That’s kind of the vibe we get with Joseph and Zuleika in the Legends of the Jews. You know, Joseph, the one with the coat of many colors? Before he became a big shot in Egypt, he was, well, a slave. And his master's wife, Zuleika, she was really into him.
Ginzberg, in his masterful retelling in Legends of the Jews, paints a picture of Zuleika relentlessly pursuing Joseph. Day after day, she'd shower him with attention. "How fair is thy appearance, how comely thy form!" she'd gush. "Never have I seen so well-favored a slave as thou art."
Can you imagine? It's almost comical, the intensity of it. But Joseph, bless his heart, wasn't having any of it. He deflects it all with a simple, powerful reminder: "God, who formed me in my mother's womb, hath created all men."
It's a subtle rebuke, isn't it? He's not denying her compliments outright, but he's pointing to something bigger. He's saying, "This isn't about me. This is about the Creator."
And Zuleika? She keeps going! "How beautiful are thine eyes, with which thou hast charmed all Egyptians, both men and women!" she exclaims. She just won't quit!
But Joseph, ever steadfast, responds with a dose of reality. "Beautiful as they may be while I am alive, so ghastly they will be to look upon in the grave."
Ouch. Talk about a mood killer! But it's more than just a rejection. It's a profound statement about mortality, about the fleeting nature of physical beauty. He's reminding her – and himself – that there's more to life than appearances.
It’s a pretty stark contrast, right? Zuleika, caught up in the superficial, and Joseph, grounded in something deeper. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How often do we get caught up in the superficial, the fleeting, the things that ultimately don't matter? And how often do we need a reminder, like Joseph's, to ground us in what truly does?