וַֽיְהִ֕י כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥א יוֹסֵ֖ף אֶל־אֶחָ֑יו וַיַּפְשִׁ֤יטוּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ אֶת־כֻּתָּנְתּ֔וֹ אֶת־כְּתֹ֥נֶת הַפַּסִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלָֽיו׃

It was when Joseph came to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the fine tunic that was upon him.

וַיִּ֨קָּחֻ֔הוּ וַיַּשְׁלִ֥כוּ אֹת֖וֹ הַבֹּ֑רָה וְהַבּ֣וֹר רֵ֔ק אֵ֥ין בּ֖וֹ מָֽיִם׃

They took him and cast him into the pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. It is not known during which season this event transpired. However, given that the brothers had gone out to pasture their flocks, it would seem that this incident occurred at the beginning of the summer, at the very latest. During this time of year, it is still possible to find pits filled with rainwater. Nevertheless, the brothers refrained from drowning Joseph in such a pit.

וַיֵּשְׁבוּ֮ לֶֽאֱכָל־לֶחֶם֒ וַיִּשְׂא֤וּ עֵֽינֵיהֶם֙ וַיִּרְא֔וּ וְהִנֵּה֙ אֹרְחַ֣ת יִשְׁמְעֵאלִ֔ים בָּאָ֖ה מִגִּלְעָ֑ד וּגְמַלֵּיהֶ֣ם נֹֽשְׂאִ֗ים נְכֹאת֙ וּצְרִ֣י וָלֹ֔ט הוֹלְכִ֖ים לְהוֹרִ֥יד מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃

They sat to eat bread. The brothers saw no fault in their actions, nor did they consider their actions something done in a moment of weakness. Their consciences did not prevent them from sitting down for a meal while their brother cried out from the pit. And they lifted their eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilad on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Until recent times, it was common practice for those traveling from the north down to Egypt, to cross the Jordan River and continue through the Dotan Valley, which borders the Yizre’el Valley, and then on toward the coastal plain. And their camels were bearing various spices [ nekhot ] ; alternatively, nekhot refers to a specific spice. They were also bearing balm, a very valuable spice, and labdanum, a plant used for manufacturing perfume. The caravan was going to take them, these spices, down to Egypt to sell them there .

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוּדָ֖ה אֶל־אֶחָ֑יו מַה־בֶּ֗צַע כִּ֤י נַהֲרֹג֙ אֶת־אָחִ֔ינוּ וְכִסִּ֖ינוּ אֶת־דָּמֽוֹ׃

Judah said to his brothers: What profit is it, what would we gain, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

לְכ֞וּ וְנִמְכְּרֶ֣נּוּ לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֗ים וְיָדֵ֙נוּ֙ אַל־תְּהִי־ב֔וֹ כִּֽי־אָחִ֥ינוּ בְשָׂרֵ֖נוּ ה֑וּא וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֖וּ אֶחָֽיו׃

Go and we will sell him as a slave to the arriving Ishmaelites. They will take him far away from here, and at the very least, let our hand not be directly upon him, as after all, he is our brother, our flesh, and we should not harm him. His brothers heeded Judah’s suggestion.

וַיַּֽעַבְרוּ֩ אֲנָשִׁ֨ים מִדְיָנִ֜ים סֹֽחֲרִ֗ים וַֽיִּמְשְׁכוּ֙ וַיַּֽעֲל֤וּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִן־הַבּ֔וֹר וַיִּמְכְּר֧וּ אֶת־יוֹסֵ֛ף לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֖ים בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים כָּ֑סֶף וַיָּבִ֥יאוּ אֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃

Midyanite men, merchants, passed by, and they pulled and lifted Joseph from the pit. Some commentaries identify the Midyanite merchants with the group of Ishmaelites mentioned previously. The name “Midyanite” can refer generally to nomadic merchants. Others explain that the Midyanites and Ishmaelites were two distinct groups. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites. If the Midyanites are not identified with the Ishmaelites, then the brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites who subsequently sold him to the Midyanites. According to another interpretation, the brothers did not actually sell Joseph, and may even have been unaware of the sale; rather, the Midyanites came along while the brothers were eating, extracted him from the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites. A third possibility is that the brothers had the Midyanites extract Joseph from the pit, and then the brothers themselves sold Joseph. Joseph was sold for twenty silver pieces, a considerable amount, that they divided among themselves. According to the prophet Amos, it was enough for each of them to buy a pair of shoes; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.

