In Parshat Vayeishiv, perek 39, pasuk 7-9 The wife of Potifar propositions Yosef. Yosef refuses. However, there is an interesting trop used here. It is called a shalsheles. It's used to show a separation, meaning that Yosef's refusal is separate from the pasuk.
וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַתִּשָּׂא אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו אֶת עֵינֶיהָ אֶל יוֹסֵף וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁכְבָה עִמִּי:
וַיְמָאֵן | וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו הֵן אֲדֹנִי לֹא יָדַע אִתִּי מַה בַּבָּיִת וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ לוֹ נָתַן בְּיָדִי:
Why is this so? For what reason is Yosef’s response to the wife of Potifar
?“hesitant” or “separate”
?“hesitant” or “separate”
Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev suggests that the shalsheles raises a person’s voice to show the disdain in moshe’s voice. When someone is disgusted by something their voice gets higher and becomes shrill. Yosef was disgusted that the wife of Potifar approached him and therefore he raised the tone of his voice.
?What are other reasons that the shalsheles is used there
Dina Wagner
ReplyDeleteRabbi Avi weiss says the shalshels repreents hesitation.
When Potiphar attempts to seduce Yosef, Yosef refuses – va-yemaen . Although saying no, Yosef at first may have thought about giving into temptation. The word va-yemaen has, as its trop, the shalshelet.
This also happens when the angels instructed Lot and his family to leave Sodom. The Torah tells us that Lot lingered (va-yitmamah). Lot and his family were leaving their home. This could not have been easy. Even as they left, they hesitated. In the end, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. On va-yitmamah is the shalshelet. Rabbie Avi Weiss brings the Rambam to support his answer. The Rambam says, that in many areas one who hesitates but in the end does the principled thing is on a higher level than one who acts without hesitation. Ram bam says that therefore, Yosef’s hesitation doesn’t mean he’s less righteous, but rather very human. Lot's wife also shows this humanly trait of hesitation when she is deciding whether to look back. However, Lot's wife did not overcome this desire to look back. She hesitated and then proceeded to turn around and look back.
Rabbi Avi Weiss also says, interestingly, the shalshelet looks like a crooked line that begins on the ground and reaches upward. It is telling us that personal feelings are real and human. But it is also teaching us that sometimes we should abandon those natural human inclinations and reach beyond ourselves. Then we will be able to reach the heavens.
The Lekach Tov comments on the role of the shalshelet by saying that it indicates a triple refusal. Just as the shalshelet makes a repeating sound in the trup, so too it displays a repeating refusal. Additionally he writes that he was sure in refusal and would not budge. The word "shalshelet" literally means chains. The Lekach Tov adds that he was chained to refusal.
ReplyDeleteTamar Dubin
ReplyDeleteThe shalsheles represents a meaningful but invisible chain in the link of sacred jewish values past down from generations, given to him from his father and so on. When yosef was about to give in to sleeping with potiphar's wife, but he remembered these sacred jewish values and refused to commit this sinful act of adultery. if he acted with his desires, his jewish values that he grew up with wouldn't add up to anything. he just couldn't bring himself to sever that chain. rather, he realized that he was another link in that chain – and all the hard work and sacrifice that his holy ancestors had put in to creating this beautiful religion and way of life would be wasted if he allowed the chain to be severed and his link lost forever to the Jewish people. so this shalshelet is used to illustrate his "hesitance" but he overcame it as the power of hashem helped him overcome his almost sinful ways and rather then severing the chain, he strengthened it with yet another link.