Rachael Robbins

December 4, 2001/19 Kislev 5762

Vayeshev

I find myself drawn to the woman characters in the Torah. This week’s parshah is no exception. After Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, he finds himself in the household of Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief steward. Joseph soon wins his new master’s favor and finds himself running Potiphar’s household. However, he soon catches the eye of Potiphar’s wife and she repeatedly demands that Joseph “lay beside her”. Joseph flatly refuses and flees outside the house leaving his garment in her hands. She then reports to her servants and then her husband that Joseph had tried to ‘dally’ with her. In fury, Potiphar has him thrown into prison. Who is Potiphar’s wife? There is not a lot of information in the Torah about her. The text does not even tell us her name. The rabbis later give her the name Zuleikha. Interestingly enough, she is found in the Koran as well and again has no name. Islamic tradition calls her Ra’il, as do some Jewish sources. But, because the text itself tells us so little, we perhaps must rely on Midrash and later commentators to make sense of her.

According to one Midrash, Potiphar’s wife is seen as a challenge or a punishment to Joseph. When Joseph comes to Potiphar’s house he is soon living it up. The Midrash says the following:

“The Holy One said to Joseph: Your father is mourning for you in sackcloth and ashes, and you eat and drink well, and frizz your hair – you pampered brat! As you live, I shall sic a she-bear on you. At once, “it came to pass that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph”.

In this sense, she is seen as a major obstacle to Joseph. God punishes Joseph’s pride by bringing this she-bear.

There is more to Potiphar’s wife’s character than just being a she-bear, however. She is attracted to Joseph. The text is explicit that Joseph is “well built and handsome”. From another Midrash we learn the following:

“On one occasion a group of Egyptian women gathered (in Potiphar’s house), eager to see Joseph’s beauty. What did Potiphar’s wife do? She took citrons, placed them before the women, and gave each of them a knife. Then she summoned Joseph and had him stand before them. As they peeled the citrons, at the same time gazing at Joseph’s beauty, they cut their fingers. Then Potiphar’s wife said: “you who saw him only for one instant, are thus overcome; how much more and more am I, who see him all the time.”

Potiphar’s wife is overcome with desire for Joseph. She cannot control her passion and even brings her friends to her home to gaze upon Joseph. They are equally struck by his beauty and she feels justified in her longing for him.

The rabbis give another explanation as to her wanting of Joseph. They compare her to Tamar, who just disguised herself as a prostitute in the previous chapter in order to make Judah lie with her, continuing the family line. Tamar’s action is seen as noble because her actions eventually lead to the Davidic dynasty. Rashi sees Potiphar’s wife’s actions as equally so. He says the following:

Just as Tamar acted for the sake of Heaven – so too did the wife of Potiphar act for the sake of Heaven, for she saw through her astrological prediction that she was destined to establish sons through Joseph but she did not know if those sons were to be born from her or from her daughter.

In other words, Potiphar’s wife believes that her actions are not only justified, they are noble because they are divinely ordained. The rabbis see her actions as justifiable because she believes that she will continue Joseph’s line. Shalom Goldman, a modern commentator, comments further on her character:

Potiphar’s wife is not villainous. Her plight is rendered human by the strength of her feelings, and the reader feels some sympathy for her. One Midrash explains… The court astrologers told her that she would be the mother of Joseph’s descendants. This confirmed her feelings for the Hebrew slave. Only later would she realize that this prediction was about her daughter, Asenath, who would marry Joseph and bear him two sons.

Potiphar’s wife can be seen as human. If this Midrash is to be taken as part of the story, she is only trying to do what the stars dictate. Another Midrash tells us that because Potiphar was Pharaoh’s chief steward, he was made into a eunuch, which would leave his wife neglected. If this is the case, then while we may not agree with her actions, we can understand them. She is alone and she has a young, handsome slave in her midst. She therefore acts accordingly.

However, this evaluation of her character is based on Midrashim. Let us take a step back and look at what we know about her from the text itself. When she is trying to seduce Joseph, she orders him to lie with her. She gives no reason for her request, she only wishes to lie with him. This is significant because she is the only woman in the Tanakh who makes such a request. The JPS commentary says the following:

There are no verbal preliminaries, no expressions of love. Her peremptory mode of speech flows from consciousness of Joseph’s status as a slave. In no other biblical narrative does a woman brazenly proposition a man in this manner.

She knows what she wants and she is in a position to get it. Joseph is a slave and expected to obey. She has nothing to gain from her actions, aside from personal enjoyment, but it is imperative to remember that these actions are otherwise unheard of in the Tanakh. Ellen Frankel echoes a similar sentiment in her book “The Five Books of Miriam”. In it she says:

What do you know of women’s sexual desires! Although the Bible’s filled with stories of sexual seduction – Lot’s daughters; Rachel and Leah, and the mandrakes; Judah and Tamar; Samson and Delilah – women’s sexual desire is generally not factored into the events. No, a woman’s sexual maneuvers are seen as a means to an end; children, security, financial reward. But in the case of Joseph, (she) was acting purely from desire. “Lie with me,” (she) ordered Joseph. (She) asked for nothing else from him, nor did (she) need it.

Potiphar’s wife’s directness in her propositions to Joseph is quite remarkable. She is clear in what she wishes and to the point. Joseph is flustered by her requests, as Robert Alter, a modern commentator, points out in his book “Genesis”,

The extraordinary bluntness of this sexual imperative – two words in the Hebrew – makes it one of the most striking instances of revelatory initial dialogue in the Bible. Against her two words, the scandalized (and perhaps nervous) Joseph will issue a breathless response that runs to thirty-five words in the Hebrew.

Joseph’s reaction reminds us that he is only 17 years old and finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. He is overwhelmed by her advancements, becomes flustered and flees. Maybe she is a she-bear! She terrifies Joseph and when she does not get her way, she falsely accuses Joseph and gets him thrown into jail.

Now that we’ve tried to understand who Potiphar’s wife was and why she acted the way she did, we should look at the actions themselves. We understand the motivation that she felt that she was following a path that was ordained for her, but this does not validate what she does to Joseph. In attempting to seduce him, she is manipulative. We can all be manipulative from time to time. Take for example, using guilt to get what you want. My grandmother is a pro at this… “you never call me, you don’t love your grandma”, her thinking being that guilt will get me to call her up. Potiphar’s wife and her lying to the servants and to her husband, shows she is deceitful. Her deceitfulness and her abuse of her position are ultimately what we remember of her. Her poor judgment in this instance tarnishes her reputation forever. Perhaps this is a lesson for us as well. An example of modern day deceitfulness could be President Bush’s predecessor. President Clinton’s actions on the witness stand led to Monica-gate. As a result, his poor judgment stays with him today. The good that Clinton did during his presidency may be forgotten by history; he will be remembered for his actions in Monica-gate. So Potiphar’s wife teaches us that our actions or a poor lapse in judgment can have a lasting negative affect for a person’s reputation and credibility, more so than we may realize.

Potiphar’s wife is an intriguing character in the Torah. She uses her position to get what she wants. The rabbis attempt to delve into her personality and find sympathy with her. The midrashim explain the reasons for her actions by outside influences, whether they be astrology, the power of Joseph’s beauty or simply loneliness. She is a character with a tremendous amount of strength, albeit misguided. She is not a role model that we want to emulate. We all know the expression “actions speak louder than words.” In this case, we learn actions and words are powerful tools, and can destroy us. If we think before we act or speak, we will not suffer the same consequences as Potiphar’s wife.