Pt2 The Temptation and Trial of Joseph in Genesis 39: From Potiphar's House to the High Priest's Ephod (Sotah 36a-b)
This is the second part of a three-part series. Part 1 is here; the outline for the series can be found at Part 1.
Rav Ḥana bar Bizna citing R' Shimon Ḥasida - Sanctifying God's Name - Joseph and Judah Compared (Genesis 39:11): Private Sanctification - Joseph's Restraint; Public Sanctification - Judah’s Boldness
Rav Ḥana bar Bizna cites R' Shimon Ḥasida's statement that Joseph “sanctified [God's] name”1 in private (סתר), referring to the episode with Potiphar’s wife.
Although both he and she were ready to sin (as explained in the next section), Joseph resisted (at the last moment).
As a reward, God added the letter “heh” (ה - H)—a letter from the divine name (YHWH)—to Joseph's name.2
In contrast, Judah sanctified God's name in public.3
Because of this, all four letters of God's name4 are found embedded in his name.5
אמר רב חנא בר ביזנא, אמר רבי שמעון חסידא:
יוסף --
שקידש שם שמים בסתר —
הוסיפו עליו אות אחת משמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא,
יהודה --
שקידש שם שמים בפרהסיא —
נקרא כולו על שמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא.
Rav Ḥana bar Bizna says that R' Shimon Ḥasida says:
Joseph,
who sanctified the name of Heaven in private,
had one letter of the name of God, the letter heh, added to his name.
Whereas in the case of Judah,
who sanctified the name of Heaven in public [be-farhesya] at the Red Sea during the exodus from Egypt,
merited that his entire name is called by the name of God, as the entire four-letter name of God can be found within Judah’s name.
R' Yoḥanan, Rav, and Shmuel - Joseph and Private Sanctification of God's Name (Genesis 39:11): The Context of Joseph’s Test; Intentions of Both Parties; Dispute Over Joseph’s Motives
The Talmud asks in what situation Joseph sanctified God’s name privately. It cites Genesis 39:11, when Joseph entered the house alone.
R' Yoḥanan explains that the wording implies that both Joseph and Potiphar’s wife entered the house with the mutual intent to engage in (sexual) sin.6
Rav and Shmuel disagree on how to interpret “to do his work”: one takes it literally (ממש) that he came to the house to do household labor, while the other interprets it to mean that he came to the house for his (sexual) “needs”.7
יוסף מאי היא —
דכתיב:
״ויהי
כהיום הזה
ויבא הביתה לעשות מלאכתו״,
אמר רבי יוחנן:
מלמד ש:
שניהם לדבר עבירה נתכוונו.
״ויבא הביתה לעשות מלאכתו״.
רב ושמואל,
חד אמר: לעשות מלאכתו ממש,
וחד אמר: לעשות צרכיו נכנס
The Talmud explains: What is the situation where Joseph sanctified God’s name in private?
As it is written:
“And it came to pass
on a certain day,
when he went into the house to do his work” (Genesis 39:11).
R' Yoḥanan says:
This teaches that
both Joseph and Potiphar’s wife stayed in the house, as they intended to perform a matter of sin.
With regard to the phrase “when he went into the house to do his work,” Rav and Shmuel engage in a dispute with regard to its meaning.
One says: It means that he went into the house to do his work, literally.
And one says: He entered the house in order to fulfill his sexual needs with her.
R' Yishmael’s School - Potiphar's Wife and the Opportunity of the Festival (Genesis 39:11): Questioning the Plausibility of an Empty House
The Talmud raises a difficulty with the biblical narrative: Could it really be that none of the men were present in such a prominent household (בית גדול)?
A baraita states that it was the household’s festival (חגם) day.
Everyone had gone to the temple,8 but Potiphar's wife feigned illness to stay behind, planning to seduce Joseph when no one else was home, thinking: “I have no day on which Joseph will have sex with me9 like this day.”
״ואין איש מאנשי הבית וגו׳״,
אפשר בית גדול כביתו של אותו רשע לא היה בו איש?!
תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל:
אותו היום יום חגם היה,
והלכו כולן לבית עבודה זרה שלהם,
והיא אמרה להן: "חולה היא"
אמרה:
אין לי יום
שניזקק לי יוסף
כיום הזה
The verse continues: “And there was none of the men of the house there within” (Genesis 39:11).
The Talmud asks: Is it possible that in such a large and important house like the house of that wicked man that no one was in there?
The school of R' Yishmael taught:
That day was their festival day
and they all went to their house of idol worship;
and she told them that she was sick and could not go,
as she said to herself:
I have no day
on which Joseph will attend to me
like this day.
