{"id":39347,"date":"2018-07-09T18:50:11","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T15:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wall\/wall-39\/"},"modified":"2022-03-29T20:25:29","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T17:25:29","slug":"wall-39","status":"publish","type":"wall","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wall\/wall-39\/","title":{"rendered":"chapter-Torah-Genesis-39"},"parent":0,"template":"","acf":{"type":"chapter","wall_id":"39","date":"20251022","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","books_group":"Torah","posts":[{"order":1,"id":"39348","color":"#faeed8","size":"1","name":"Genesis 39 - Judy Hammond ","post_title":"Genesis 39 - Judy Hammond","slug":"genesis-39-judy-hammond","old_id":"39348","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34686,"post_title":"Soundcloud","slug":"soundcloud","old_id":"34686","first_name":"","last_name":"","description":"","short_description":"","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34656,"alt":"","title":"491","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","width":300,"height":300,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","medium_large-width":300,"medium_large-height":300,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","large-width":300,"large-height":300,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","1536x1536-width":300,"1536x1536-height":300,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":300,"2048x2048-height":300,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","post_full_size-width":300,"post_full_size-height":300,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/491-2.jpg","home_baner-width":300,"home_baner-height":300}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"4","show_author_image":true,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Audio Bible","tile_main_caption":"Genesis 39","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"read by Judy Hammond","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/genesis-chapter-39-read-by-judy-hammond","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":2,"id":"103475","color":"#f7e9e9","size":"1","name":"Joseph The Good Luck Charm ","post_title":"Joseph The Good Luck Charm","slug":"joseph-the-good-luck-charm","old_id":"103475","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":78133,"post_title":"Josh Blechner","slug":"josh-blechner","old_id":"78133","first_name":"Josh ","last_name":"Blechner ","description":"Josh first finished the Tanach during Yeshiva in Mevaseret Zion. 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","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":78134,"alt":"","title":"josh blechner","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","width":276,"height":351,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner-236x300.jpg","medium-width":236,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","medium_large-width":276,"medium_large-height":351,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","large-width":276,"large-height":351,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","1536x1536-width":276,"1536x1536-height":351,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","2048x2048-width":276,"2048x2048-height":351,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","post_full_size-width":276,"post_full_size-height":351,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/josh-blechner.jpg","home_baner-width":276,"home_baner-height":351}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Potiphar gets blessed, but others don\u2019t fare so well\u00a0\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

When Jacob was leaving Laban\u2019s house in chapter 30, he tells Laban that \u201cFor what little you had before I came has increased abundantly, and the Eternal has blessed you since my foot entered your house; now, then, when shall I provide for my own household as well\u201d (30:30).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This idea that God blesses the house of the people that house godly people and objects continues in this chapter with Joseph: \u201cAnd from the time that the Egyptian put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, God blessed his house for Joseph\u2019s sake, so that the blessing of God was upon everything that he owned, in the house and outside.\u201d (verse 5). Even in prison at the end of the chapter Joseph acts as a good luck charm. Both the Laban story and the Potiphar story describe a Hebrew living in the house of a foreigner. In these instances, God stepped in to bless the homeowner on behalf of the Hebrew living there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But these are not the only times that a Hebrew has lived in the household of a foreigner. Abraham was with Pharaoh and Abimelech and Isaac was also with Abimelech. With Abraham, Pharaoh and Abimelech are punished while Abraham is there. God acts to protect Abraham by using force and also, as a way to get Abraham to leave. With Isaac, however, God acts in a more neutral manner, warning Abimelech before harming him, yet there is no blessing on Abimelech\u2019s house, instead the blessing is on Isaac alone (see 26:17). This reaction causes jealousy among Abimelech\u2019s people, and ultimately Abimelech asks Isaac to leave.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

By the time Jacob is with Laban, God shifts tactics again. This time, Laban is blessed by having Jacob around. As a result, Laban does not want Jacob to leave. A second divine intervention is needed to allow that to happen, but not before Jacob stays long enough to father 11 sons and amass a fortune.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Now, with Joseph, God\u2019s blessing acts as protection again. Without God\u2019s blessing, Potiphar would not have placed Joseph as head of the household. Even when thrown in prison, God\u2019s blessing acts as a way to protect Joseph. Through these four stories, we can see how God\u2019s intervention helps control the narrative- punishment when the individual needs to leave quickly, yet blessings when the individual must stay and be protected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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- Joseph as Victim ","post_title":"#HeToo - Joseph as Victim","slug":"hetoo-joseph-as-victim","old_id":"39360","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":39060,"post_title":"Micah Weiss","slug":"micah-weiss","old_id":"39060","first_name":"Micah ","last_name":"Weiss ","description":"Micah Weiss is in his final year of rabbinical school at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. 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","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":39061,"alt":"","title":"micah weiss","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110.jpg","width":310,"height":416,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110-224x300.jpg","medium-width":224,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110.jpg","medium_large-width":310,"medium_large-height":416,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110.jpg","large-width":310,"large-height":416,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110.jpg","1536x1536-width":310,"1536x1536-height":416,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110.jpg","2048x2048-width":310,"2048x2048-height":416,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-e1535868016110.jpg","post_full_size-width":310,"post_full_size-height":416,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/micah-weiss-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"A story to help us shift the balance back towards empathy","post_main_content_content":"

The vast majority of survivors of sexual assault are cisgender women. <\/span>It\u00a0<\/span>is important for women\u2019s stories of gender-based violence to continue to be\u00a0<\/span>uplifted through the #metoo movement. In addition, we should not forget the\u00a0<\/span>many stories of cisgender men, trans, and gender non-conforming people who are\u00a0<\/span>also survivors amongst us.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The story of Joseph\u2019s assault at the hands of Potiphar\u2019s Wife<\/span> in Genesis 39<\/span> is just such a story.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

