 |
 |
|
|
PARSHAT MIKETZ "And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti Pherah priest of On. " (Bereishit 41:45) WHO WAS ASENATH? Osenath was Dina's daughter, born from her union with Shechem.
According to Chizkuni, Ya'acov sent Asenath away to protect her
from Dina's brothers. Since she was the product of sin, they were
not aware of her redeeming qualities. Ya'acov, however, realized
that Jewish lineage follows the mother. (Actually, Asenath was the
first child in Jewish history to which this principle applied.)
Rabeinu Bachayah explains that she was called Asenath from the Hebrew
word S'neh, which means bush (referring to her hiding place). It
is also possible that her name is related to the Hebrew word S'nuah,
which means hated. Before sending her away, Ya'acov tied an amulet
on her neck, upon which was written: "Whoever cleaves to you
cleaves to the seed of Ya'acov" (Targum Unkelos, Parshat V'yechi
48:9) Chizkuni adds that the angel Gabriel brought her to Egypt
to the house of Potiphar, who adopted her. When Yoseph ruled over
Egypt, all the women wanted to look at him because of his good looks;
as it states "daughters tread on the wall" (Bereishit
49:22). Each of them would cast something down from the wall as
a gift for him. Since Osenath had nothing else to throw, she hurled
the amulet from around her neck. In this way Yoseph saw that she
was the granddaughter of Ya'acov and therefore married her. Another reason why Yoseph married Osenath was in order to publicize
that he didn't live with her mother. The fact that Potiphar agreed
to give her hand to Yoseph in marriage shows that he conceded to
Yoseph's innocence. For who would be willing to marry off his daughter
to the man who had violated her mother? According to Esther Linder,
Osenath was the one who saved Yoseph's life. She witnessed to her
father that Yoseph did not seduce her mother. Daat Zekenim notes
that it was by a complete miracle that Osenath wound up in Egypt,
in order that Yoseph would discover her. Osenath grew up in an environment
that was all but conducive to holiness. She was adopted and raised
by Potiphar's wife, in a society known for its sexual perversity.
Even though she was the product of violation by the uncircumcised
Shechem, nevertheless, she maintained her purity and holiness as
the perfect match for Yoseph, who is known for his ability to overcome
sexual temptation (Bereshit 39:13).
|
 |
|