Vayeshev - Genesis 37:1-11 - What Do You Do With an Obnoxious Brother?

1. Jacob settled in the land of his father's wanderings, in the land of Canaan.		א. וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן:
2. This is the legacy of Jacob: when Joseph was seventeen years old, being a shepherd, he was with his brothers with the flocks, and he was a boy, [and was] with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought evil tales about them to their father.		ב. אֵלֶּה | תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב יוֹסֵף בֶּן שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת אֶחָיו בַּצֹּאן וְהוּא נַעַר אֶת בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה נְשֵׁי אָבִיו וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת דִּבָּתָם רָעָה אֶל אֲבִיהֶם:
3. Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a colorful coat.		ג. וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף מִכָּל בָּנָיו כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים:
4. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, so they hated him, and they could not speak with him peacefully.		ד. וַיִּרְאוּ אֶחָיו כִּי אֹתוֹ אָהַב אֲבִיהֶם מִכָּל אֶחָיו וַיִּשְׂנְאוּ אֹתוֹ וְלֹא יָכְלוּ דַּבְּרוֹ לְשָׁלֹם:
5. Joseph dreamed a dream and told his brothers, and they continued to hate him.		ה. וַיַּחֲלֹם יוֹסֵף חֲלוֹם וַיַּגֵּד לְאֶחָיו וַיּוֹסִפוּ עוֹד שְׂנֹא אֹתוֹ:
6. And he said to them, "Listen now to this dream, which I have dreamed:		ו. וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַחֲלוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר חָלָמְתִּי:
7. Look here, we were binding stalks in the midst of the field, and look here, my sheaf rose and stood up, and look here, your sheaves made a circle and bowed down to my sheaf."		ז. וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶה וְהִנֵּה קָמָה אֲלֻמָּתִי וְגַם נִצָּבָה וְהִנֵּה תְסֻבֶּינָה אֲלֻמֹּתֵיכֶם וַתִּשְׁתַּחֲוֶיןָ לַאֲלֻמָּתִי:
8. So his brothers said to him, "Will you rule over us, or will you govern us?" And they continued further to hate him because of his dreams and his words.		ח. וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ אֶחָיו הֲמָלֹךְ תִּמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ אִם מָשׁוֹל תִּמְשֹׁל בָּנוּ וַיּוֹסִפוּ עוֹד שְׂנֹא אֹתוֹ עַל חֲלֹמֹתָיו וְעַל דְּבָרָיו:
9. And he again dreamed another dream, and he told it to his brothers, and he said, "Look here, I have dreamed another dream, and look here, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."		ט. וַיַּחֲלֹם עוֹד חֲלוֹם אַחֵר וַיְסַפֵּר אֹתוֹ לְאֶחָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה חָלַמְתִּי חֲלוֹם עוֹד וְהִנֵּה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְאַחַד עָשָׂר כּוֹכָבִים מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לִי:
10. And he told [it] to his father and to his brothers, and his father scolded him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will we come I, your mother, and your brothers to bow ourselves down to you to the ground?"		י. וַיְסַפֵּר אֶל אָבִיו וְאֶל אֶחָיו וַיִּגְעַר בּוֹ אָבִיו וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מָה הַחֲלוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר חָלָמְתָּ הֲבוֹא נָבוֹא אֲנִי וְאִמְּךָ וְאַחֶיךָ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת לְךָ אָרְצָה:
11. So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father hesitated on the matter.		יא. וַיְקַנְאוּ בוֹ אֶחָיו וְאָבִיו שָׁמַר אֶת הַדָּבָר:

Guiding Questions:

1. According to the Etz Hayim chumash (p. 226), what is irony of the phrase "Jacob settled"? (Irony is when the text says one thing but actually the opposite is true.) What is the lesson for all of us about "settling" when we should be paying attention or trying harder?

2. According to Rashi, what is the meaning of the phrase in verse 1, "he was a boy" when he was actually  seventeen years old? In your opinion, what is the difference between being a boy and being a man, or being a girl and being a woman?

3. According to the Etz Hayim chumash (p. 227), why does Joseph tell his brothers his dreams instead of keeping them to himself? Have you ever shared something you knew you shouldn't because you couldn't hold it in? What happened?

4. According to the Plaut Modern Torah commentary (p. 244), what are a few of the different translations of כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים? What is the possible meaning of the coat for Jacob and Joseph?

5. According to the Stone Chumash (p. 199), what was wrong about Joseph's "evil reports" about his brothers? What is the lesson for us?

6. According to the Women's Torah Commentary (p. 212), what does Jacob's behavior in this story have in common with the story of Dinah?

7. According to Rashi (verse 10), why did Jacob scold or rebuke Joseph? Do you think this was enough? What do you think Jacob should have done?