Parshat Vayeshev5 min read

Joseph Resisted Potiphar's Wife With Jacob's Face Before Him

Joseph faces Potiphar's wife daily for a year, and tradition says his father's face appeared at the window to stop him.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The House That Closed Around Him
  2. A Face in the Window
  3. What Was Actually at Stake
  4. The Yetzer and the Ruler

The House That Closed Around Him

Potiphar's wife did not move on after one refusal. She waited. She tried again the next day and the day after that. The Book of Jubilees tracks the pressure across a year: daily approaches, flattery, then coercion. She cleared the servants from the house, locked the doors, and brought Joseph to a moment where the private cost of refusal was his physical freedom. He left his garment in her hand and ran. The garment behind him was the proof she would use against him. It was also the proof the tradition uses to measure what he gave up in order to walk out.

The Jubilees account does not let Joseph escape the desire. He felt it. His inner struggle is part of the record. He did not resist because the situation failed to tempt him. He resisted because he remembered who had given him the name he carried and what was owed to the God who watched Potiphar's house as surely as He had watched Jacob's tents.

A Face in the Window

Legends of the Jews preserves the tradition Ginzberg drew from the Talmud: at the moment Joseph was about to yield, his father's image appeared at the window. Jacob's face, the face that had named him and blessed him and wept over him, looked in. Joseph saw it and pulled back. This is not a vision of comfort. It is a vision of witness. Jacob was not present to stop his son. He appeared to remind his son who he was.

Midrash Tanchuma Buber on Vayeshev traces the resemblance precisely. Scripture calls Joseph the child of Jacob's old age, though Benjamin was born later. The phrase marks not birth order but likeness. Joseph's face was Jacob's face grown young again. To look at Joseph was to look at Jacob, which meant Joseph could not look at himself without seeing his father. The tradition does not leave this as metaphor. The face was a fact. When Joseph stood in that locked room, something in the mirror of his own features became an argument against betrayal.

What Was Actually at Stake

Midrash Tanchuma Buber on Nasso gives the transaction its full weight. Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin, in Rabbi Levi's name, reads Joseph's resistance through Solomon: whoever keeps a commandment will know no evil thing. The Holy One watched Joseph refuse and said: because you would not listen to her, I will set you over all Egypt. Because he ruled his impulse, he was made ruler over the land. The private drama in Potiphar's house was the test that qualified him for the public throne.

The logic is not simply about reward. It is about fitness. The man who can govern himself in a locked room can be trusted with an empire. Pharaoh would later tell Egypt to go to Joseph, to submit every mouth to his authority. The tradition sees that authority as earned precisely in the moment Potiphar's wife closed the doors. Joseph's capacity to rule Egypt was demonstrated when there was no witness and no advantage in refusing.

The Yetzer and the Ruler

The word the midrash uses is yetzer, the impulse, the inner drive that every person carries. In rabbinic thought the yetzer is not evil by nature. It is energy. The question is who governs it. Jacob was the ancestor who wrestled the angel and won a new name. Joseph was the son who wrestled his own desire in a locked house and won a kingdom. The tradition draws the line straight from the Akeidah's discipline to the chamberlain of Egypt who kept the granaries of a civilization.

The Jubilees account ends with Joseph in prison on the strength of the false accusation. He is innocent and punished for it. The midrash does not apologize for this sequence. It lets the injustice stand. The reward does not arrive until the dreams come, until Pharaoh wakes at midnight and sends for the Hebrew who interprets. By then Joseph has been in prison for years. The tradition remembers all of it: the refusal, the garment, the cell, and finally the ring on his finger and Egypt at his feet.

JosephJacobPotiphar's WifeYetzer HaraChastity
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From the tradition

Sources

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Book of Jubilees 39:11Book of Jubilees

It's one of those ancient Jewish texts, considered apocryphal (meaning not part of the official canon) by some, but absolutely brimming with fascinating details and expansions on the stories we find in the Hebrew Bible. It's like a peek behind the curtain of biblical narratives.

Our scene? It’s Potiphar's house in Egypt. The protagonist? None other than Joseph, that dreamer of dreams, the favorite son of Jacob, who's now found himself sold into slavery. Things are already complicated. So, Joseph is working in Potiphar's household, and he's doing remarkably well. He’s blessed, he’s capable, and he quickly rises through the ranks. Potiphar trusts him implicitly.

