parsha bit: Mikeitz
Dec. 29th, 2005 11:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellio(I posted something similar a couple days ago, but in the interests of having my "parsha bits" collection be complete...)
When Paro elevated Yosef to be second in command of Egypt, his advisors objected: how could a slave bought for 20 pieces of silver possibly be worthy? Paro said "I see royal qualities in him" and they said "then he must know the 70 languages of the world". Yosef didn't, of course, but before they tested him the angel Gavriel came to teach them to him. At first Yosef could not learn the languages, so Gavriel added a letter from the divine name to Yosef's name and then he learned them. This is why, when we read the psalm for the day later, it says "Yehosef" rather than "Yosef". This is the only time the modified name appears. (Sotah 36b)
This would have been too long, but when I looked up the passage in Sotah I was amused to note that actually there are 71 languages; after Yosef demonstrated his proficiency in the 70 he spoke to Paro in Hebrew, who said "huh?". (Ok, the talmud doesn't actually say "huh?", at least not in translation.) Paro made him promise not to do that any more, presumably because it would be wrong for Yosef to know more languages than Paro.
When Paro elevated Yosef to be second in command of Egypt, his advisors objected: how could a slave bought for 20 pieces of silver possibly be worthy? Paro said "I see royal qualities in him" and they said "then he must know the 70 languages of the world". Yosef didn't, of course, but before they tested him the angel Gavriel came to teach them to him. At first Yosef could not learn the languages, so Gavriel added a letter from the divine name to Yosef's name and then he learned them. This is why, when we read the psalm for the day later, it says "Yehosef" rather than "Yosef". This is the only time the modified name appears. (Sotah 36b)
This would have been too long, but when I looked up the passage in Sotah I was amused to note that actually there are 71 languages; after Yosef demonstrated his proficiency in the 70 he spoke to Paro in Hebrew, who said "huh?". (Ok, the talmud doesn't actually say "huh?", at least not in translation.) Paro made him promise not to do that any more, presumably because it would be wrong for Yosef to know more languages than Paro.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 05:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-29 05:48 pm (UTC)