We could read Joseph as just any old straight man, or we might read his character with an overlay of queerness from the many hints in the Torah and rabbinic literature that Joseph had an extra flair of flamboyance in his gender presentation and sexuality. The Torah particularly focuses on Joseph\u2019s good looks and youth (Genesis 37:2, 39:6). Bereishit Rabbah interprets the emphasis on his youth to say that he liked to fix up his hair, and touch up his eyes to appear good looking. Contemporary readers looking for queer stories in the Torah have read these hints and others to create a reading of Joseph as queer.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Torah may emphasize Joseph\u2019s beauty in his encounter with Potiphar\u2019s Wife, but I read her primary motivating force as the desire to assert power over another, as is the case with most instances of sexual assault. Potiphar\u2019s Wife makes repeated, unwanted sexual advances towards Joseph, culminating in the use of physical force. When Joseph flees, she wields the social and political power she holds over Joseph to accuse him of the very crime she herself has committed. This perpetrator narrative resonates with familiar tropes of victim blaming. Joseph has no voice to defend himself and is thrown in jail.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Whether Joseph was straight, queer, asexual, cis-male or transgender doesn\u2019t matter in the slightest as a reason for his abuse, but these readings do allow the experiences of those not easily seen in the text of the Torah or the public discussion of sexual assault to be more visible. Oftentimes, initial judgments connected to a survivor\u2019s identity and the situation they find themselves in cloud our capacity to listen and leave us overly fixated on the \u201ctruth\u201d of what happened in a claim of sexual assault. This unfortunate default line of inquiry gives great power to our inevitable biases and makes the survivors\u2019 needs invisible. Once we have given so much power to judgment, it is hard to shift the balance back towards empathy. \u00a0The next time you hear someone brave enough to come forward with a story of assault, I encourage you to withhold judgment and ask yourself, \u201chow would Joseph want me to respond to this story if it were his?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Cover art by Elisheva Horowitz, courtesy of the artist.<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":39398,"alt":"","title":"Yoseph's runs from Potifar's wife-G39","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39.jpg","width":1500,"height":1175,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-300x235.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":235,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-768x602.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":602,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-1024x802.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":802,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1175,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1175,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-1200x940.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":940,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-536x420.jpg","home_baner-width":536,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"#HeToo - Joseph as Victim","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"A story to help us shift the balance back towards empathy","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":39398,"alt":"","title":"Yoseph's runs from Potifar's wife-G39","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39.jpg","width":1500,"height":1175,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-300x235.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":235,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-768x602.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":602,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-1024x802.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":802,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1175,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1175,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-1200x940.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":940,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Yosephs-runs-from-Potifars-wife-G39-536x420.jpg","home_baner-width":536,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"302","name":"Elisheva Horowitz","old_id":"702"},{"term_id":"363","name":"Midrash","old_id":"763"},{"term_id":"365","name":"Gender","old_id":"765"},{"term_id":"391","name":"In\/Justice","old_id":"791"},{"term_id":"572","name":"Victim","old_id":"972"}]},{"order":4,"id":"44940","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Joseph and Tamar: Two Escape Artists ","post_title":"Joseph and Tamar: Two Escape Artists","slug":"joseph-and-tamar-two-escape-artists","old_id":"44940","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":36663,"post_title":"Beth Kissileff","slug":"beth-kissileff","old_id":"36663","first_name":"Beth ","last_name":"Kissileff ","description":"Beth Kissileff is the editor of the anthology Reading Genesis (2016 - 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Visit her online at www.bethkissileff.com. ","short_description":"Beth Kissileff is the editor of the anthology Reading Genesis (Bloomsbury\/ T and T Clark, 2016) , a journalist and teacher.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36664,"alt":"","title":"BethKissileff","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224.jpg","width":3478,"height":3200,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-300x276.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":276,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-768x707.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":707,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-1024x942.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":942,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1413,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1884,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-1200x1104.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":1104,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BethKissileff-e1533157952224-456x420.jpg","home_baner-width":456,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Lessons to learn about changing one's fate","post_main_content_content":"

There are two people in this week\u2019s parsha who have things in common. They are both able to use their thoughts, whether dreamed or planned, to sustain them in situations which might have seemed impossible to undo and to escape.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Though the usual pairing is Jacob and his son Joseph, as the midrash in Genesis Rabbah 84 says, \u201call that happened to Jacob happened to Joseph\u201d we can look further than this.<\/p>\r\n

Joseph seems to be literally stuck, in the pit (37:24) and in jail (39:20) and later in Egypt itself. None of them congenial places to be, and none with an obvious exit sign. And yet, Joseph gets out of the pit, sold by his brothers into slavery.<\/p>\r\n

A second time, after he refuses the advances of his master\u2019s wife, Joseph finds himself in jail since it was more convenient for all to believe in the guilt of the victim Joseph than the attack of the true assailant, the wife of Potiphar. Again there does not seem to be even a remote possibility of an exit strategy. And yet, God is with Joseph and \u201cthat which he did, God made successful\u201d (39: 23).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Sandwiched between the two escapes of Joseph from the pit and jail, is a woman who is stuck as a widow in her father\u2019s house since her first two husbands have died.\u00a0 Her father in law is supposed to allow her to marry his third son, conveniently named \u201chers\u201d (shelah<\/em>, 38: 5).\u00a0 Yet her father in law reasonably surmises that \u201chers\u201d might die like his brothers (38:11) and stalls on going forward with this marriage.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

As a woman in a patriarchal society with not means of going to court to sue her father-in-law for justice, Tamar needs to create a way to exit the trap of being childless. She needs a sperm donor from the family she has married into.\u00a0 And one day, after much time has passed and she is told her father-in-law has gone to shear his sheep in Timnah. She takes off her widow's garments, covers herself with a veil and dwells in a place called \u201copen eyes\u201d (38: 14).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

That Judah became her sperm donor is the G-rated version of this chapter.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Tamar and Joseph share the ability to create possibilities and enable escape even when the situation looks objectively impossible.\u00a0Joseph is able to use his ability to interpret dreams, and the memory of his childhood dreams, to sustain him in the pit and in Egypt.\u00a0 Tamar uses only her own imagination and planning to bring a new life into the world, without guidance from dreams or from God, whose only mention in this chapter is in relation to the deaths of the sons (38:7, 10).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

