Literary Devices – Bereshit 37/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 37

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Binary Structure

In his commentary on Bereshit,¹ Robert Alter points out that Yosef’s story is structured as a series of doublets (as was Yaakov’s story; see Literary Devices – Bereshit 32). Yosef and Paroh both have double dreams, the baker and butler present their dreams together, Yosef is thrown into a pit and then into prison, the brothers make two trips to Egypt, and their descent to Egypt parallels Yosef’s descent.

Key Words

Family Relations

• Tanakh Lab points out that the three words that appear most frequently in Bereshit 27 are אח, אב and בן, underscoring the tragic enmity and deception between close relatives that characterizes the story of the sale of Yosef.  These words appear most poignantly in Yosef’s declaration “I seek my brothers” and Yehuda’s chilling statement: “Come, let us sell him to the Yishmaelites, and let our hands not be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.”
• See Tamar and Yosef by Professor Yonatan Grossman for analysis of the repetition of the word "אח", and specifically how Yehuda’s use of the word conveys that his actions may be even more immoral than those of his brothers. 

Character Titles

Yosef

• Yosef – Throughout most of the chapter Yosef is called by his name alone, without any relational epithets.
• "Our brother" – It is only in Yehuda's speech to his siblings that he is referred to in relationship to them, as their brother. Yehuda warns not to spill the blood of "our brother", but "only" to sell him as a slave. [See discussion above.]
• Son – In the last few verses of the chapter, when the brothers bring the bloodied coat to Yaakov and he concludes that Yosef must have been killed, the verses continuously refer to Yosef, not by name, but in relationship to Yaakov as "his/your/my son". The epithet highlights the tragedy; the loss of a son is always devastating to a parent.

The Brothers

• Yaakov's sons – In only two places in the chapter are the brothers referred to in relationship to Yaakov, as "his sons" (verses 3 and 38).
• Yosef's brothers – Throughout the rest of the chapter, they are referred to in relationship to Yosef, as "his/your brothers".  This relational epithet underscores the cruelty and animosity of the brothers’ actions.

Symbolism

Dreams of Heaven and Earth

Yosef’s first dream concerns produce of the earth and his second dream concerns the heavens.  This recalls Yaakov’s dream in Bereshit 28 represented a bridging of heaven and earth with angels going up and down the ladder between the land and sky.

Clothing

Clothes are an important symbol in the Yosef story. In this chapter, Yosef is given a coat that represents Yaakov’s love, and his brothers later strip him of the coat and use it to deceive Yaakov. Yaakov later loses his clothes again when Potiphar’s wife pulls them off of him. He is gi  ven new clothes when he is taken from prison to appear before Pharaoh, and again when he becomes Pharaoh’s viceroy. He later gives gifts of clothing to his brothers. For analysis of the meaning of clothing in the Yosef story, see Joseph and the Imagery of Clothing by Samuel Borodach.

Allusions

• The goat and garment that the brothers use to deceive Yaakov are reminiscent of the goat and garment used by Yaakov to deceive Yitzchak in Bereshit 27. Similarly, the brothers’ command to Yaakov to recognize his son’s cloak (“haker na”), and his recognition of the cloak (verses 32-33) are reminiscent of Yitzchak’s inability to recognize Yaakov’s true identity when he disguised himself as Esav (Bereshit 27:23).

These are examples of the ways in which the stories of deceit and rivalry at the beginning of Yaakov’s life haunt him as well as his children, who continue the pattern of deception with the sale of Yosef.

¹ R. Alter, Genesis: Translation and Commentary, (New York, 1996): 210.