S.A.L.T. - Sunday

Parashat Vayeshev begins with the story of Yosef's brothers' hatred towards him, a hatred that he himself would fuel by reporting to them his dreams of kingship over the family. After dreaming his first dream, he tells his brothers, “Shim'u na ha-chalom ha-zeh” - “Please listen to this dream…” (37:6). The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 84) comments that Yosef here tells them, “So will the prophets reprimand you - 'Shim'u na et asher Hashem omer' ['Please listen to that which the Lord says' - Mikha 6:1].” What connection does this Midrash seek to draw between Yosef's report of his dreams and prophecy?

Commenting on this verse, the Midrash Lekach Tov tells that Yosef approached his brothers to tell them of his dream but they refused to listen. Yosef therefore says, “Shim'u na” - “Please listen,” pleading with and imploring them to let him speak and hear what he has to say. Apparently, the brothers guessed - correctly - what this dream was about. Already having detected signs of Yosef's ambitions for leadership, the brothers accurately predicted that Yosef's dream involved these aspirations.

Herein, perhaps, lies the association between Yosef's appeal to his brothers and the words of the prophets. The prophets, too, had a very hard time earning an audience, finding a listening ear. As the conscience of Am Yisrael, they spoke words that the nation did not want to hear. Specifically, Mikha's prophecy to which the Midrash refers, which opens with “Shim'u na,” presents a very frank exposure of Benei Yisrael. This chapter (Mikha 6) contrasts God's unending kindness towards the people with their stubborn refusal to obey His commandments. This is not what people wish to hear. The prophets had to plead with the people just to listen, to hear what they have to say, to stop for a moment and pay attention to the prophets' words.

This Midrash, then, provides a keen insight into a human nature, pointing to a phenomenon that contributed to the tension between Yosef and his brothers and would later threaten to undermine the role of the prophets. People hear only what they want to hear. We have a hard time accepting ideas that oppose previous assumptions and convictions. The brothers had written Yosef off as unfit for leadership and could not for a second entertain the possibility of his ascent to royalty. When Yosef sought to prove his case, they tried to avoid listening. Obviously, they were later proven wrong. Benei Yisrael similarly refused to lend an ear to the criticism of the prophets. This Midrash thus urges us to keep our minds open to criticism and rebuke, to accept the fact that we are not always correct, and that we all have much room for improvement.

         *****************

<<PREVIOUS DAY'S SALT     NEXT DAY'S SALT>>

Our SALT Archives house nearly two decades of divrei Torah. Click here. 
More recent SALTs can be found by searching for SALT in our Advanced Search box, along with the parsha name. See below for an example.