Potiphar's wife, well, she takes a liking to Joseph. A very strong liking. And she starts making advances. Now, the Book of Jubilees, in chapter 39, paints a pretty vivid picture. It says, "And she besought him for a year, but he refused and would not listen." A YEAR! Can you imagine the pressure? The constant… temptation?

Joseph stays strong. He refuses. Time and time again.

But Potiphar's wife isn't one to give up easily. According to Jubilees, "she embraced him and held him fast in the house in order to force him to lie with her, and closed the doors of the house and held him fast..." Talk about intense! She's not just flirting; she's physically restraining him, trying to force him.

What does Joseph do? He makes a split-second decision. "…but he left his garment in her hands and broke through the door and fled without from her presence." He literally tears himself away, leaving a piece of himself behind – his garment – to escape the situation. His reputation, his position, everything is on the line.

Now, think about this for a second. It's not just about physical escape. It's about escaping a moral compromise. Joseph chooses his integrity, his relationship with God, over everything else.

Of course, the story doesn't end there.

The scorned woman, rejected and possibly embarrassed, retaliates. And this is where it gets really ugly. "And the woman saw that he would not lie with her, and she calumniated him in the presence of his lord, saying: 'Thy Hebrew servant, whom thou lovest, sought to force me so that he might lie with me; and it came to pass when I lifted up my voice that he fled and left his garment in my hands when I held him, and he brake through the door.'"

She accuses Joseph of the very thing she tried to do to him! She uses his virtue against him. She twists the story to make him look like the aggressor.

And Potiphar? He believes her. Joseph, despite his innocence, is thrown into prison.

It's a heartbreaking turn of events. Joseph does the right thing, and he's punished for it. It feels unfair, doesn't it?

But here's the thing. Even in prison, Joseph's character shines through. He doesn't become bitter or vengeful. He maintains his integrity. And ultimately, it's this integrity, this unwavering commitment to doing what's right, that leads to his eventual redemption.

The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, as told in the Book of Jubilees, is a powerful reminder that doing the right thing isn't always easy. It can come at a cost. But in the long run, it's our integrity, our commitment to our values, that truly defines us.

So, the next time you're faced with a difficult choice, remember Joseph. Remember his courage, his integrity, and his unwavering faith. And remember that even in the darkest of times, doing the right thing is always worth it.

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Book of Jubilees 39:7Book of Jubilees

It’s a universal human experience, and it echoes through our sacred stories. Take the tale of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, for example. We know the story well from Genesis, but the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the 2nd century BCE, gives us a deeper look into Joseph’s struggle.

The scene: Joseph, a handsome and capable young man, now a servant in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian official. Potiphar’s wife, captivated by Joseph, makes her move. "She lifted up her eyes and saw Joseph, and she loved him, and besought him to lie with her," Jubilees tells us.

Think about the power dynamic here. Joseph is a slave. This woman is his master's wife. He could have rationalized giving in. Who would believe him if he refused? Yet, he doesn't. Why?

Jubilees explains, "But he did not surrender his soul, and he remembered the Lord." It wasn’t just about obedience; it was about the integrity of his soul. And what informed that integrity? His upbringing, his father's teachings.

The text continues, "...and he remembered the words which Jacob, his father, used to read from amongst the words of Abraham." What were those words? A clear, unwavering moral code: "that no man should commit fornication with a woman who hath a husband; that for him the punishment of death hath been ordained in the heavens before the Most High God."

Strong words. Almost terrifying. But also, incredibly grounding. The consequence isn’t just earthly; it’s cosmic. The sin, Jubilees emphasizes, "will be recorded against him in the eternal books continually before the Lord."

Joseph understood the gravity of his choice. This wasn't just a fleeting moment of passion. It was a transgression against God, a stain on his soul that would be recorded for eternity. And so, "Joseph remembered these words and refused to lie with her."

It's a powerful reminder, isn't it? That our actions have consequences, not just in this world, but in the eyes of something far greater. Joseph's story, as amplified by Jubilees, isn't just about resisting temptation. It’s about the importance of moral education, the weight of tradition, and the enduring power of remembering who we are, and Whose we are, in the face of adversity. What guiding principles do you carry with you, in the face of temptation?