According to the 11th<\/sup> century Midrash Lekach Tov, \u201cthe salvation of God is like the blink of an eye.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Dreams and plans don\u2019t hurt in ensuring that this salvation is hastened though and the examples of Joseph and Tamar are a lesson to anyone in a difficult situation.\u00a0<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":103482,"alt":"","title":"-624286f6e1d74--624286f6e1d75gen39-birds cage 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Work Hard? ","post_title":"Why Work Hard?","slug":"why-work-hard","old_id":"39379","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33923,"post_title":"Jonathan Sacks","slug":"rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks","old_id":"33923","first_name":"Jonathan ","last_name":"Sacks","description":"An international religious leader, philosopher, and award-winning author of over 35 books, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks served as the International President of 929.\r\nRabbi Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth years between 1991 and 2013, and was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer. Rabbi Sacks passed away on 7th November 2020, aged 72. He was one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, who bridged the religious and secular world through his ground-breaking canon of work.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z\"k (1948-2020) was the former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, and the International 929 president.","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36222,"alt":"","title":"JSacks","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","width":437,"height":548,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-239x300.jpg","medium-width":239,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-768x448.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":448,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-1024x597.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":597,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","1536x1536-width":437,"1536x1536-height":548,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","2048x2048-width":437,"2048x2048-height":548,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594.jpg","post_full_size-width":437,"post_full_size-height":548,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JSacks-e1532858712594-335x420.jpg","home_baner-width":335,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"A Divine promise is a call to human responsibility, not a substitute for it","post_main_content_content":"

There is no achievement without effort<\/span><\/em>. God saved Noah from the flood, but first Noah had to build the ark. God promised Abraham the land, but first he had to buy the cave of Machpelah in which to bury Sarah. God promised the Israelites the land, but they had to fight the battles. Joseph became a leader, as he dreamed he would. But first he had to hone his practical and administrative skills, first in Potiphar\u2019s house, then in prison. Even when God assures us that something will happen, it will not happen without our effort. A Divine promise is not a <\/span>substitute for<\/span><\/em> human responsibility. To the contrary, it is a <\/span>call to<\/em> <\/span>responsibility.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But effort alone is not enough. We need <\/span>seyata di-Shemaya<\/span><\/em>, \u201cthe help of Heaven.\u201d We need the humility to acknowledge that we are dependent on forces not under our control. No one in Genesis invoked God more often than Joseph. As Rashi (to Gen. 39:3) says, \u201cGod\u2019s name was constantly in his mouth\u201d. He credited God for each of his successes. He recognised that without God he could not have done what he did. Out of that humility came patience.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Talmud (Niddah 70b) asks, What should you do to become rich? It answers: work hard and behave honestly. But many have tried and did not become rich. Back comes the answer: You must pray to God. The Talmud asks, then why work hard? Because: <\/span>The one without the other is insufficient<\/span><\/em>. If we work hard enough, God grants us success \u2013 but not when we want but, rather, when the time is right.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":71366,"alt":"","title":"jer32-paperwork","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork.jpg","width":1920,"height":1501,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-300x235.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":235,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-768x600.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-1024x801.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":801,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1201,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1501,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-1200x938.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":938,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-537x420.jpg","home_baner-width":537,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"Why Work Hard?","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"A Divine promise is a call to human responsibility, not a substitute for it","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":71366,"alt":"","title":"jer32-paperwork","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork.jpg","width":1920,"height":1501,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-300x235.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":235,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-768x600.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-1024x801.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":801,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1201,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1501,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-1200x938.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":938,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer32-paperwork-537x420.jpg","home_baner-width":537,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"354","name":"Rabbi Sacks","old_id":"754"},{"term_id":"412","name":"Responsibility","old_id":"812"}]},{"order":6,"id":"44914","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Shabbat With a Schmear: Vayeshev - 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Shabbat With a Schmear: Vayeshev - Acknowledging Their Flaws, and Ours<\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/vysi9p_bhNw","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Shabbat With a Schmear","tile_main_caption":"Vayeshev - Acknowledging Their Flaws, and Ours","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Adam Mintz with Meredith Berkman (ShabbatMom)","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/vysi9p_bhNw","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","links":false,"tile_link_for_pay":"0","send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"368","name":"Parasha","old_id":"768"},{"term_id":"369","name":"Visual Arts","old_id":"769"}]},{"order":7,"id":"42787","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Vayeshev - \u05d5\u05d9\u05e9\u05d1 ","post_title":"Vayeshev - \u05d5\u05d9\u05e9\u05d1","slug":"vayeshev-%d7%95%d7%99%d7%a9%d7%91","old_id":"42787","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42650,"post_title":"Hillel Smith","slug":"hillel-smith","old_id":"42650","first_name":"Hillel ","last_name":"Smith ","description":"Hillel Smith is a graphic designer, marketing consultant, illustrator, and artist based in Los Angeles and Washington DC. He also teaches art and Jewish art history to children and adults, giving them the tools to introduce a little more color into their world.","short_description":"Hillel Smith is a graphic designer, marketing consultant, illustrator, and artist based in Los Angeles and Washington DC.","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":42652,"alt":"","title":"HillelSmith","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","width":126,"height":150,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654-126x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":126,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","medium-width":126,"medium-height":150,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","medium_large-width":126,"medium_large-height":150,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","large-width":126,"large-height":150,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","1536x1536-width":126,"1536x1536-height":150,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","2048x2048-width":126,"2048x2048-height":150,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","post_full_size-width":126,"post_full_size-height":150,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/HillelSmith-e1540295058654.jpg","home_baner-width":126,"home_baner-height":150}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"","post_main_content_image":{"id":42788,"alt":"","title":"1-37-vayeshev","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev.png","width":660,"height":1020,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev-194x300.png","medium-width":194,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev.png","medium_large-width":660,"medium_large-height":1020,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev.png","large-width":660,"large-height":1020,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev.png","1536x1536-width":660,"1536x1536-height":1020,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev.png","2048x2048-width":660,"2048x2048-height":1020,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev.png","post_full_size-width":660,"post_full_size-height":1020,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/1-37-vayeshev-272x420.png","home_baner-width":272,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"A Parasha Poster","tile_main_caption":"Vayeshev - 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\"There is no absolute guard against sexual immorality\" is a statement of our Sages (found in Ketubot 13b and elsewhere) that has been proven true a multitude of times throughout human history.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Many people, great and small, wise and foolish, policemen and leaders, military officers and ministers, rabbis and intellectuals, have failed in areas of sexual morality. Some have failed with serious crimes like rape, and some have failed in lesser offenses like sexual harassment.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In the old days, there were those who referred to minor acts of sexual harassment with indifference. In recent years, the Israeli legislator has been inclined, properly and correctly, to follow the more advanced countries and treat stringently those guilty of sexual harassment who violate the dignity of another person through sexual innuendo, speech and action.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One of the earliest descriptions of sexual harassment by a person in a position of \u00a0authority toward the person under their authority appears in the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in our chapter.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Potiphar's wife \"casts her eyes upon Joseph\" (Genesis 39:7) and commands him: \"Lie with me\u201d (ibid.). As is the case with harassment of this type, the one doing the harassing--in this case a woman--did not stop trying until finally she found the right moment. And much as she coaxed Joseph day after day, he did not yield to her request to lie with her. One such day, he came into the house to do his work. None of the household being there inside, she caught hold of him by his garment and said, \u201cLie with me!\u201d But he left his garment in her hand and got away and fled outside\u201d (Genesis 39:10-12).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cOne sin leads to another,\u201d as they say in Pirkei Avot 4:2.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

