The effect of the intercourse of the Serpent was felt until the combined
merit of 3 generations wiped it out and the 12 Tribes were born: Shabbat
146a The brothers didn't drink wine, or perhaps didn't get drunk, during the time when
Joseph was gone: Shabbat 139a The Brothers failing to recognize Joseph
because of his newly grown beard: Ketuvot 27b; Bava Metzia 39b The brothers
bowing to Joseph: Megillah 16b Jacob's
concern that they may have been unfit, leading to his inability to reveal to
them the time of the
Messiah: Pesachim 56a Originators of the phrase "Shema Yisrael":
Pesachim 56a Each tribe ultimately produced a Judge and a Prophet: Succah
27b Jacob's sons let Joseph lead the burial of Jacob, because his monarchy
was appropriate for Jacob's honor: Sotah 13a
Reuven
Reuven's name indicated the contrast between him and Esav, in that he
wasn't jealous of Joseph: Berachot 7b Reading the story
of Reuven and Bilhah in
public: Megillah 25a, 25b Translating the
story of Reuven and Bilhah in
public: Megillah 25a, 25b Reuven's share in Israel contained a City of Refuge
because he tried to save Joseph's life: Makkot 10a Reuven admitted his role
in the story with Bilhah, and was not embarrassed, and so he merited entry
into the next world, and his children took the first piece of land in Israel:
Sotah 7b Yehudah's self-offered ex-communication had to be rescinded
officially, even though the condition [loss of Binyamin] did not come true.
Moses prayed to HaShem to repeal it, after Yehudah's bones refused to rest in
the Jews' travels through the desert. HaShem repealed it because Yehudah's
admission of error with Tamar was what allowed Reuven to admit his error
involving Bilhah, and to merit the next world: Sotah 7b; Makkot 11b The
value in Reuven's admission of his role in moving Bilhah's bed was that this
removed his brothers from suspicion: Sotah 7b
Yehudah
Yehudah's self-offered ex-communication had to be rescinded officially,
even though the condition [loss of Binyamin] did not come true. Moses prayed
to HaShem to repeal it, after Yehudah's bones refused to rest in the Jews'
travels through the desert. HaShem repealed it because Yehudah's admission of
error with Tamar was what allowed Reuven to admit his error involving Bilhah,
and to merit the next world: Sotah 7b; Makkot 11b Married the daughter of a
Merchant ["Kenaani" = Merchant]: Pesachim 50a Yehudah's plea to Joseph,
after the Cup was found in Binyamin's sack: Shabbat 105a The case of Tamar
was tried in the court of Shem: Makkot
23b Samson was
disgraced in Timnah, and so he is described as descending to Timnah; Yehudah
was elevated in Timnah, and so he is described as ascending to Timnah.
Alternatively, there are topographical explanations for the descriptions:
Sotah 10a Attributing Yehudah's loss of his social status, and ultimately
of his family, to his beginning a Mitzvah of saving Joseph and not completing
it: Sotah 13b Why Yehudah didn't recognize Tamar on the road: Megillah 10b;
Sotah 10b Yehudah asked Tamar whether she was Jewish, and whether she was
single, and whether she was pure, before taking her: Sotah 10a Yehudah's
greatness, in admitting his error vis-a-vis Tamar: Megillah 25b Yehudah
admitted his role in the story with Tamar, and was not embarrassed, and so he
merited entry into the next world, and the monarchy went to his tribe: Sotah
7b A Divine
Voice confirming Yehudah's statement that he was the father of Tamar's
children: Makkot 23b; Sotah 10b Tamar said to Yehudah, "Haker Na [Recognize
this, please]," just as Yehudah had said to his father, regarding Yosef's
cloak, "Haker Na": Sotah 10b Tamar said to Yehudah, "Recognize the face of
your Creator, and don't turn your eyes from me": Sotah 10b When Yehudah
admitted his involvement with Tamar, a Divine Voice
announced, "You saved Tamar and her two sons; I will save your three
descendants [Chananiah,
Mishael and Azariah]" from the fire: Sotah 10b Yehudah sanctified Gd's Name
in public, and so Gd incorporated His whole Name into
Yehudah's Name: Sotah 10b The end of the relationship between Yehudah and
Tamar: Sotah 10b The advice of
Haman's advisors to him, regarding dealing with Mordechai, based upon
Mordechai's tribe, if he was from Yehudah, Binyamin, Ephraim or Menasheh:
Megillah 16a Reading the story
of Yehudah and Tamar in public: Megillah 25a, 25b Translating the
story of Yehudah and Tamar in public: Megillah 25a, 25b The sins of
Yehudah's sons, Er and Onan: Niddah 13a, 13b
Dan
Dan's descendants are more litigious than the other tribes' descendants:
Pesachim 4a Chushim ben Dan was deaf: Sotah 13a The story of Esav's attempt
to block the burial of
Jacob in the cave of Machpelah, and the role played by Naftali in getting
the bill of sale, and of Chushim ben Dan in killing Esav. Esav's eyes landed
on Jacob's feet, and Jacob opened his eyes and laughed: Sotah
13a
Naftali
Naftali's speed: Sotah 13a The tribe of Zevulun's apparent jealousy of
Naftali's share in
Israel: Megillah 6a The story of Esav's attempt
to block the burial of
Jacob in the cave of Machpelah, and the role played by Naftali in getting
the bill of sale, and of Chushim ben Dan in killing Esav. Esav's eyes landed
on Jacob's feet, and Jacob opened his eyes and laughed: Sotah
13a
Asher
Serach bat Asher told Moses about Joseph's burial in the Nile: Sotah
13a
Yissaschar
His Reward, and that of Joseph, goes to those who practice generous acts and
learn Torah: Bava Kama
17a His trait is that of [Binah] understanding: Eruvin 100b; Bava Kama