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Legends of the Jews, I. Joseph, Joseph And ZuleikaLegends of the Jews

"Throw the stick up in the air," goes the saying, "it will always return to its original place." And perhaps that's how Zuleika, Potiphar's wife, felt about her growing desire for Joseph. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Joseph, much like his mother Rachel, possessed a captivating beauty. And Zuleika? Well, she was consumed by an "invincible passion" for him.

Some even say that Zuleika's feelings were intensified by astrological predictions. The stars, it was said, foretold that she would have descendants through Joseph. Though, as we'll see, the prophecy unfolded in a way she never expected: Joseph later married her daughter Asenath, who bore him children.

Initially, Zuleika didn't reveal her feelings directly. Instead, she tried to use trickery. Under the guise of visiting him, she'd approach Joseph at night. And, because she had no sons of her own, she would pretend that she wanted to adopt him. Joseph, being the kind soul he was, even prayed to God on her behalf, and she eventually did bear a son. But even then, she continued to embrace Joseph, though he remained oblivious to her true intentions.

Eventually, Joseph recognized her "wanton trickery" and was deeply saddened. He tried to dissuade her from her sinful desires by speaking to her about God. But she, in turn, threatened him with death, even resorting to physical punishments to bend him to her will. When those tactics failed, she tried seduction. "I promise thee," she'd say, "thou shalt rule over me and all I have, if thou wilt but give thyself up to me… and thou shalt be to me the same as my lawful husband."

But Joseph wouldn't budge. Mindful of the teachings of his fathers, he retreated to his chamber to fast and pray, begging God to deliver him from the clutches of the Egyptian woman. Despite his self-denial, his master believed he was living a life of luxury, because, as the stories say, those who fast for the glory of God are made beautiful of countenance.

Zuleika, in a twisted game, would praise Joseph's chastity to her husband, ensuring he wouldn't suspect anything. And secretly, she'd encourage Joseph, telling him not to fear her husband, that Potiphar was convinced of his purity. She even claimed that if anyone tried to spread rumors about them, Potiphar wouldn't believe a word of it.

When she realized her words were having no effect, Zuleika changed tactics. She asked Joseph to teach her about the word of God. "If it be thy wish that I forsake idol worship," she pleaded, "then fulfil my desire, and I will persuade that Egyptian husband of mine to abjure the idols, and we shall walk in the law of thy God." Joseph's response was firm: "The Lord desireth not that those who fear Him shall walk in impurity, nor hath He pleasure in the adulterer."

On another occasion, she threatened, "If thou wilt not do my desire, I will murder the Egyptian and wed with thee according to the law!" Joseph, horrified, tore his garment and cried out, "O woman, fear the Lord, and do not execute this evil deed, that thou mayest not bring destruction down upon thyself, for I will proclaim thy impious purposes to all in public."

Even magic didn't work. She sent him a dish prepared with spells, hoping to ensnare him. But when the eunuch presented it, Joseph saw a vision of a man offering him a sword along with the dish. Warned, he refused to taste it. Later, when Zuleika questioned him, Joseph rebuked her, revealing that God had shown him her treachery through an angel. To prove that "the malice of the wicked has no power over those who fear God in purity," he ate the food before her eyes, trusting in the protection of God and the angel of Abraham.

Humiliated, Zuleika fell at Joseph's feet, promising to never repeat her sin. But her unholy passion persisted, and her distress made her visibly ill. When her husband noticed her decline, she feigned a pain in her heart.

In a moment of desperation, when alone with Joseph, she threatened suicide if he wouldn't yield to her. Joseph, attempting to calm her, warned that her rival, Asteho, would mistreat her children and erase her memory from the earth. But his words backfired, fueling her hope that he cared for her.

Day after day, Zuleika, whose name, according to some traditions, was indeed Zuleika, pursued him with flattery and amorous talk. "How fair is thy appearance, how comely thy form! Never have I seen so well-favored a slave as thou art." Joseph, unwavering, would reply, "God, who formed me in my mother's womb, hath created all men."

She'd compliment his eyes, his words, his hair, but Joseph remained steadfast, never even raising his gaze to meet hers. Gifts and threats were equally ineffective. He knew, "The Lord executeth judgment for the oppressed… The Lord giveth food to the hungry… The Lord looseth the prisoners… The Lord raiseth up them that are bowed down… The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind."

