Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 44/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 44

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Pleading Before a Higher Power

Tools

• Concordance – A concordance search reveals that the phrase "ויגש...ויאמר" is somewhat rare in Torah. It appears in the stories of Avraham pleading before Hashem on behalf of Sedom, and Yehuda pleading on behalf of Binyamin¹ and only in one other story.² Comparing the two stories raises questions as to how one should approach a superior power to plead one's cause. What should be the balance between submissiveness and audacity? Interestingly, too, in both these stories commentators debate whether the plea is for mercy or for justice.

Articles

• See Yehuda's Oration and Avraham's Prayer for Sedom for individual analysis of each story, with each topic questioning whether the protagonist is pleading for mercy or for justice, and in the former, whether he is approaching from a place of submissiveness or audacity.

Theft in Sefer Bereshit

There are two stories in Sefer Bereshit in which someone is accused of theft: Lavan's accusation of Yaakov and Yosef's accusation against the brothers.

Tools

• Concordance – The concordance demonstrates that the root "גנב" occurs in only two sets of stories in Sefer Bereshit, in the interactions between Yaakov and Lavan and in the story of Yosef, when Binyamin is accused of stealing Yosef's goblet.
• Tanakh Lab – Use the Tanakh Lab to compare Yaakov's claim of innocence when accused of stealing Lavan's terafim (Bereshit 31:32), with the brother's claim of innocence when accused of stealing the goblet (Bereshit 44:9). In each case the accused is so certain of innocence that he is willing to suggest that whoever is found guilty should die. The comparison highlights the irony of the situations. The brothers are not actually guilty of theft although the incriminating evidence is found on Binyamin’s person, whereas Rachel has stolen the terafim but the objects are not found by Lavan.

Yehuda’s Pledge

Yehuda’s offer of himself as a pledge for Binyamin calls to mind the pledge he offered to Tamar in place of payment in Bereshit 38, and underscores the significance of the episode of Yehuda and Tamar within the larger narrative of Yosef and his brothers.

Tools

• Concordance – The concordance shows that the root "ערב" appears in only one story in Torah, Yehuda's taking responsibility for Binyamin (see Bereshit 43:9 and 44:32), while the related noun "ערבון" appears also in but one story, that of Yehuda and Tamar in Bereshit 38.

Articles

• See ערבונו של יהודה, by Professor Yonatan Grossman, for analysis of the story of Yehuda and Tamar as background to Yehuda’s confrontation of Yosef.
• See Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story for exploration of the idea that the story of Yehuda and Tamar begins Yehuda's process of change and repentance for the sale of Yosef, which culminates in his taking responsibility over Binyamin.

¹ See Daa't Mikra on Bereshit 44:18 who notes this.

² See Bemidbar 32:16, where Reuven and Gad request to live on the other side of the Jordan.