The parashah constitutes Genesis โ The parashah tells the stories of how Jacob 's other sons sold Joseph into captivity in Egypt , how Judah wronged his daughter-in-law Tamar who then tricked him into fulfilling his oath, and how Joseph served Potiphar and was imprisoned when falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar's wife.
The first open portion spans the first three readings. The second open portion spans the fourth through sixth readings. And the third open portion coincides with the seventh reading. The single closed portion division sets off the fourth reading from the fifth reading. In the first reading, Jacob lived in the land of Canaan , and this is his family's story. In the second reading, when the brothers went to feed the flock in Shechem , Jacob sent Joseph to see whether all was well with them.
In the third reading, Joseph's brothers stripped him of his coat of many colors and cast him into an empty pit. In the fourth reading, chapter 38, Judah left his brothers to live near an Adullamite named Hirah.
In the fifth reading, in chapter 39, Pharaoh's captain of the guard Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites. In the sixth reading, Potiphar's wife repeatedly asked Joseph to lie with her, but he declined, asking how he could sin so against Potiphar and God. In the seventh reading, chapter 40, when the Pharaoh's butler and baker offended him, the Pharaoh put them into the prison as well. Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule: [ 62 ].
The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources: [ 63 ]. And as Genesis โ33 reports that Joseph's coat was marred to make it appear that Joseph was torn in pieces, 2 Samuel reports that Tamar's coat was torn. Retelling events of Genesis โ36, Psalm โ18 says, "[God] sent ahead of them an agentโJoseph, sold into slavery. His feet were subjected to fetters; an iron collar was put on his neck. The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud : [ 64 ].