As is common in such offenses, the perpetrator seeks to pin the moral offense on the victim. Potiphar's wife falsely accuses Joseph for having \"initiated\" with her, and as punishment Joseph was thrown in prison. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

The Sages expand the story in midrashim, fill in the gaps in the biblical narrative, and are not afraid to express that even the righteous and pious may be caught in the net of this sin. One narrative passage in the Talmud (Sotah 36b) even pins the offense on Joseph: \"What is written in Genesis 39:11 (that both Joseph and Potiphar\u2019s wife stayed in the house alone) teaches that both she and he intended to commit some sin.\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The bottom line is \u201cThat which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.\" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). \u201cThe devisings of man\u2019s mind are evil from his youth\u201d (Genesis 8:21) and \u00a0\"there is no absolute guard against sexual immorality\" (Ketubot 13b).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Then, as today, our duty is to restrain these impulses and to prevent a situation where these impulses become a means of degrading human dignity and harming their freedom.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":"","post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"Blaming the Victim","tile_main_caption":"One of the earliest descriptions of sexual harassment by a person in a position of \u00a0authority toward the person under their authority appears in the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in our chapter","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"363","name":"Midrash","old_id":"763"},{"term_id":"572","name":"Victim","old_id":"972"}]},{"order":9,"id":"39372","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"The Power and Pathos of an Image ","post_title":"The Power and Pathos of an Image","slug":"the-power-and-pathos-of-an-image","old_id":"39372","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":34255,"post_title":"Shira Hecht-Koller","slug":"shira-hecht-koller","old_id":"34255","first_name":"Shira","last_name":"Hecht-Koller ","description":"Shira Hecht-Koller is the Director of Education for 929 English. She received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and is a graduate of the Bruriah Scholars Program in Advanced Talmud Studies at Midreshet Lindenbaum. \r\n","short_description":"Shira Hecht-Koller is the Director of Education for 929 English. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34256,"alt":"","title":"Shira head shot","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot.jpg","width":3456,"height":5184,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot-200x300.jpg","medium-width":200,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot-683x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":683,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot-683x1024.jpg","large-width":683,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot.jpg","2048x2048-width":1365,"2048x2048-height":2048,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot-800x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Shira-head-shot-280x420.jpg","home_baner-width":280,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The image of his father reminded him of who he was, who he could be and of his core values and beliefs","post_main_content_content":"

Can a still image move an individual to act?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Writers on photography reflect upon this question and speak of the pathos of an image.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Susan Sontag, in <\/span>On Photography<\/em> <\/span>writes: \u201cIt is a nostalgic time right now, and photographs actively promote nostalgia. Photography is an elegiac art, a twilight art. Most subjects photographed are, just by virtue of being photographed, touched with pathos.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Similarly, French literary critic, Roland Barthes, in <\/span>Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography<\/span><\/em>, writes:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201c\u2026in this glum desert, suddenly a specific photography reaches me; it animates me, and I animate it. So that is how I must name the attraction which makes it exist: an <\/span>animation<\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/i>\u2026The anticipated essence of the photograph could not, in my mind, be separated from the \u2018pathos\u2019 of which, from the first glance, it consists.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Both writers reflect on the power of an image, and the emotional experience involved in photography using the Greek concept of \u201cpathos.\u201d In the Greek tradition, pathos was an appeal to the audience\u2019s emotions, sympathies and imagination in order to get them to act or behave in a certain way.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This sense of pathos and a move to act (or refrain from acting) generated by an image, is one that can be similarly felt in the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 36b), in its description of Joseph seeing the image of his father while being seduced by the wife of Potiphar in Genesis Chapter 39:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u201cShe caught him by his garment, saying \u201clie with me,\u201d and at that very moment it was the image of his father that came and appeared to him in the window, and he said to him, \u201cJoseph: your brothers are destined to be inscribed on the <\/span>efod<\/span><\/em> and you are among them. Do you want your name to be erased from among them and be called \u201ca companion of harlots?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n

One interpretation of this <\/span>midrash<\/span><\/em> suggests that the image was actually Joseph\u2019s own reflection which strongly resembled his father\u2019s. And so, in refraining from sin with Potiphar\u2019s wife, Joseph takes to heart the spiritual heritage of his father\u2019s household.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The image reminded him of who he was, who he could be and of his core values and beliefs. This is the power and pathos of an image.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