וַיָּ֤שָׁב רְאוּבֵן֙ אֶל־הַבּ֔וֹר וְהִנֵּ֥ה אֵין־יוֹסֵ֖ף בַּבּ֑וֹר וַיִּקְרַ֖ע אֶת־בְּגָדָֽיו׃

Reuben returned to the pit. Evidently, Reuben was not present at the time of the sale. And behold, Joseph was not in the pit; he rent his garments due to his concern regarding Joseph’s fate.

וַיָּ֥שָׁב אֶל־אֶחָ֖יו וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַיֶּ֣לֶד אֵינֶ֔נּוּ וַאֲנִ֖י אָ֥נָה אֲנִי־בָֽא׃

He returned to his brothers, and said: The boy is not there; and I, where do I go? What will happen to me? As the oldest brother, Reuben felt that the responsibility for Joseph rested on his shoulders.

וַיִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־כְּתֹ֣נֶת יוֹסֵ֑ף וַֽיִּשְׁחֲטוּ֙ שְׂעִ֣יר עִזִּ֔ים וַיִּטְבְּל֥וּ אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּ֖נֶת בַּדָּֽם׃

Selling one’s own brother is an especially egregious act. By Torah law, kidnapping and selling any member of Israel into slavery, let alone one’s relative, is a capital offense. The brothers therefore sought to prepare a cover story for Joseph’s disappearance: They took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a goat, whose blood resembles human blood, and dipped the tunic in the blood of the goat.

וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֞וּ אֶת־כְּתֹ֣נֶת הַפַּסִּ֗ים וַיָּבִ֙יאוּ֙ אֶל־אֲבִיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ זֹ֣את מָצָ֑אנוּ הַכֶּר־נָ֗א הַכְּתֹ֧נֶת בִּנְךָ֛ הִ֖וא אִם־לֹֽא׃

They sent the fine tunic to Jacob, and they brought it to their father and they said: We found this. Identify now: Is it your son’s tunic or not? Clearly this is a fine tunic, but is it Joseph’s? We never paid attention to the details of his tunic, but since you made it, you must recognize it.

וַיַּכִּירָ֤הּ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ כְּתֹ֣נֶת בְּנִ֔י חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֖ה אֲכָלָ֑תְהוּ טָרֹ֥ף טֹרַ֖ף יוֹסֵֽף׃

He identified it, and said: This is my son’s tunic; clearly an evil beast devoured him; Joseph was mauled. The brothers told Jacob that they discovered only the tunic. They found no traces of Joseph’s body, as the wild beast would have dragged it to its lair. Since the animal would not consume the tunic, it was left and therefore recovered.

וַיִּקְרַ֤ע יַעֲקֹב֙ שִׂמְלֹתָ֔יו וַיָּ֥שֶׂם שַׂ֖ק בְּמָתְנָ֑יו וַיִּתְאַבֵּ֥ל עַל־בְּנ֖וֹ יָמִ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃

Jacob rent his garments in mourning, placed sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.

וַיָּקֻמוּ֩ כָל־בָּנָ֨יו וְכָל־בְּנֹתָ֜יו לְנַחֲמ֗וֹ וַיְמָאֵן֙ לְהִתְנַחֵ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּֽי־אֵרֵ֧ד אֶל־בְּנִ֛י אָבֵ֖ל שְׁאֹ֑לָה וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ אֹת֖וֹ אָבִֽיו׃

All his sons and all his daughters arose to console him; but he refused to be consoled despite the efforts of those around him. He said: Nothing will change the present reality; for I will descend mourning to the grave, to my son. His father wept for him. Although Jacob did not have absolute proof that Joseph died as his body was not recovered, there was significant circumstantial evidence that Joseph was mauled.

וְהַ֨מְּדָנִ֔ים מָכְר֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ אֶל־מִצְרָ֑יִם לְפֽוֹטִיפַר֙ סְרִ֣יס פַּרְעֹ֔ה שַׂ֖ר הַטַּבָּחִֽים׃ (פ)

The verse turns its focus back to Joseph: The Midyanites, [ medanim ] , sold him, Joseph, to Egypt as a slave to Potifar, who was a courtier [ seris ] of Pharaoh. Although seris literally refers to a eunuch, this is not necessarily its meaning in the verse. Rather, the verse uses it to refer to an officer with a position in the royal palace. Potifar was the chief executioner . It is likely that Joseph was considered quality merchandise. He was of fine form, only seventeen years old, and his health had never been strained by hard work. He would have been sold only to a wealthy individual who could afford Joseph’s worth.