Here is the Torah text that children are exploring during Week 2 of our Yosef (Joseph) theme.
| בְּרֵאשִׁית לז:יב–לו | Genesis 37:12-36 |
| יב) וַיֵּלְכוּ, אֶחָיו, לִרְעוֹת אֶת-צֹאן אֲבִיהֶם, בִּשְׁכֶם. יג) וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-יוֹסֵף, הֲלוֹא אַחֶיךָ רֹעִים בִּשְׁכֶם–לְכָה, וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֲלֵיהֶם; וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, הִנֵּנִי. | One day, Yosef’s brothers went to Sh’chem to take care of their father’s sheep. Ya’akov, whose name was also Yisrael, asked Yosef to check on them. Yosef said, “הִנֵנִי Hineni – Sure!” |
| יד) וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, לֶךְ-נָא רְאֵה אֶת-שְׁלוֹם אַחֶיךָ וְאֶת-שְׁלוֹם הַצֹּאן, וַהֲשִׁבֵנִי, דָּבָר | Yisrael said to him, “Go see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report.” |
| יח) וַיִּרְאוּ אֹתוֹ, מֵרָחֹק; וּבְטֶרֶם יִקְרַב אֲלֵיהֶם, וַיִּתְנַכְּלוּ אֹתוֹ לַהֲמִיתוֹ. | His brothers saw him coming in the distance, and they made a plan to kill him. |
| יט) וַיֹּאמְרוּ, אִישׁ אֶל-אָחִיו: הִנֵּה, בַּעַל הַחֲלֹמוֹת הַלָּזֶה—בָּא.כ) וְעַתָּה לְכוּ וְנַהַרְגֵהוּ, וְנַשְׁלִכֵהוּ בְּאַחַד הַבֹּרוֹת, | They said, “Look הִנֵה, that dreamer is coming! Let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. |
| וְאָמַרְנוּ, חַיָּה רָעָה אֲכָלָתְהוּ; וְנִרְאֶה, מַה-יִּהְיוּ חֲלֹמֹתָיו. | Then we can say ‘A wild animal ate him up!’ Then we’ll see about those dreams he had!” |
| כא) וַיִּשְׁמַע רְאוּבֵן, וַיַּצִּלֵהוּ מִיָּדָם; וַיֹּאמֶר, לֹא נַכֶּנּוּ נָפֶשׁ. | Reuven, one of the brothers, heard this and tried to save him from them. He said, “Don’t really kill him.” |
| כב) וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם רְאוּבֵן, אַל-תִּשְׁפְּכוּ-דָם–הַשְׁלִיכוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל-הַבּוֹר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְיָד אַל-תִּשְׁלְחוּ-בוֹ | Reuven said to them, “Don’t spill any blood! Just throw him into this pit that’s בַּמִּדְבָּר in the wilderness!” |
| לְמַעַן, הַצִּיל אֹתוֹ מִיָּדָם, לַהֲשִׁיבוֹ, אֶל-אָבִיו. | He meant to come back and save him later and bring him back to his father. |
| כג) וַיְהִי, כַּאֲשֶׁר-בָּא יוֹסֵף אֶל-אֶחָיו; וַיַּפְשִׁיטוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף אֶת-כֻּתָּנְתּוֹ, אֶת-כְּתֹנֶת הַפַּסִּים אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו. | When Yosef reached his brothers, they pulled off his tunic with many colors. |
| כד) וַיִּקָּחֻהוּ–וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ, הַבֹּרָה; וְהַבּוֹר רֵק, אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם. | They picked him up and threw him into the pit. It was empty and had no water in it. |
| כה) וַיֵּשְׁבוּ, לֶאֱכָל-לֶחֶם, | And then they sat down to eat some bread. |