(Cover photograph by the author)<\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":48184,"alt":"","title":"shk-39","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39.jpg","width":640,"height":640,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39.jpg","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":640,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39.jpg","large-width":640,"large-height":640,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39.jpg","1536x1536-width":640,"1536x1536-height":640,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39.jpg","2048x2048-width":640,"2048x2048-height":640,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39.jpg","post_full_size-width":640,"post_full_size-height":640,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/shk-39-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"The Power and Pathos of an Image","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The image of his father reminded him of who he was, who he could be and of his core values and beliefs","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":39374,"alt":"","title":"shk-39","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611.jpg","width":638,"height":214,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611-300x101.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":101,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611.jpg","medium_large-width":638,"medium_large-height":214,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611.jpg","large-width":638,"large-height":214,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611.jpg","1536x1536-width":638,"1536x1536-height":214,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611.jpg","2048x2048-width":638,"2048x2048-height":214,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-e1536211696611.jpg","post_full_size-width":638,"post_full_size-height":214,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/shk-39-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"363","name":"Midrash","old_id":"763"},{"term_id":"369","name":"Visual Arts","old_id":"769"},{"term_id":"405","name":"Memory","old_id":"805"}]},{"order":10,"id":"39368","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"God on his Lips ","post_title":"God On His Lips","slug":"god-on-his-lips","old_id":"39368","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":33859,"post_title":"Avidan Freedman","slug":"avidan-freedman","old_id":"33859","first_name":"Avidan","last_name":"Freedman","description":"Rabbi Avidan Freedman is the Rabbi of Hevruta, the Shalom Hartman Institute's post high school program for Israelis and North Americans, and an educator in the institute's high school. 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","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":33860,"alt":"Avidan Freedman","title":"Avidan Freedman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","width":856,"height":1024,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-251x300.jpg","medium-width":251,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-768x919.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":919,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-856x1024.jpg","large-width":856,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","1536x1536-width":856,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365.jpg","2048x2048-width":856,"2048x2048-height":1024,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-800x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Avidan-Freedman-e1532029306365-351x420.jpg","home_baner-width":351,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"The secret to Joseph's ability to see hope and light in servitude and imprisonment","post_main_content_content":"

Joseph's story in chapter 39 in many ways mirrors Judah's in the previous chapter. They both begin with descent, and they both pivot around the actions of a seductive woman who appropriates personal possessions, and who makes an accusation of sexual impropriety. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

But while it's undeniable that Joseph finds himself in much more difficult circumstances than Judah, it is Joseph's story that is saturated both with a sense of divine presence and success. The two are related. While the Torah explains Joseph's success as Divinely arranged, the Midrash gives more credit to Joseph himself. Explaining how Joseph's master saw that 'God is with him', the Midrash suggests that God's name was constantly on Joseph's lips.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If so, it was Joseph's attitude, not his good luck, that earned Potiphar's trust, and it was an attitude that shouldn't be taken for granted. For Joseph, rejected by his brothers, perhaps even by his father, to think that he had been rejected by God as well, that he no longer had any part in the God of Israel, would be an entirely reasonable conclusion. To maintain the name of God on his lips was to stubbornly, boldly, cleave to hope.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

From the Midrash, and from Joseph's \u00a0speech in subsequent chapters, we can imagine God's name on Joseph's lips in thanksgiving for his great successes, first in Potiphar's house, and then in jail. <\/span>Baruch Hashem<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/i> But in this chapter, we hear Joseph invoke God's name not in those successes, but in his moment of greatest crisis. It is not God as provider whom he praises, but God as commander whom he obeys. And perhaps herein lies the secret to Joseph's ability to see hope and light in servitude and imprisonment. For as long as a person sees himself as commanded by God, he can't see himself as rejected by Him. As long as he feels obligated by God's laws, he can also feel accompanied by God's presence.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":65176,"alt":"","title":"is9-gods hands","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands.png","width":1280,"height":782,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-300x183.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":183,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-768x469.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":469,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-1024x626.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":626,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":782,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":782,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-1200x733.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":733,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-687x420.png","home_baner-width":687,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"","tile_main_caption":"God On His Lips","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"The secret to Joseph's ability to see hope and light in servitude and imprisonment","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":65176,"alt":"","title":"is9-gods hands","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands.png","width":1280,"height":782,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-300x183.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":183,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-768x469.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":469,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-1024x626.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":626,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":782,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":782,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-1200x733.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":733,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/is9-gods-hands-687x420.png","home_baner-width":687,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":[{"term_id":"384","name":"God","old_id":"784"},{"term_id":"523","name":"Joseph","old_id":"923"}]},{"order":11,"id":"39358","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"An Orwellian Tzadik: Against the Temptation to be Super-Holy ","post_title":"An Orwellian Tzadik: Against The Temptation To Be Super-Holy","slug":"an-orwellian-tzadik-against-the-temptation-to-be-super-holy","old_id":"39358","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":37274,"post_title":"Tomer Persico","slug":"tomer-persico","old_id":"37274","first_name":"Tomer ","last_name":"Persico","description":"Dr. Tomer Persico is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and teaches at the department for Comparative Religion in Tel-Aviv University. 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","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":37277,"alt":"","title":"tomer persico","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","width":125,"height":102,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","thumbnail-width":125,"thumbnail-height":102,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","medium-width":125,"medium-height":102,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","medium_large-width":125,"medium_large-height":102,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","large-width":125,"large-height":102,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","1536x1536-width":125,"1536x1536-height":102,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","2048x2048-width":125,"2048x2048-height":102,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","post_full_size-width":125,"post_full_size-height":102,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tomer-persico-e1533716740845.jpg","home_baner-width":125,"home_baner-height":102}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"True righteousness is not absolute purity, but honest humanity","post_main_content_content":"

