Potiphar's House
Yosef's eventful life serves as a parable for the sufferings of the entire Jewish people. The one whose father favored him from amongst all his sons and prepared for him a coat of many colors, is sold…
Read more ›Almost everything that happens in Joseph’s life falls into two categories: Things done to him, and things he attempts to do on his own. But, in a unique sequence of descriptions, the Torah explicitly …
Read more ›The Torah tells us that throughout Yossef's term of service in Potifar's house, "God was with him, and he was successful" (39:2). This verse is usually understood as a cause and effect: because God wa…
Read more ›Parashat Vayeshev tells the famous story of Yosef and the wife of his Egyptian lord, Potifar, who desired Yosef and attempted to lure him to intimacy. Yosef, however, continually resisted her attempts…
Read more ›Bereisheet contains many stories illustrating dynamic character transformations, demonstrating that people can overcome natural tendencies to improve. What does the story of Potiphar’s wife (from the …
Read more ›Yosef finds favour while he is a slave in Egypt - in Potiphar’s house, and in jail. The text emphasizes again and again how God is helping Yosef. But if this is so, why does God bring Yosef continuall…
Read more ›Why does Potifar’s Wife only make her advance “after these things”? What function does this perek serve in the macro story of Yosef and his brothers? A slew of fascinating literary and structural anal…
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