It all revolves around Joseph’s coat – that infamous coat of many colors.
The story goes that after selling Joseph into slavery, Jacob's sons were immediately overcome with regret. According to Ginzberg’s retelling in Legends of the Jews, they actually chased after the Midianites, desperate to buy Joseph back. But it was too late. They couldn't catch up.
Meanwhile, Reuben, the eldest, was off doing penance for a past transgression. He was so engrossed in prayer and studying Torah that he didn't even know what his brothers were up to. When he finally returned, his first thought was to check on Joseph. He went straight to the pit, calling out, "Joseph! Joseph!" But there was no answer. Reuben assumed the worst – that Joseph had perished in the pit, maybe from fright or a snake bite. He climbed down, finding nothing. Overcome with grief and guilt, he tore his clothes and cried out, "The lad is not there, and what answer shall I give to my father?"
Imagine Reuben’s horror as he faced his brothers. They confessed everything, explaining their failed attempt to right their wrong. Now, they had a bigger problem: how to explain Joseph's disappearance to Jacob.
First, they swore an oath: total secrecy. Anyone who revealed the truth would face death at the hands of the others. Then, they schemed. Issachar suggested tearing Joseph’s coat and dipping it in goat’s blood to make it look like a wild animal attack. Why a goat? Because, according to Issachar, its blood looks most like human blood. In a strange twist, Legends of the Jews tells us that this deception led to the tradition of using a kid as an atonement sacrifice when the Tabernacle was dedicated.
Simon initially refused to hand over the coat, enraged that his brothers hadn't simply killed Joseph. But they threatened him in turn: give us the coat or we’ll say YOU did it. Faced with that, he relented. Naphtali took the bloodied coat to Jacob, saying they found it on the road near Shechem. "Know now whether it be thy son's coat or not."
Can you imagine the scene? Jacob recognized the coat. Overwhelmed, he collapsed, motionless as a stone. Then, the cries, the weeping: "It is my son's coat! An evil beast hath devoured him! Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces!" He summoned his sons, who arrived with torn clothes and dust on their heads. They confirmed the story. Jacob was inconsolable. "O my son Joseph," he lamented, "my son, I sent thee to inquire after the welfare of thy brethren, and now thou art torn by wild beasts."
His sons insisted Joseph hadn't even reached them. Jacob, convinced his son was dead, mourned deeply. According to Legends of the Jews, Jacob cried out, "O Joseph, my son, how painful and appalling was thy death! None hath died a death like thine since the world doth stand." He even blamed himself, wondering if his sins had caused this tragedy.
The sons, witnessing Jacob’s immense grief, were stricken with remorse, especially Judah. They tried to comfort him, holding a memorial service, but Jacob refused solace. The loss triggered a chain of events. Bilhah, Jacob's wife, died the same day she heard the news. Dinah, Jacob's daughter, followed soon after. Three losses in one month.
The tradition even connects this event to the Jewish calendar. Legends of the Jews states that Jacob received the news of Joseph’s death in the seventh month, Tishri, on the tenth day – which is why the children of Israel are bidden to weep and afflict their souls on this day. And the sin offering of atonement on that day? A kid of the goats, a stark reminder of the deception.
After some time, Jacob, still consumed by grief, sent his sons out to find Joseph's body. He even sought revenge on the beast that supposedly killed him. They returned with a wolf, claiming it was the first wild animal they encountered. Jacob, weeping, confronted the wolf. But then, in a bizarre twist, God allowed the wolf to speak! The wolf swore it hadn't killed Joseph, claiming it was searching for its own lost son. Astonished, Jacob let the wolf go.
Despite all the evidence, Jacob couldn't shake the feeling that Joseph was still alive. He performed a strange test, carving his sons' names on stones. When he commanded the stones to bow down to Joseph's stone, they all prostrated themselves. This, and similar tests with trees and sheaves, convinced him that Joseph lived.
So, why didn't God reveal the truth to Jacob? According to Legends of the Jews, it was because the brothers, in their haste to keep their secret, had unwittingly included God in their oath of secrecy. They reasoned they needed ten people to make the oath valid, and since there were only nine brothers present, they counted God as the tenth. Therefore, God felt bound to uphold their ban. Isaac, who knew the truth through prophecy, also remained silent, simply mourning alongside Jacob.
Jacob's grief ran deep. He felt that the covenant God made with him regarding the twelve tribes was broken. All the works of God were made to correspond to the number of the tribes—twelve are the signs of the zodiac, twelve the months, twelve hours hath the day, twelve the night, and twelve stones are set in Aaron's breastplate—and now that Joseph hath departed, the covenant of the tribes is set at naught." He believed he was now destined for Gehenna (hell). His mourning lasted twenty-two years, mirroring the time he had spent away from his parents. In his grief, Jacob wore sackcloth, becoming a model for future leaders in times of great misfortune.
What are we to make of this story? Is it a cautionary tale about the consequences of jealousy and deception? Or is it a testament to the enduring power of a father’s love and the complexities of divine justice? Perhaps it's a reminder that even in the face of immense suffering, hope – like Jacob's persistent suspicion that Joseph lived – can endure.