Joseph Resists Temptation Through a Vision of His Father's Image (Genesis 39:12; Proverbs 29:3): Vision of Jacob's Face; Moral Appeal and Future Consequences; Loss of Honor
The story begins with the biblical verse in which Potiphar’s wife grabs Joseph by his garment, urging him to lie with her (Genesis 39:12).
At that critical moment, “the image10 of his father (Jacob) came”, appearing in the window.
The image warns Joseph that the names of his brothers will be inscribed on the ephod stones of the High Priest, and his will be among them11—unless he sins.
If he gives in to temptation, his name will be erased, and he will be remembered instead as a “shepherd”12 of prostitutes (זונות).
This is derived from from Proverbs 29:3: “A ‘shepherd’ of prostitutes wastes his riches (הון)”.
״ותתפשהו בבגדו לאמר וגו׳״,
באותה שעה
באתה דיוקנו של אביו
ונראתה לו בחלון,
אמר לו:
יוסף!
עתידין אחיך שיכתבו על אבני אפוד
ואתה ביניהם,
רצונך שימחה שמך מביניהם,
ותקרא רועה זונות?!
דכתיב:
״ורעה זונות
יאבד הון״
The verse states: “And she caught him by his garment, saying: Lie with me” (Genesis 39:12).
At that moment
his father’s image [deyokeno] came
and appeared to him in the window.
The image said to him:
Joseph!
the names of your brothers are destined to be written on the stones of the ephod,
and you are to be included among them.
Do you desire your name to be erased from among them,
and to be called an associate [ro’eh] of promiscuous women?!
As it is written:
“But he who keeps company with harlots
wastes his riches” (Proverbs 29:3), as he loses his honor, which is more valuable than wealth.
R' Yoḥanan citing R' Meir - Joseph’s Sexual Restraint and the Interpretation of "His Bow Abode Firm" (Genesis 49:24): Meaning of "Bow" as Euphemism
The verse “And his bow (קשתו) abode [teishev] firm” (Genesis 49:24 - in Jacob’s blessings) is interpreted by R' Yoḥanan in the name of R' Meir as a euphemism for Joseph’s sexual discipline in the story of Potiphar’s wife: “his bow returned to its strength”.13
מיד —
״ותשב באיתן קשתו״,
אמר רבי יוחנן, משום רבי מאיר:
ששבה קשתו לאיתנה
Immediately: “And his bow abode [teishev] firm” (Genesis 49:24).
R' Yoḥanan says in the name of R' Meir:
This means that his bow, i.e., his penis,
returned [shava] to its strength, as he overcame his desire.
Physical Aspect of Joseph’s Resistance to Sexual Temptation (Genesis 49:24): Interpretation of “Arms of His Hands Were Made Supple”; Resistance; Involuntary Emission
This phrase is interpreted as describing Joseph’s intense physical effort to resist sexual temptation.
He is said to have stuck (נעץ) his hands into the ground,14 and his semen (שכבת זרעו) was emitted between his fingernails.
״ויפזו זרועי ידיו״ —
נעץ ידיו בקרקע
ויצאה שכבת זרעו מבין ציפורני ידיו
The verse about Joseph continues: “And the arms of his hands were made supple” (Genesis 49:24),
meaning that he dug his hands into the ground
and his semen was emitted between his fingernails.
Joseph’s Reward for Sexual Restraint (Genesis 49:24): Divine Strength and Merit
The next phrase, “מידי אביר יעקב” ("by the hands of the Mighty One (אביר) of Jacob"), is interpreted as referring to Jacob’s support in this trial.15
This divine strength caused Joseph’s name to be engraved on the stones of the High Priest’s ephod.
״מידי אביר יעקב״,
מי גרם לו שיחקק על אבני אפוד?
אלא אביר יעקב
“By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24):
Who caused his name to be etched onto the stones of the ephod?
It was only the might of Jacob.
From Trial to Leadership (Genesis 49:24; Psalms 80:2)
The phrase "from there, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel" is explained to mean that from this act of self-control, Joseph was rewarded with the role of shepherding the people of Israel.
The Psalm verse “Shepherd of Israel, who leads like the flock of Joseph” (Psalms 80:2) is cited to support this elevation.
״משם רעה
אבן ישראל״,
משם זכה ונעשה רועה,
שנאמר:
״רועה ישראל האזינה
נהג כצאן יוסף״
“From there, from the Shepherd,
the Stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:24)
means: From there, because of Joseph’s ability to withstand this trial, he merited to become a shepherd [ro’eh] of the Jewish people,
as it is stated:
“Listen, O Shepherd of Israel,
who leads like the flock of Joseph” (Psalms 80:2).
Joseph’s Lost Potential and the Legacy Continued Through Benjamin (Genesis 37:2): Joseph’s Potential for Twelve Tribes; Disqualification Due to Improper Emission; Legacy Transferred to Benjamin
A baraita states that Joseph was originally destined to have 12 tribes descend from him, paralleling his father Jacob.
