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Why does the Torah (תורה) call Yosef "ben zekunim" when Yissachar and Zevulun were born just a year earlier? The shiur explains that ben zekunim means a son who perceives his father as old and takes responsibility to help him—Yosef upgraded the status of Bilhah and Zilpah's children to create family unity. A second dimension emerges: Yaakov taught Yosef the Torah of Shem and Ever (the seven Noahide laws) because Yosef would rule the nations, while Levi received the 613 mitzvos to lead Klal Yisrael.
This shiur opens Parshas Vayeishev by exploring the opening pesukim and their Midrashic and Rashi (רש"י)-based interpretations. The pasuk "Eileh toldos Yaakov—Yosef" raises the obvious question: why does the Torah (תורה) introduce "the generations of Yaakov" but then mention only Yosef? Rashi explains that Yosef's life most closely mirrored Yaakov's—Yaakov worked for Lavan primarily to marry Rochel (Yosef's mother), they looked alike, and both were hated by their brothers and targeted for death. Yet this still requires explanation. The shiur then analyzes the pasuk "v'hu na'ar es bnei Bilhah v'es bnei Zilpah n'shei aviv." The word "na'ar" is explained by Rashi to mean immature behavior, while "es bnei Bilhah v'es bnei Zilpah" indicates that Yosef befriended these brothers. Critically, the Torah here for the first time calls Bilhah and Zilpah "n'shei aviv"—wives of his father—whereas until now they had been called shifchos (maidservants) or pilagshim (concubines). When Rochel died, Bilhah was upgraded from shifchah to pilegesh because Yaakov moved his bed to her tent. But what caused the further upgrade to "nashim" (wives) here?
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Bereishis 37:2-3 (Parshas Vayeishev)
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