I never understood exactly what Joseph's greatness was in refusing to sleep with Potiphar's wife. I do not claim that it did not require a modicum of moral backbone to refuse her seduction. But is his resistance to have sexual relations with a married woman, the wife of a man to whom Joseph is a slave, a man who trusted Joseph and entrusted him with the management of his entire household, a man who would have had Joseph executed in the event that he learned Joseph had committed adultery with his wife - something that would justify Joseph becoming labeled a supreme righteous individual? \u00a0I doubt it. The temptation exists, but resisting her advances is not great heroism.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Moreover, not only is Joseph considered the paragon of every future righteous man, his resistance to temptation rises to the level of an impeccable example of sexual restraint and self-control. Righteous Joseph is the address of those who seek inspiration around the whole issue of masturbation and the prohibition of shedding seed in vain. This is all the more strange when we discover that according to the Midrash, Joseph could not resist at all. Yes, you read it right. The Talmud already tells us that Joseph succumbed to his sexual urge, did not conquer his will and spilled his seed. Of course he did not sleep with Potiphar's wife, but \"his semen was emitted from between his fingernails\" (Sota 36b) - that is, he put his hands on his genitals and the sperm broke through his fingers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

How can one understand this dissonance between Joseph's reputation and his reputed achievements? George Orwell, in his Reflections on Gandhi<\/em>, once said that \u201cmany people genuinely do not wish to be saints, and it is probable that some who achieve or aspire to sainthood have never felt much temptation to be human beings.\u201d Joseph's real temptation is the temptation to be superhuman. It would have been easy for the authors of the Bible and the Talmud to turn Joseph into an unattainable ideal. But true righteousness is not absolute purity, but rather honest humanity. Joseph is tempted and shows his imperfection. This is a righteous man who can be said to be \u201cthe foundation of the world\u201d (Proverbs 10:25) since the world is not founded on immaculate people - that is, those that do not exist.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":96751,"alt":"","title":"ecc7-angel 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Orwellian Tzadik: Against The Temptation To Be Super-Holy","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"True righteousness is not absolute purity, but honest humanity","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":96751,"alt":"","title":"ecc7-angel 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Silence ","post_title":"Joseph\u2019s Silence","slug":"josephs-silence","old_id":"39377","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":35831,"post_title":"Ruth Fogelman","slug":"ruth-fogelman","old_id":"35831","first_name":"Ruth ","last_name":"Fogelman ","description":"Ruth Fogelman was born in England and has lived in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City for most of her life. She is the author of four books. Her poems, articles, short stories and photography have appeared in anthologies and various publications in Israel, USA and India, including Arc, Back to Joy: Little Reminders to Help Us Through Tough Times, The Deronda Review, Prosopisia, Poetica, and the International Literary Review. Ruth holds a Masters Degree from the Creative Writing Program of Bar Ilan University and leads the Pri Hadash Women\u2019s Writing Workshop in Jerusalem. \r\nShe is a member of the Israel Association of Writers in English\r\nVisit her website at http:\/\/jerusalemlives.weebly.com\r\n","short_description":"Ruth Fogelman is a poet, and lives in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City. ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":35832,"alt":"","title":"Ruth Fogelman","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman-.jpg","width":969,"height":973,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman--150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman--300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman--768x771.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":771,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman-.jpg","large-width":969,"large-height":973,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman-.jpg","1536x1536-width":969,"1536x1536-height":973,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman-.jpg","2048x2048-width":969,"2048x2048-height":973,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman-.jpg","post_full_size-width":969,"post_full_size-height":973,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Ruth-Fogelman--418x420.jpg","home_baner-width":418,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Were my dreams mere childish dreams?","post_main_content_content":"

And she <\/span><\/i>[Potiphar\u2019s wife]<\/span> caught him by his robe saying, \u201clie with me\u201d and he left his garment in her hand, and fled and went outside. (<\/span><\/i>Genesis 39:12)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I have no words.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Once, when calloused hands stripped
\r\n<\/span>the robe from my back,
\r\n<\/span>seized and threw me into a pit,
\r\n<\/span>I struggled, yelled and called for help;<\/span><\/p>\r\n

but now, in the pit
\r\n<\/span>of Egypt, after her hands stripped
\r\n<\/span>the robe from my back, I flee
\r\n<\/span>my master\u2019s house and hide
\r\n<\/span>among rushes at the river\u2019s edge,
\r\n<\/span>shivering, but not from cold.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I utter no call for help \u2013
\r\n<\/span>who would believe a slave\u2019s word?
\r\n<\/span>I have no confidant, no friend
\r\n<\/span>to whom I can tell the truth.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Were my dreams mere childish dreams?
\r\n<\/span>If caught, will I be killed,
\r\n<\/span>with no stars, no moon, no sun?<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Alone, I watch black beetles creep
\r\n<\/span>and scuttle through the undergrowth.
\r\n<\/span>I want to \u2013 yet cannot \u2013 weep.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> From: Ruth Fogelman, <\/span>Leaving the Garden<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":103491,"alt":"","title":"-62433b8ebf84e--62433b8ebf84fgen39-dream child 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His poems have won twenty-two prizes in international poetry competitions, and he has twice been awarded fellowships from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.","short_description":"Yakov Azriel is an English language poet who lives in Israel","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":36670,"alt":"","title":"Yakov.Azriel.Photo","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","width":1099,"height":1519,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-217x300.jpg","medium-width":217,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","medium_large-width":741,"medium_large-height":1024,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-741x1024.jpg","large-width":741,"large-height":1024,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","1536x1536-width":1099,"1536x1536-height":1519,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668.jpg","2048x2048-width":1099,"2048x2048-height":1519,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-868x1200.jpg","post_full_size-width":868,"post_full_size-height":1200,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Yakov.Azriel.Photo_-e1533158407668-304x420.jpg","home_baner-width":304,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Abba, at night in prison the rats run free","post_main_content_content":"