17a Leah came to Yaakov for sexual relations willingly, and so she merited
to have a son [Yissachar] whose children were even wiser than the sages of
Moshe's generation: Eruvin 100b
Zevulun
His descendants prefer to live by the seashore: Pesachim 4a The tribe
of Zevulun's apparent jealousy of Naftali's share in Israel:
Megillah 6a
Deenah
Rape by Shechem: Yoma 77b (See Rashi)
Joseph
The value of the special coat which Jacob gave to Joseph: Megillah
16b When Jacob sent Joseph from Chevron, it was according to Gd's plan, as
Gd had told Avraham
that his descendants would be strangers in a land which would not be theirs:
Sotah 11a The pit Joseph was thrown into was empty of water, but contained
snakes and scorpions: Chagigah 3a Joseph not drinking wine during the time
when he was away from his brothers: Shabbat 139a Potiphar acquired Joseph
intending to abuse him; the angel Gavriel
wounded him in a way which made this impossible: Sotah 13b Whether Joseph
would have been liable for a penalty in a human court, for involvement with
the wife of Potiphar: Makkot 9a When Joseph refused to listen to Potiphar's
wife, "to recline by her and to be with her," that referred to refusal to be
with her in both this world and the next world: Sotah 3b Joseph sanctified Gd's Name
in private, and so Gd added one of the letters of His Name to Joseph's name;
Joseph is sometimes identified as "Yehosef": Sotah 10b Gd manipulated the
dealings of the butler and baker, specifically
to save Joseph: Megillah 13b Joseph was freed from the Egyptian jail on Rosh HaShanah: Rosh
HaShanah 10b, 11a-b Joseph caused the Egyptian astrologers to lose their
positions: Sotah 13b Joseph was identified as "[dead] bones" in his
lifetime because he allowed his brothers to refer to Jacob as Joseph's
servant: Sotah 13b Joseph's gift to Binyamin, and why he gave it to him:
Megillah 16a-b Why Joseph cried when he met Binyamin, and Binyamin cried
when he met Joseph, in Egypt: Megillah 16b How long Joseph spent away from
Jacob: Megillah 17a Joseph's message of reassurance to his brothers, when
they feared retribution: Megillah 16b Joseph left 3 troves of gold in
Egypt; one went to Korach, one
to Antoninus, and one
will go to the righteous in the future: Pesachim
119a His Reward, and that of Yissaschar, goes to those who practice Generous acts and
learn Torah: Bava Kama
17a Joseph's trait is that his enemies fall before him: Bava Kama
17a Joseph died before his brothers because he took a position of
authority: Sotah 13b The people who carried Joseph's coffin through the
desert: Succah 25a-b Joseph was the most prominent of the brothers and he
took care of burying Jacob, and so Moses, the most prominent of the Jews, took
care of Joseph's burial: Sotah 9b Joseph and his descendants are immune
from the evil
eye [ayin hara]: Berachot 20a Joseph's descendants said "Let the nation
take care of Joseph's body; it is a greater honor to have more people
involved." The Jews said "Let Moses do it; it is a greater honor to have a
greater person do it": Sotah 13b Because Moses, who was so prominent,
involved himself with the burial of Joseph, Gd Himself involved Himself with
Moses's burial: Sotah 9b Moses got Joseph's bones while the Jews were
looting Egypt: Sotah 13a Serach bat Asher told Moses about Joseph's burial
in the Nile: Sotah 13a Alternatively, Joseph's coffin was in a royal
Egyptian mausoleum: Sotah 13a Moses calling up Joseph's bones, making their
iron container float up: Sotah 13a The ark containing Joseph's bones
travelled next to the Ark of the Torah in the desert; "This one fulfilled all
that was in that one": Sotah 13a-b Joseph was buried in Shechem, because he
had been stolen from there: Sotah 13b The Jewish people get the credit for
taking Joseph out of Egypt, because they completed the job after Moshe died:
Sotah 13b The death of the Messiah descendant from the
Tribe of Joseph: Succah 52a [2x] R' Yochanan
was a descendant of Joseph: Berachot 20a
Why Yehudah didn't recognize Tamar on the road: Megillah 10b; Sotah
10b Her modestymerited descendants
who were Kings and Prophets: Megillah 10b; Sotah 10b King David
was a descendant of hers: Megillah 10b; Sotah 10b Yeshayah was
a descendant of hers: Megillah 10b; Sotah 10b Reading the story
of Yehudah and Tamar in public: Megillah 25a, 25b Translating the
story of Yehudah and Tamar in public: Megillah 25a, 25b Tamar went to
the entrance of Avraham's
tent, which was a place to which everyone looked, and so it was called
"The Entrance of the Eyes." Alternatively, this was the place's name.
Alternatively, the name came from the way she "gave eyes to her words" in
convincing Yehudah that she was permitted to him: Sotah 10a Yehudah asked
Tamar whether she was Jewish, and whether she was single, and whether she was
pure, before taking her: Sotah 10a When Tamar was being taken out to be
killed, Samael
came and tried to remove the items which identified Yehudah as the father,
rendering her a "mute dove;" Gavriel
came and brought them back: Sotah 10b We learn from Tamar's refusal to
identify Yehudah outright that it would be better for a person to be exposed
to a fiery furnace than for him to humiliate someone else in
public: Sotah 10b; Bava Metzia 59a Tamar said to Yehudah, "Haker Na
[Recognize this, please]," just as Yehudah had said to his father, regarding
Yosef's cloak, "Haker Na": Sotah 10b Tamar said to Yehudah, "Recognize the
face of your Creator, and don't turn your eyes from me": Sotah 10b The end
of the relationship between Yehudah and Tamar: Sotah
10b
