vayyeishev is, in its entirety, an instruction about contrasting personalities. Even the account of Yehudah and Tamar, which some say is a spurious insertion or simply an “interlude,” was carefully placed at this point in Torah to give an aggadic example of this theme: the difference between righteous and unrighteous behavior.

Some people might mistakenly think that Yehudah did right by trying to shield his son Shelah from the same fate as his two brothers. Torah comes to show that this was, instead, a lack of faith in YHWH which was ultimately accounted to Yehudah as unrighteousness. When he learned he was the father of her son, he said: “She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah, my son.” He should have trusted YHWH and sent Shelah to raise up seed for his dead brother, according to the commandment.

The rest of the brothers of Yoseph demonstrated unrighteous behavior, as well. In their envy and hate, they determined to do away with him, hoping to thwart the prophecies YHWH spoke through him, to their own gain. That this was on their minds is evident in the sarcastic words: “Behold, this lord of dreams cometh.” They, too, should rather have trusted YHWH and His expressed will for their lives, rather than taking matters into their own hands.Yoseph is the sole contrasting personality in this parasha. He alone behaved righteously, correctly understanding that his faith in YHWH was paramount, and insisting upon doing what was right at all times, regardless of what it might cost him personally. The psalmist states this concept thusly: “YHWH, who does sojourn in your tent? Who does dwell in your set-apart mountain? He who walks blamelessly and does righteousness and speaks the truth in his own heart… he who swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

Yoseph was willing to swear even to his own hurt. Furthermore, he understood that any compromise he might make with unrighteousness would ultimately be more than a trespass against another man, and would be sin against YHWH Himself, as he said, “And how can I perform this great evil and sin against Elohym?” Or as the psalmist says: “Against You, You alone, have I sinned, and done evil in Your eyes; that You may be proven righteous in Your words, and clear in Your judgment.”

This aggadic teaching adds a dimension to the lesson that a set of halakhic rules alone could not attain. Moreover, men have a tendency to find ways around the strict letter of the law, but the lesson from a parable is unavoidable and less easy to circumvent. The lesson in Parshath Vayyeishev is clear: Yoseph is an example of a real man, and righteous in the eyes of YHWH. In contrast, his brothers were not. Implicit in this is a question Torah is asking of you—which one will you be? May YHWH bless you with the strength to always choose righteousness.

B‘Shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael

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