Abba<\/span><\/i>, at night in prison the rats run free.
\r\n<\/span>I can\u2019t get used to them although I try.
\r\n<\/span>Sometimes I think resentful stars that hate me
\r\n<\/span>Turned into rats that bite and make me cry.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Abba<\/span><\/i>, I tried to say my prayers today,
\r\n<\/span>But guards took out their whips and hit me hard;
\r\n<\/span>So once again the only place to pray
\r\n<\/span>Was our latrine behind the prison yard.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

All night the rats emerge from beneath the floor;
\r\n<\/span>How can I hide from rats, or guards who stare
\r\n<\/span>At me and sometimes, grinning, unlock my door
\r\n<\/span>To touch my hair, <\/span>Abba<\/span><\/i>, what if they \u2026? \u00a0\u201cHear<\/span><\/p>\r\n

O Israel, the Lord our God is one.\u201d
\r\n<\/span>Abba<\/span><\/i>, I shiver. \u00a0I hear the rats run.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":103494,"alt":"","title":"-624340bedca4e--624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/png","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png.png","width":1280,"height":640,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png-300x150.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":150,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png-768x384.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":384,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png-1024x512.png","large-width":1024,"large-height":512,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png.png","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":640,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png.png","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":640,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png-1200x600.png","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/624340bedca4e-624340bedca4fgen39-rat.png-840x420.png","home_baner-width":840,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"929 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Comfort, Keeping Hope ","post_title":"Refusing Comfort, Keeping Hope","slug":"refusing-comfort-keeping-hope","old_id":"44907","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":{"id":42813,"post_title":"Covenant & Conversation","slug":"covenant-conversation","old_id":"42813","first_name":"","last_name":"Covenant & Conversation","description":"Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition is a new and exciting initiative from The Office of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Written as an accompaniment to Rabbi Sacks\u2019 weekly Covenant & Conversation essay, the Family Edition is aimed at connecting older children and teenagers with his ideas and thoughts on the parsha. Each element of the Family Edition is progressively more advanced; The Core Idea is appropriate for all ages and the final element, From The Thought of Rabbi Sacks, is the most advanced section. Each section includes Questions to Ponder, aimed at encouraging discussion between family members in a way most appropriate to them. We have also included a section called Around the Shabbat Table with a few further questions on the parsha to think about. The final section is an Educational Companion which includes suggested talking points in response to the questions found throughout the Family Edition.","short_description":"Covenant & Conversation: Family Edition is a new and exciting initiative from The Office of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":42814,"alt":"","title":"CCfamilylogo-693x457","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457.jpg","width":693,"height":457,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457-300x198.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":198,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457.jpg","medium_large-width":693,"medium_large-height":457,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457.jpg","large-width":693,"large-height":457,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457.jpg","1536x1536-width":693,"1536x1536-height":457,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457.jpg","2048x2048-width":693,"2048x2048-height":457,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457.jpg","post_full_size-width":693,"post_full_size-height":457,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/CCfamilylogo-693x457-637x420.jpg","home_baner-width":637,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"","post_main_content_content":"

Family study materials on Parashat Vayeshev from \"Covenant and Conversation\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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He is one of the founders of the Heschel Center for Sustainability. He writes the MiliMiliM - Hebrew Corner on the site, and is the author of a book about the Hebrew language, \"Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World\" (Behrman House, 2019). ","credit":"","image_url":"","hide_writer":false,"short_description":"Dr. Jeremy Benstein is the managing editor of 929-English, and is the author of a book about the Hebrew language, \"Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World\" (Behrman House, 2019). ","link_for_pay":false,"image":{"id":34232,"alt":"","title":"Jeremy Benstein","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-300x169.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-768x432.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-1024x576.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","1536x1536-width":1280,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-1200x675.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":675,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Presentation1-747x420.jpg","home_baner-width":747,"home_baner-height":420}},"tags":false},"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"\u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc - Gadol - Large\/Great\r\n\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

39:9 \u2013 <\/span>Enenu gadol m<\/em> <\/span>(literally: \u201cthere is none greater\u2026)<\/span>, <\/span><\/i>He wields no more authority in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except yourself, since you are his wife. How then could I do this <\/span>ra'ah gedolah<\/em> <\/span>most wicked thing, and sin before God?\u201d<\/span>
\r\n<\/span>14: [Potiphar\u2019s wife] called out to her servants and said to them, \u201cLook, he had to bring us a Hebrew to dally with us! This one came to lie with me; but I screamed loud<\/span> bekol gadol.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

Gadol<\/span><\/em> is a deceptively simple word. Just from the verses above from today\u2019s chapter we see three different uses of the term. Though all have to do with largeness of some sort, the first is the metaphorical size or stature of a person, the second the enormity of an evil deed, and the third the intensity or loudness of voiced protestations. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Verbs based on this root <\/span>g-d-l<\/em> <\/span>relate to \u201cbecoming big.\u201d For instance, the simple form <\/span>gadal<\/span><\/em> means \u201cgrew, became large.\u201d However, in the standard causative form, <\/span>higdil<\/span><\/em> means \u201cmagnified,\u201d while in a different form, <\/span>gidel<\/span><\/em>, the sense is \u201cgrew, raised\u201d as in the farmer <\/span>gidel<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>grew, corn or livestock, or the parent devoted to <\/span>gidul<\/span> yeladim<\/span><\/em>, the noun-form, child raising.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But again, we can use this metaphorically as well: we can magnify and sanctify God\u2019s name, as in the beginning of the Kaddish prayer: <\/span>yitgadal veyitkadash<\/span><\/em>\u2026<\/span><\/i> Speaking of God, we ascribe to God \u201cgreatness\u201d - <\/span>gedulah<\/span><\/em> - and when a goal is scored in an Israeli soccer game, it is common to hear: <\/span>elohim gadol<\/span><\/em>!<\/span><\/i> It seems there are no atheists on the pitch (especially when the home team is winning). But God is not the only one who is great: Orthodox Jews speak of <\/span>gedolim<\/span><\/em>, rabbis, not of great height (or weight), but of great learning. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

