The bulk of Parshas Vayeishev [weekly Torah reading Genesis 37:1 to 40:23], and the remainder of the book of Genesis, is devoted to the story of Joseph in Egypt. After Joseph was sold into slavery and brought to Egypt, he was purchased by Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh. Within a a relatively short time, Joseph rose to become his master’s most trusted servant and he was appointed over the entire household.
However, at this point Joseph began to face an extraordinarily difficult challenge. His master’s wife developed a powerful desire for him. The Torah tells us that she spoke to him “day after day,” seeking to seduce him. The Sages tell us that she used every weapon in her arsenal: seduction, bribery, and threats. Yet, despite all her efforts, Joseph never succumbed. Finally, one day, Potiphar’s wife managed to get Joseph alone, and she literally grabbed onto him by his garments. Joseph fled, leaving his coat in her hand. Potiphar’s wife then accused him of doing exactly what she had been trying to force him to do, and Joseph ended up being put in prison.
The story of Joseph’s resistance to sin is seen as one of the great examples of righteousness in history. This story is the main reason why Joseph is traditionally known as “Yosef HaTzadik”—“Joseph the Righteous”. The Sages (Sotah 36b) describe Joseph’s actions as “sanctifying the Name of Heaven in private” and they tell us (Yoma 35b) that Joseph “obligates the wicked,” meaning that his successful struggle against sin demonstrates that a person can never legitimately claim that his temptations were too overwhelming. If Joseph, a teenage boy cut off from his family and enslaved in a foreign country, could resist such an overwhelming temptation, then who can honestly claim that they have faced a more difficult challenge?
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Author: Eliezer Abrahamson
Keywords: Joseph, Joseph's temptation, Potiphar's wife, Joseph and Potiphar's wife, Sexual temptation, Evil inclination, Yetzer hara, Yetzer ha ra, Yetser hara, Yetser ha ra, Evil urge, Resisting temptation, Temptation
Bible reference(s): Genesis 39:7-13
Source: “Vayeishev—Joseph’s Struggle, and Ours,” Olive Seedlings.
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