“And Yoseph was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.” (Bereshis 39:6) Rashi brings the Midrash, “Because he saw himself as a ruler, he began to eat, drink and curl his hair. HaKadosh Baruch Hu said, ‘Your father is mourning and you are curling your hair! I will incite a bear against you.’”
Potiphar’s wife laid a trap for Yoseph. And it came about on a certain day (39:11): Rashi: That is to say that a special day arrived, a day of rejoicing, a religious festival when they (the household) all went to the temple of their idols. Potiphar’s wife said, “I have no more fitting day to consort with Joseph than today.” So she said to them, “I am ill, and I cannot go.” [Sotah 36b]
When she and Yosef were all alone the trap was sprung: She grabbed him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me. But he tore himself out of her grasp, leaving his garment in her hands.” (39:12) Frustrated by his escape, she accused Yosef falsely, declaring that he had attempted to violate her. As proof, she exhibits the garment he left behind. Yosef was convicted and thrown into jail.
The answer is that Yosef did not want to engage in a struggle with the Yetzer Hara. Had he pulled on the garment, Potiphar’s wife would have struggled to hold on. That tiny amount of interaction, which may last only a millisecond, could have been an opening for greater temptation. Yosef understood that it is preferable to run away from a difficult test rather than face it straight on, even momentarily. He knew he was strong but he also knew that the Yeitzer Hara is stronger. The only way to beat it was to run away from it, no matter what.
There is an old saying, “The best way to win an argument is to avoid it.” This is because once a person answers back there is no telling what the next response will be and how badly the argument might play out. Despite the fact that Yoseph had resisted temptation so many times before was still no guarantee against his ultimate failure to do so. It is always better to distance ourselves from anything that will lower our spiritual and moral standards. Sometimes a Hero needs to turn and run.
Over the years people have asked me if I would ever draw cartoons depicting some of the cases found in Yora Daya. Well, the answer is yes! I recently published a sefer called The Great Game of Kashrut. Click on the link to find out more: The Great Game of Kashrut
Below is an example case from the book:
To order a copy of The Great Game of Kashrut follow this link: The Great Game of Kashrut
If you would like to dedicate a Davar Torah in honor of a special occasion or in memory of a beloved family member please contact Yisroel Simon at yisroel@judaism613.com.
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