This is inferred from the verse “These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph” (Genesis 37:2 - suggesting that Joseph mirrored Jacob’s role).
Joseph did not merit this outcome because “his semen was emitted from between his fingernails”.16
Nonetheless, they were instead born through his brother Benjamin, who had 10 sons.17
תניא:
היה ראוי יוסף לצאת ממנו שנים עשר שבטים
כדרך שיצאו מיעקב אביו,
שנאמר: ״אלה תלדות יעקב יוסף״,
אלא שיצא שכבת זרעו מבין ציפורני ידיו.
ואף על פי כן,
יצאו מבנימין אחיו,
וכולן נקראו על שמו,
שנאמר: ״ובני בנימן בלע ובכר ואשבל וגו׳״
It is taught in a baraita:
Joseph was deserving of having 12 tribes descend from him,
the same as 12 tribes descended from his father Jacob,
as it is stated: “These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph” (Genesis 37:2). This implies that everything that happened to Jacob was destined to happen to Joseph.
However, he did not merit this because his semen was emitted from between his fingernails.
And even so, the offspring that were meant to descend from him descended from his brother Benjamin, who had ten sons.
And they were all named after Joseph, as it is stated: “And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard” (Genesis 46:21).
Benjamin’s Sons’ Names as Tributes to Joseph (Genesis 46:21)
Table of the Tamud’s homiletic interpretations of the names, in this section:
The Talmud explains how all ten names of Benjamin’s sons are symbolic references to his brother Joseph:18
Bela (בלע): Alludes to Joseph being “swallowed” (נבלע) among the nations.
Becher (בכר): Because Joseph was his mother Rachel’s firstborn (בכור).
Ashbel (אשבל): Interpreted as “God (אל - El) sent him into captivity”.19
Ehi (אחי) and Rosh (ראש): Reflect Benjamin’s thoughts: “My brother (אחי) and my leader (ראשי)”
Muppim (מפים) and Huppim (חפים): Refer to the mutual absence at each other’s weddings.21
Ard (ארד): Either from “descended” (ירד), referring to his “descent” to Egypt,22 or a comparison of Joseph’s beauty to a rose (וורד)
״בלע״ —
שנבלע בין האומות,
״ובכר״ —
בכור לאמו היה,
״ואשבל״ —
ששבאו אל,
״גרא״ —
שגר באכסניות,
״ונעמן״ —
שנעים ביותר,
״אחי וראש״ —
אחי הוא
וראשי הוא,
״מפים וחפים״ —
הוא לא ראה בחופתי,
ואני לא ראיתי בחופתו,
״וארד״ —
שירד לבין אומות העולם
איכא דאמרי: ״וארד״ — שפניו דומין לוורד
The Talmud explains how each name relates to Joseph:
“Bela” —
Joseph was swallowed [nivla] among the nations.
And “Becher” —
Joseph was the firstborn [bekhor] of his mother, Rachel.
And Ashbel —
because God sent Joseph into captivity [shevao El] in Egypt.
Gera —
Joseph dwelled [gar] in a foreign land [akhsaneyut].
And Naaman —
because Joseph was extremely pleasing [na’im].
Ehi and Rosh —
Benjamin said: Joseph is my brother [aḥi]
and my leader [roshi].
Muppim and Huppim —
as Benjamin said: Joseph did not see my wedding canopy [ḥuppa]
and I did not see his wedding canopy.
And Ard —
Joseph descended [yarad] to the lands of the nations of the world.
Some say that the name Ard means that Joseph’s face was similar in its beauty to a rose [vered].
Referring to the verse in Psalms 81:6, where Joseph is referred to as “Yehosef”, see Part 1 of this series, section “R' Yitzḥak - How the Ephod Contained 50 Letters for the Tribal Names (Psalms 81:6, Genesis 35:18): Question of Letter Count; name of Joseph or Binyamin lengthened by adding a letter“.
פרהסיא - from Greek parrhesia: “candid speech, speaking freely“
See also my note in “Pt1 Talmudic Apologetics: A Cycle of Dialogues with Roman Pagans Regarding God and Idols (Avodah Zarah 54b-55a)“, on section “#2 - Talmud - Beraita - “Philosophers asked the Jewish Sages who were in Rome”“.
The first part — 'Joseph sanctified God's name in private' — is clearly explained in the next section as referring to the episode with Potiphar’s wife. But the phrase 'Judah sanctified God's name in public' isn’t explicitly clarified here.
Steinsaltz interprets it as referring to the crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus. More plausibly, though, it refers to the incident with Tamar in Genesis 38, which also centers on a sexual transgression. That’s how the Talmud itself understands it in the earlier citation of this statement in the tractate, in a context dealing with that very story, see Sotah.10b.9-10.