When she resorted to seductive behavior, he rejected her, proclaiming, "I fear my master." Zuleika, in a fit of passion, would retort, "I will kill him!" Joseph, appalled, exclaimed, "Not enough that thou wouldst make an adulterer of me, thou wouldst have me be a murderer, besides?" And then, he would declare, "I fear the Lord my God!"

Zuleika, unable to grasp his devotion, dismissed his fear of God. But Joseph countered, "Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable." One time, she even took him into her chamber and covered the idol hanging above the bed, so it wouldn't witness their actions. Joseph responded, "Though thou coverest up the eyes of the idol, remember, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth."

He continued, "Adam was banished from Paradise on account of violating a light command; how much more should I have to fear the punishment of God, were I to commit so grave a sin as adultery! The Lord is in the habit of choosing a favorite member of our family as a sacrifice unto Himself… Also the Lord is in the habit of appearing suddenly, in visions of the night, unto those that love Him… Were I to fulfil thy desire, I would share the fate of my brother Reuben."

With these words, Joseph sought to cure Zuleika of her lust, not out of fear of punishment or public opinion, but because he desired to sanctify the Name of God before the entire world.

Finally, when she declared her desires in unmistakable terms, Joseph recoiled. "Why dost thou refuse to fulfil my wish? Am I not a married woman? None will find out what thou hast done." Joseph replied, "If the unmarried women of the heathen are prohibited unto us, how much more their married women? As the Lord liveth, I will not commit the crime thou biddest me do." This, it is said, was an example of pious men uttering an oath when tempted, seeking moral courage to control their instincts.

When persuasion failed, Zuleika's desire plunged her into a deep sickness. The women of Egypt came to visit, questioning her languid state. Zuleika devised a plan. She prepared a feast, placing knives at each setting to peel oranges. Then, she ordered Joseph to appear, adorned in costly garments, and serve her guests.

As Joseph entered, the women were captivated by his beauty. They became so entranced that they cut their hands with the knives, and the oranges in their hands were covered with blood, yet they were oblivious. Zuleika then revealed the reason for her suffering, explaining how she constantly saw Joseph and could not control her feelings.

The women, now understanding, suggested she simply reveal her feelings to Joseph. But Zuleika explained that she had tried everything, promising him everything, yet he remained unmoved.

Her sickness worsened. While her husband remained oblivious, Zuleika's female friends, aware of her love for Joseph, continued to encourage her to entice him. One day, she seized Joseph, but he was stronger and pushed her to the ground. Weeping and pleading, Zuleika begged him to consider the honor she had bestowed upon him and to end her suffering.

But Joseph remained steadfast. Zuleika, undeterred, persisted for an entire year, but Joseph, in his chastity, refused to even look at her. In a final act of desperation, she placed an iron shackle on his chin, forcing him to look her in the face.

What does this story tell us about temptation, resilience, and the unwavering commitment to one's beliefs? Joseph's journey is a evidence of the power of faith and the strength of character in the face of overwhelming odds. It's a reminder that even when the world tries to pull us in different directions, we have the capacity to choose our own path, guided by our principles and our connection to something greater than ourselves.

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayeshev 5:1Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayeshev

Another interpretation of THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF JACOB: JOSEPH (Genesis 37:2): that Joseph's face resembled Jacob's. Whence do we know this? For thus it says: NOW ISRAEL LOVED JOSEPH [MORE THAN ALL HIS SONS, FOR HE WAS THE CHILD OF HIS OLD AGE (Genesis 37:3). But behold, Benjamin was younger than he, yet it says "the child of his old age"; rather, it is that his features (eikonin) resembled his. Hence: THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF JACOB: JOSEPH].

Just as Jacob raised up tribes, so too did Joseph raise up tribes, as it is said: EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH SHALL BE MINE, LIKE REUBEN AND SIMEON (Genesis 48:5). Hence: THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF JACOB.

