Study Desk

Ya‘akov tore his clothes and, putting sackcloth around his waist, mourned his son for many days.

Though all his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down to the grave, to my son, mourning." And his father wept for him.

Y'hudah took a wife for ‘Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

Then Y'hudah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Stay a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"; for he thought, "I don't want him to die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived at home with her father.

So she took off her widow's clothes, completely covered her face with her veil, and sat at the entrance to ‘Einayim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she still was not being given to him as his wife.

From the time he appointed him manager of his household and all his possessions, Adonai blessed the Egyptian's household for Yosef's sake; Adonai 's blessing was on all he owned, whether in the house or in the field.

So he left all his possessions in Yosef's care; and because he had him, he paid no attention to his affairs, except for the food he ate. Now Yosef was well-built and handsome as well.

For the truth is that I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here too I have done nothing wrong that would justify putting me in this dungeon."

In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."

(Maftir) On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he gave a party for all his officials, and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his officials.

Nevertheless, the chief cupbearer didn't remember Yosef, but forgot him. Haftarah Vayeshev: ‘Amos (Amos) 2:6–3:8 B'rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Vayeshev: Acts 7:9–16 (specifically vv. 9–10)

In the morning he found himself so upset that he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one there could interpret them for him.

There was with us a young man, a Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guard; and we told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us — he interpreted each man's dream individually.

Why was the dream doubled for Pharaoh? Because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will shortly cause it to happen.

"Therefore, Pharaoh should look for a man both discreet and wise to put in charge of the land of Egypt.

They should gather all the food produced during these good years coming up and set aside grain under the supervision of Pharaoh to be used for food in the cities, and they should store it.

This will be the land's food supply for the seven years of famine that will come over the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish as a result of the famine."

The second he called Efrayim [fruit], "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune."

When the whole land of Egypt started feeling the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Yosef, and do what he tells you to do."

Look," he said, "I've heard that there's grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us from there, so that we can stay alive and not die!"