NOW ISRAEL LOVED JOSEPH MORE THAN ALL HIS CHILDREN, BECAUSE HE WAS THE SON OF HIS OLD AGE; AND HE MADE HIM A COAT OF MANY COLOURS. Said R. Eleazar: ‘It is written: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast” (Is. 26, 20). God holds Israel in affection above the idolatrous nations, and on that account He warns them and puts them on their guard in all their deeds.
There are three periods in a day during which the world is liable to chastisement, and at each of these periods it behoves a man to be specially on his guard. These are well known and are specified elsewhere.
Furthermore, at a time when judgement is at work upon the world and death rages in a city, a man should not walk by himself in the open street, as already mentioned above, but he should shut himself in after the example of Noah, who shut himself within the ark so that he should not be met by the destroying angel.
Hence: “Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee”, so as not to be exposed to the destroying angel; “hide thyself for a little moment”, until the indignation be overpast, as after the moment of judgement is passed the destroying angel has no more power to harm.
And it is because God holds Israel in affection and draws them near to Himself that all the idolatrous nations hate Israel; for they see themselves kept at a distance whilst Israel are brought near.
Similarly it was by reason of the love that Jacob showed towards Joseph above all his other sons that they conspired to slay him, though he was their own brother. How much greater, then, must be the enmity of the idolatrous nations towards Israel!’
Observe the consequences that followed the excessive love shown to Joseph by his father: he was exiled from his father, and his father joined him in exile, and along with them the Shekinah also went into exile. It is true that the exile was really the consequence of a divine decree; yet the proximate cause was the coat of many colours which he made for him specially.
וְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף מִכָּל בָּנָיו כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח וְאֲמַר, (ישעיהו כ״ו:כ׳) לֵךְ עַמִּי בֹּא בַחֲדָרֶיךָ וּסְגֹר דְּלָתְךָ בַּעֲדֶךָ חֲבִי כִמְעַט רֶגַע עַד יַעֲבָר זַעַם. לֵךְ עַמִּי בֹּא בַחֲדָרֶיךָ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא רָחִים לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וּבְגִין רְחִימוּתָא דִלְהוֹן דְּרָחִים לוֹן עַל כָּל עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת, אַזְהַר לוֹן, וּבָעֵי לְנַטְרָא לוֹן בְּכָל מַה דְּאִינוּן עָבְדִין.
NOW ISRAEL LOVED JOSEPH MORE THAN ALL HIS CHILDREN, BECAUSE HE WAS THE SON OF HIS OLD AGE; AND HE MADE HIM A COAT OF MANY COLOURS. Said R. Eleazar: ‘It is written: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast” (Is. 26, 20). God holds Israel in affection above the idolatrous nations, and on that account He warns them and puts them on their guard in all their deeds.
תָּא חֲזֵי, תְּלַת זִמְנִין אִית בְּיוֹמָא דְּדִינָא שַׁרְיָא בְּעַלְמָא, וְכַד אָתֵי הַהוּא זִמְנָא, מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא וּלְאִסְתַּמְרָא דְּלָא יִפְגַע בֵּיהּ הַהוּא דִינָא, וְאִינוּן זִמְנִין יְדִיעָן וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ.
There are three periods in a day during which the world is liable to chastisement, and at each of these periods it behoves a man to be specially on his guard. These are well known and are specified elsewhere.
בְּגִין דְּהָא כַּד סָלִיק צַפְרָא, אַבְרָהָם אִתְעַר בְּעַלְמָא, וְאָחִיד לֵיהּ לְדִינָא לְקָשְׁרָא לֵיהּ בַּהֲדֵיהּ. וּבְשֵׁירוּתָא דִּתְלַת שָׁעֵי קַמַּיְיתָא נָטִיל דִּינָא מֵאַתְרִיהּ לְאַתְעָרָא בֵּיהּ בְּיַעֲקֹב, עַד דְּאִתְעַר צְלוֹתָא דְמִנְחָה דְּאַהֲדַר דִּינָא לְאַתְרֵיהּ, וְאִתְעַר דִּינָא דִלְתַתָּא לְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא בְּדִינָא דִלְעֵילָא. דְּהָא כְּדֵין אִתְקַשַּׁר דִּינָא בְּדִינָא וּבָעֵי לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא.