״ויכר יהודה ויאמר:
צדקה ממני״
היינו דאמר רב חנין בר ביזנא, אמר רבי שמעון חסידא:
יוסף —
שקדש שם שמים בסתר
זכה והוסיפו לו אות אחת משמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא,
דכתיב: ״עדות ביהוסף שמו״
יהודה —
שקדש שם שמים בפרהסיא —
זכה ונקרא כולו על שמו של הקדוש ברוך הוא
The verse states: “And Judah acknowledged them, and said:
She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son” (Genesis 38:26).
This is the same as Rav Ḥanin bar Bizna says that R' Shimon Ḥasida says:
Joseph,
who sanctified the name of Heaven in private by not committing adultery with the wife of Potiphar,
merited that one letter from the name of God, was added to his name,
as it is written: “He appointed it in Joseph [bihosef ] for a testimony in his name, when He went forth against the land of Egypt” (Psalms 81:6). In this verse the name Joseph is written with an additional letter heh, found in the ineffable name of God.
Judah,
who sanctified the name of Heaven in public,
merited that his entire name is called by the name of God, for all the letters of the ineffable name of God are included within the name of Judah, with the addition of the letter dalet.
I.e. the Tetragrammaton - “YHWH”.
“Yehuda” - יהודה - “YHWDH”.
I.e. the Talmud contrasts the private and public nature of these acts and assigns a proportional divine reward—Joseph gains one letter, Judah all four.
The implication is that public sanctification yields greater spiritual recognition.
לדבר עבירה נתכוונו - “intended [to perform] a matter of sin”, a euphemism for illicit sex.
Despite the initial shared intention, Joseph ultimately resisted, thereby privately sanctifying God's name through his self-restraint.
צרכיו - a euphemism for sex, i.e. that he intended to have sex with her; the same as R' Yoḥanan’s interpretation.
בית עבודה זרה - literally: “house of idolatry/paganism”.
ניזקק.
This verb is typically used in the context of animals mating, see my note in “Pt2 The Prophet, the Prostitutes, and the Curses Reversed: The Biblical Story of Balaam in Talmudic Interpretation (Sanhedrin 105b-106b)“, on section “R’ Yoḥanan's Warning: The Peril of Hindering Israel's Redemption“.
And compare Jastrow, “ Nif[al] - נִזְקַק (c[ompare] זָוַג Nithpa[el])”, sense #3.
דיוקנו - from Greek eikon.
On this word, see my note here, on “Appendix 2 - Prohibitions on Reading Inscriptions and Gazing at Idolatrous Images: Shabbat Restrictions and the Ban on Looking at Pagan Statues (Shabbat 149a)“.
And see also the usage of this word, twice, in my “Ancient Burial Caves, Rankings of Beauty, and the Magus: Tales of R' Bena’a (Bava Batra 58a)“, section “Burial cave of Adam“:
כי מטא למערתא דאדם הראשון,
יצתה בת קול ואמרה:
״נסתכלת בדמות דיוקני,
בדיוקני עצמה אל תסתכל״
When he arrived at the cave of Adam the first man, who is buried in the same area,
a bat kol emerged and said:
You gazed upon the likeness (דמות) of My image (דיוקני), i.e., Abraham, who is similar to the image of Adam the first man.
Do not gaze upon My image (דיוקני) itself, i.e., Adam the first man, about whom the verse states that he was formed in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27).
Referring back to earlier in the sugya, see Part 1 of this series, section “The High Priest wore two shoulder stones of the ephod, each engraved with six of the Twelve Tribes’ names (Exodus 28:10)“.
i.e. “pimp”, alternatively: “patron”.
“Bow” is understood here to euphemistically refer to Joseph’s penis, and the verb teishev is reinterpreted as shava—"returned".
קרקע - straining against sexual desire.
Referring to the interpretation earlier, that Jacob’s image (“icon”) appeared to Joseph when he was about to sin.
At the time of his trial with Potiphar’s wife, as stated in the previous section; this ejaculation means he transgressed on wasting seed, a major sin according to the Talmud elsewhere; see my previous piece on the sin of male masturbation according to the Talmud.
Their names were all in honor of Joseph (נקראו על שמו); as explained by the Talmud in the next section.
Expressing aspects of Joseph’s life and Benjamin’s emotional connection to him.
Benjamin’s sons, according to the Bible, screenshot of the relevant part in the extended family tree in Hebrew Wikipedia, Template “אילן יוחסין של דמויות ספר בראשית”:
אכסניות - from Greek ‘xenia’, meaning “hospitality, hosting”, see my extended note on this term in “Pt1 The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)“.
On the usage of the terms “going up/down” in reference to “going to/from” Eretz Yisrael, see my Appendix here: ““Ascending” (‘Aliyah’) from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael – Notes on the Term“.