12 Dec PARASHAT MIKETZ: THE SOURCE OF YOSEF’S STRENGTH

We read in Parashat
Vayeshev of the
hatred that Yosef’s
brothers felt toward
him. The background
to their hatred is the special love shown
to Yosef by their father, Yaakob, who
made him a special garment (“Ketonet
Pasim” – 37:3), as well as Yosef’s
bringing negative reports about them to
their father (37:2).
The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (10b)
comments that a parent must ensure not
to show favoritism to one child over the
others, noting that “because of the extra
two Sela’im-worth of fine wool that
Yaakob gave to Yosef more than his other
sons, his brothers envied him, and this
resulted in our forefathers descending
to Egypt.” Yakaob’s favoritism toward
Yosef fueled the brothers’ hatred which
ultimately led them to sell him as a slave
to Egypt, such that the special garment
given to Yosef can be said to have
indirectly caused the Egyptian exile.
A number of commentators raised the
question of why the Gemara emphasizes

that the garment weighed “two Sela’im.”
Why is this detail relevant to the message
being taught, that one must ensure to
avoid showing favoritism to one of his
children?
Some Rabbis offered a deeper
explanation of the Gemara’s comment,
suggesting that the Gemara alludes here
to a hidden message latent within the
garment which Yaakob gave to Yosef.
In Masechet Megilla (18a), the Gemara
teaches, “Mila Be’sela, Mashtuka
Bi’trein” – “A word is worth a Sela,
silence is worth two [Sela’im].” Very
often, remaining silent is far more
effective, and powerful, than speaking.
Yaakob gave Yosef a garment made from
two Sela’im of wool as an allusion to the
importance of silence, which is described
as having the value of two Sela’im. As
mentioned, Yosef regularly brought his
father negative reports about what he
perceived as his brothers’ misconduct.
Of course, his intentions were sincere
and pure; we may reasonably assume
that Yosef was well versed in the
laws of Lashon Ha’ra, and knew the

conditions that must be
met to allow speaking
negatively about other
people, including the
condition of pristinely
sincere motives. There
is no doubt that Yosef
was not looking to
cause trouble or to earn
his place as Yaakob’s
favorite son, but rather
brought this information
to Yaakob’s attention
so he could address his
sons’ behavior. Nevertheless, under the
circumstances, with brewing tensions,
Yosef should have remained silent. Not
everything that can be said should be
said.
This is why Yosef’s garment is referred
to as “two Sela’im-worth of fine wool.”
Yaakob gave Yosef two Sela’im to
impress upon him the great value of
silence, which is worth “two Sela’im,”
twice as much as a spoken word.
It goes without saying that we should
not be speaking negatively to or about

people out of anger, spite or revenge.
This is clearly forbidden. But the Gemara
here indicates to us that even when
our intentions are noble and sincere,
criticism is not always wise. Very often,
silence is far more prudent, far more
effective, and far preferable. Even when
we see value in saying something, we
need to consider the possibility that
refraining from saying it will yield a
more desirable outcome. Let us never
underestimate the precious value of
silence, and let us always ensure to think
very carefully before expressing any sort
of criticism or negativity.