(לעיל סח ב) תוּ כַּד דִּינָא אִתְעַר בְּעַלְמָא וּמוֹתָא אִשְׁתַּכַּח בְּמָתָא, לָא לִיבָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְמֵיהַךְ יְחִידָאי בְּשׁוּקָא וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלֵּי. אֶלָּא בָּעֵי לְאַסְגָּרָא גַּרְמֵיהּ דְּלָא יִפּוּק לְבַר, כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ בְּנֹחַ דְּאַסְגַּר גַּרְמֵיהּ בְּתֵיבוּתָא דְּלָא יִשְׁתַּכַּח קַמֵי מְחַבְּלָא.
Furthermore, at a time when judgement is at work upon the world and death rages in a city, a man should not walk by himself in the open street, as already mentioned above, but he should shut himself in after the example of Noah, who shut himself within the ark so that he should not be met by the destroying angel.
וְעַל דָּא לֵךְ עַמִּי בֹּא בַחֲדָרֶיךָ, אַסְגַּר גַּרְמָךְ. וּסְגוֹר דְּלָתְךָ בַּעֲדֶךָ, דְּלָא יִתְחֲזֵי קַמֵּיהּ דִּמְחַבְּלָא. חֲבִי כִּמְעַט רֶגַע עַד יַעֲבוֹר זַעַם, דְּבָתַר דְּאַעֲבַר דִּינָא לֵית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ לִמְחַבְּלָא לְחַבָּלָא.
Hence: “Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee”, so as not to be exposed to the destroying angel; “hide thyself for a little moment”, until the indignation be overpast, as after the moment of judgement is passed the destroying angel has no more power to harm.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּגִין רְחִימוּתָא דְּאִיהוּ רָחִים לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְקָרִיב לוֹן לְגַבֵּיהּ, כָּל שְׁאָר עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת שָׂנְאִין לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. בְּגִין דְּאִינוּן מִתְרַחֲקִין וְיִשְׂרָאֵל קְרֵיבִין.
And it is because God holds Israel in affection and draws them near to Himself that all the idolatrous nations hate Israel; for they see themselves kept at a distance whilst Israel are brought near.
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּגִין רְחִימוּתָא דְּרָחִים יַעֲקֹב לְיוֹסֵף יַתִּיר מֵאֲחוֹי, אַף עַל גַּב דְּכֻלְּהוּ הֲווּ לֵיהּ אַחִין, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּתְנַכְּלוּ אוֹתוֹ לַהֲמִיתוֹ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
Similarly it was by reason of the love that Jacob showed towards Joseph above all his other sons that they conspired to slay him, though he was their own brother. How much greater, then, must be the enmity of the idolatrous nations towards Israel!’
תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה גָּרִים לֵיהּ הַהוּא רְחִימוּתָא דְּרָחִים לֵיהּ יַתִּיר, דְּגָרַם לֵיהּ דְּאִתְגְּלֵי מֵאֲבוֹי, וְאִתְגְּלִי אֲבוֹי בַּהֲדֵיהּ, וְגָרַם לְהוּ גָלוּתָא וְלִשְׁכִינְתָּא דְאִתְגַּלְּיָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִתְגְּזִירַת גְּזֵרָה, וְאוּקְמוּהָ דִּבְגִין כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים דְּעֲבַד לֵיהּ יַתִּיר, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּרְאוּ אֶחָיו:
Observe the consequences that followed the excessive love shown to Joseph by his father: he was exiled from his father, and his father joined him in exile, and along with them the Shekinah also went into exile. It is true that the exile was really the consequence of a divine decree; yet the proximate cause was the coat of many colours which he made for him specially.