There <\/span>hagodel kove\u2019a<\/span><\/em> - the \u201csize,\u201d the greatness (status, prominence), <\/span>does<\/span><\/em> matter...<\/span>
\r\n
\r\n<\/span><\/p>","post_main_content_image":{"id":103478,"alt":"","title":"-62428468d37ad--62428468d37aegen39-milim gadol.jpg","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg.jpg","width":960,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg.jpg","large-width":960,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/cetwpuploads.blob.core.windows.net\/wp929\/uploads\/2018\/09\/62428468d37ad-62428468d37aegen39-milim-gadol.jpg-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"

Artwork by: Ben Schachter<\/p>","tile_top_caption":"MiliMiliM - The Hebrew Corner","tile_main_caption":"Chapter 39: \u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc - Gadol - Large\/Great","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"... a word from the daily chapter...","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":103478,"alt":"","title":"-62428468d37ad--62428468d37aegen39-milim 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on the Daily Chapter - Gen 39","tile_main_caption":"Short talks by Adam Mintz and by David Silber","tile_main_caption_size":"2","tile_sub_caption":"Rabbi Silber's teachings are dedicated in memory of Joan Silverstein Meyers and Ellen Goodstein Koplow. ","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":"","tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/929-bible\/sets\/genesis-chapter-39","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"2","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false},{"order":17,"id":"39350","color":"#e2f4fa","size":"1","name":"Chapter Summary - Genesis 39 ","post_title":"Chapter Summary - Genesis 39","slug":"chapter-summary-genesis-39","old_id":"39350","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":false,"related_cahpter":"39","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content_description":"Chapter 39 Summary: Ups and Downs\r\n","post_main_content_content":"

(Ups and Downs - this title is a pun on a children\u2019s poem written by Haim Nahman Bialik in 1906 which became a popular children\u2019s song called \u201cNad Neid\u201d about being on a seesaw.)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Back to Joseph in Egypt: Joseph is a high ranking servant in the house of Potiphar (one of the ministers of Pharaoh), \"the Lord was with him and that the Lord lent success to everything he undertook\" (verse 3). Potiphar's confidence in Joseph is so great that all matters of the house are entrusted to him.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

\"Now Joseph was well built and handsome\" (verse 6), and Potiphar's wife is attracted to him. But Joseph, faithful to his master, refuses her advances day after day. Potiphar's wife takes advantage of a good opportunity when \"None of the household being there inside\" (verse 11). \u00a0Joseph refuses but leaves a piece of clothing in the hands of Potiphar's wife.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Potiphar's wife\u2019s unfulfilled desires turn into revenge. She fabricates a story that Joseph tried to rape her. Joseph is thrown back into a pit. This time it is pit used as a jail, the government prison.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

What happens in prison is exactly what happened in Potiphar's house. \u00a0Not a single verse has passed since Joseph was thrown there \"And the Lord was with Joseph: He extended kindness to him and disposed the chief jailer favorably toward him\u201d (verse 21). And Joseph the ever-successful man is promoted to manage the prison and just as in Potiphar's house, \"the chief jailer did not supervise anything that was in Joseph\u2019s charge, because the Lord was with him, and whatever he did the Lord made successful\" (verse 23).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Points to Ponder:<\/span><\/p>\r\n

    \r\n\t
  1. Ups and Downs: \u00a0Joseph\u2019s life moves in extremes from a peak of success to a deep abyss. In Chapter 37 - a free fall from being the beloved and preferred son to a pit and slavery. In Chapter 39 - there is the lift off to the highest position in Potiphar's house and then a crash landing - deep into prison. And in prison, again, an ascent to the highest point one can go under the circumstances.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  2. Success and appeal are the key words in the chapter. Note that every time a story is told about Joseph's success, the text emphasizes who is responsible for it--God (verse 5).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  3. Find the differences: What happened (or did not happen) between Potiphar\u2019s wife and Joseph is told in the chapter three times: In verses 11-13, it is told what happened. In verses 14-15, Potiphar's wife recounts the incident to her servants; and in verses 16-18, Potiphar\u2019s wife tells her husband Potiphar himself what had happened.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t
  4. The Prison: This is the place where Joseph is locked up in this chapter and in the next chapter. The Hebrew for \u201cprison\u201d appears nowhere else in the Bible other than in the Joseph story. \u00a0Other terms are used like \u201ca jail\u201d or \u201ca pit\u201d but the word \u201cprison\u201d only appears here.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>","post_main_content_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"post_main_content_embedded_video":"","post_main_content_video_duration":"","post_main_content_show_fb_comments":"1","post_main_content_credit_media":"","tile_top_caption":"The Daily Summary","tile_main_caption":"Points to Ponder: Genesis 39","tile_main_caption_size":"1","tile_sub_caption":"Insights and questions for personal reflection and group discussion","tile_preview_embedded":"","tile_preview_image":{"id":86314,"alt":"","title":"Points to ponder","caption":"","description":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-768x768.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":768,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","large-width":1000,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","1536x1536-width":1000,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","2048x2048-width":1000,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","post_full_size-width":1000,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder-420x420.jpg","home_baner-width":420,"home_baner-height":420}},"tile_preview_video":"","tile_external_link":"","tile_tile_gallery_items":"","tile_credits":"","alternate_tile_top_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption":"","alternate_tile_main_caption_size":"1","alternate_tile_sub_caption":"","alternate_tile_hide_media":"0","tile_group_preview_image_url":"","tile_group_main_caption":"","tile_group_sub_caption":"","tile_group_popup_package_extra_content":"","tile_group_read_time":"","home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo_seo_title":"","seo_seo_description":"","seo_seo_default_title":"","seo_seo_default_description":"","old_create_date":"","tile_link_for_pay":"0","links":false,"send_noty":false,"chapter_info":{"books_group":"Torah","book":"Genesis","chapter":"39","chapter_main_number":"39","date":"20251022","wall_id":"39"},"link_for_pay":false,"tags":false}],"hide_acf":true,"home_image":false,"posts_home":[],"home_posts":false,"home_posts_title":"","static_cube_title":"","static_cube_brief":"","static_cube_color":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall\/39347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wall"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wall"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}