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Nasso 32:1Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Nasso

[(Numbers 7:48:) ON THE SEVENTH DAY, THE PRINCE OF THE CHILDREN OF EPHRAIM. Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi:] This is what Scripture says (Ecclesiastes 8:4-5): WHERE THE WORD OF A KING IS, THERE IS POWER, etc.; WHOEVER KEEPS A COMMANDMENT SHALL KNOW NO EVIL THING. And likewise it says (II Samuel 23:3): THE GOD OF ISRAEL SPOKE, THE ROCK OF ISRAEL SAID TO ME: ONE WHO RULES OVER MAN, RIGHTEOUS, RULING IN THE FEAR OF GOD. Who is this? This is the one who rules over his impulse (yetzer). And who was this? This was Joseph, the father of [Ephraim], the father of the father of Joshua son of Nun. What is written concerning him? AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS THAT HIS MASTER'S WIFE LIFTED UP HER EYES TO JOSEPH [etc.], BUT HE REFUSED, etc. (Genesis 39:7-8). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You did not listen to her; by your life, I will make you king over Egypt, and all shall be obedient to you, as it is said (Genesis 41:55): AND PHARAOH SAID TO ALL EGYPT: GO TO JOSEPH. And it says (Genesis 41:40): YOU SHALL BE OVER MY HOUSE, and the children of my palace shall do nothing apart from your knowledge. And it says (Genesis 42:6): AND JOSEPH WAS THE RULER OVER THE LAND. Because he ruled over his impulse, he was made ruler over the land. (Genesis 39:2:) AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN (ish matzliach). It need only have said "a righteous man." Why is it written "a successful man"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You attained what Adam the first man did not attain. "Successful" (matzliach) means nothing other than attainment, as it is said (II Samuel 19:18): AND THEY CROSSED OVER (tzalchu) THE JORDAN BEFORE THE KING. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: An individual's offering does not override the Sabbath; by your life, your son's offering shall override the Sabbath, on account of the commandment that you fulfilled. Hence (Numbers 7:48): ON THE SEVENTH DAY, THE PRINCE OF THE CHILDREN OF EPHRAIM, ELISHAMA SON OF AMMIHUD. Rabbi Azariah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Joseph: You kept the commandment YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, and you fulfilled the Torah before I gave it; no tribe shall come between your two sons, rather, Ephraim on the seventh day and Manasseh on the eighth day.

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Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 146:3Yalkut Shimoni on Torah

Rabbi Yehudah says: it was the day of the Nile's rising, and all went to see it, but he did not go. Rather, "he came into the house to do his work," to calculate his master's accounts. Rabbi Nehemiah says: it was the day of the theater, and all went to watch, but he did not go. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: "to do his work" means his actual work. Rav Hiyya taught: he saw the image of his father and his blood cooled, as it says, "by the hands of the Mighty One" (Genesis 49:24). Rav Huna taught in the name of Rav: he saw the image of his mother and his blood cooled, as it says, "from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel." Who did this? "From the God of your father, who will help you" (Genesis 49:25).

As for what we learned, that the primary categories of labor are forty less one, corresponding to what are they? Rabbi Hanina said: corresponding to the labors of the Tabernacle. Rabbi Shimon ben Yose ben Lakunya said: corresponding to the words melakhah and melakhot, "work" and "works," in the Torah. Rav Yosef asked: is this verse, "he came into the house to do his work," part of the count or not? He was uncertain because it is written, "the work was sufficient" (Exodus 36:7), and this would follow the one who says Joseph entered to attend to his own needs; or perhaps "he came into the house to do his work" is part of the count, and the verse about the Tabernacle means that their labor was completed. When Joseph came to join with her, the Holy One, blessed be He, came in the likeness of his father, and his organ cooled, as it says, "his bow remained firm" (Genesis 49:24). She said to him, "What is wrong with you?" He said to her, "I see my father." She said to him, "Where is he? There is no man from the men of the house here." He said to her, "You are a daughter of donkeys, 'whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys' (Ezekiel 23:20), and a donkey does not see. But I am among those who see, as it says, 'And he saw the place from afar'" (Genesis 22:4).

That day they all went to idolatrous worship, and she made herself ill. When they returned, her companions went to visit her. They said to her, "What is wrong that your face looks like this?" She told them everything that had happened. They said to her, "You have no remedy except to say such-and-such to your husband, and he will imprison him." She said to them, "Please, let each of you say [to your husbands] that he made advances to you too." They did so. All the officers entered Potiphar's courtyard and told him. He wanted to kill Joseph. She said to him, "Do not kill him and lose your money; imprison him instead." Even so, he wanted to kill him, until Asenath came secretly to Potiphera, swore to him, and told the truth. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, "By your life, since you plead merit for him, the tribes that I raise from him will come through you." And some say she was Dinah's daughter, but Potiphera raised her.

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