| וַיִּשְׂאוּ עֵינֵיהֶם וַיִּרְאוּ, וְהִנֵּה אֹרְחַת יִשְׁמְעֵאלִים בָּאָה מִגִּלְעָד; וּגְמַלֵּיהֶם נֹשְׂאִים, נְכֹאת וּצְרִי וָלֹט–הוֹלְכִים, לְהוֹרִיד מִצְרָיְמָה. | They looked up and they saw הִנֵה, a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from גִּלְעָד Gilad. Their camels were carrying precious and sweet smelling things to bring to Egypt. |
| כו) וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה, אֶל-אֶחָיו: מַה-בֶּצַע, כִּי נַהֲרֹג אֶת-אָחִינוּ, וְכִסִּינוּ, אֶת-דָּמוֹ. | Yehudah said to his brothers, “It wouldn’t do us any good to kill our brother and keep it a secret. |
| כז) לְכוּ וְנִמְכְּרֶנּוּ לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים, וְיָדֵנוּ אַל-תְּהִי-בוֹ, כִּי-אָחִינוּ בְשָׂרֵנוּ, הוּא | “Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites instead. Let’s not hurt our own brother.” |
| וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ, אֶחָיו. | His brothers agreed. |
| וַיִּמְכְּרוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִים, בְּעֶשְׂרִים כָּסֶף; וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶת-יוֹסֵף, מִצְרָיְמָה. | They sold Yosef to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. They brought Yosef to Egypt. |
| כט) וַיָּשָׁב רְאוּבֵן אֶל-הַבּוֹר, וְהִנֵּה אֵין-יוֹסֵף בַּבּוֹר; וַיִּקְרַע, אֶת-בְּגָדָיו. | Reuven came back to the pit, and הִנֵה hineh! – Yosef wasn’t in the pit! He tore his clothes. |
| ל) וַיָּשָׁב אֶל-אֶחָיו, וַיֹּאמַר: הַיֶּלֶד אֵינֶנּוּ, וַאֲנִי אָנָה אֲנִי-בָא. | He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! Oh, what should I do?” |
| לא) וַיִּקְחוּ, אֶת-כְּתֹנֶת יוֹסֵף; וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ שְׂעִיר עִזִּים, וַיִּטְבְּלוּ אֶת-הַכֻּתֹּנֶת בַּדָּם. | They took Yosef’s tunic and dipped it in blood from a goat. |
| לב) וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ אֶת-כְּתֹנֶת הַפַּסִּים, וַיָּבִיאוּ אֶל-אֲבִיהֶם | They sent the tunic with many colors and brought it to their father. |
| וַיֹּאמְרוּ, זֹאת מָצָאנוּ: הַכֶּר-נָא, הַכְּתֹנֶת בִּנְךָ הִוא–אִם-לֹא | They said, “We found this. Do you recognize it? Look, isn’t it your son’s tunic?” |
| לג) וַיַּכִּירָהּ וַיֹּאמֶר כְּתֹנֶת בְּנִי, חַיָּה רָעָה אֲכָלָתְהוּ; טָרֹף טֹרַף, יוֹסֵף | He recognized it, and said, “My son’s tunic! A wild animal must have eaten Yosef all up!” |
| לד) וַיִּקְרַע יַעֲקֹב שִׂמְלֹתָיו, וַיָּשֶׂם שַׂק בְּמָתְנָיו; וַיִּתְאַבֵּל עַל-בְּנוֹ, יָמִים רַבִּים | He tore his cloak and put on rough clothes, and he mourned for his son for many days. |
| לה) וַיָּקֻמוּ כָל-בָּנָיו וְכָל-בְּנֹתָיו לְנַחֲמוֹ, וַיְמָאֵן לְהִתְנַחֵם, וַיֹּאמֶר, כִּי-אֵרֵד אֶל-בְּנִי אָבֵל שְׁאֹלָה; וַיֵּבְךְּ אֹתוֹ, אָבִיו | All his sons and daughters tried to make him feel better, but he would not feel better. He said, “No, I will be sad about my son until I die, too.” And he cried. |
| לו) וְהַמְּדָנִים–מָכְרוּ אֹתוֹ, אֶל-מִצְרָיִם: לְפוֹטִיפַר סְרִיס פַּרְעֹה, שַׂר הַטַּבָּחִים. | Now, way down in Egypt, the men from Midian had sold Yosef to Potiphar, who was one of the chief guards of פַּרְעֹה Par’oh. |
