Monday, November 20, 2017

parshanut torah comment - How is it that no one spots Potiphar's wife's lie?


There appears to be something strange about Potiphar telling people in her home that she called out in a loud voice.


Genesis 39:14:



וַתִּקְרָ֞א לְאַנְשֵׁ֣י בֵיתָ֗הּ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר רְא֗וּ הֵ֥בִיא לָ֛נוּ אִ֥ישׁ עִבְרִ֖י לְצַ֣חֶק בָּ֑נוּ בָּ֤א אֵלַי֙ לִשְׁכַּ֣ב עִמִּ֔י וָאֶקְרָ֖א בְּק֥וֹל גָּדֽוֹל׃


She called unto the men of her house, and spoke uto them, saying: ‘See, he brought in a Hebrew man to us to mock us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice.



Rashbam on Genesis 39:14:1:




ואקרא בקול גדול - לפי שאתם רחוקים ממני, שאילו לא הרימותי קולי היה שוכב עמי בעל כורחי.



(Sefaria's English translation)


ואקרא בקול גדול, because you were so far away from me. If I had not raised my voice so greatly he would have raped me.


However, a few verses earlier, it says:


Genesis 39:11:



וַיְהִי֙ כְּהַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֥א הַבַּ֖יְתָה לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת מְלַאכְתּ֑וֹ וְאֵ֨ין אִ֜ישׁ מֵאַנְשֵׁ֥י הַבַּ֛יִת שָׁ֖ם בַּבָּֽיִת׃


And it came to pass on a certain day, when he went into the house to do his work, and there was none of the men of the house there within.




Rashi on Genesis 39:11:1 (excerpt):


ויהי כהיום הזה.


My synopsis / translation:


"It was a day of sport (merriment) - their holiday where all of them went to the house of idol worship."


So, it doesn't seem as if there were men immediately outside that would have been able to hear her screaming. And, I assume that (in her fib) if she said she called in a loud voice, she was calling for help, not just a loud voice to Yosef alone. I.e., she meant someone else to hear it.


So, Potiphar's wife (as well as her husband, whom she repeats this lie to), knows that there was no one in the house to hear her screaming. Did they not pick up on the idea that she had to be lying?


Note: I'm discounting any other hatred they may have had towards the "Hebrew man" that eventually jailed Yosef. I'm merely focusing on the question if any commentary discusses if anyone - the men from the household or her husband knew that she had to have been lying, and, if anyone, perhaps, reacted to her lying.




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