Joseph’s brothers lie
Telling him that their father
Had some final words

“Forgive your brothers”
Is what they claim Jacob said
Just before he died

That’s not in Torah
So, is such a lie ok
In the quest for peace?

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, addresses this question in his essay “The White Lie“

Pharaoh’s man tells them:
“I am Joseph your brother”
Jake’s boys are speechless

He was a dreamer
And could divine dreams’ meanings
With some Divine help

Genesis 41:16
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying: ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace”

Joseph’s tale begins

A story so compelling

It’s a musical!

Jake wrestles stranger
Esau’s guardian angel?
Was it a man? G-d?

Or could it have been
Jacob’s own inner conflict
About his brother?

Jacob thinks it’s G-d
He names the place Peniel
Which means “Divine Face”

Rocks for a pillow
Jacob dreams of a ladder
Angels up and down

A revelation
“G-d is truly in this place
But I did not know”

Just like his father
Isaac says, about his wife
“She is my sister”

Such duplicity.
If they have great faith in G-d
What have they to fear?

How can we explain
Such actions from our “Avot”?
Well … they’re just human

I’ve quoted below the Torah verses that tell of these deceptions. You might also want to click here for an interesting article by Rabbi Dan Judson on the My Jewish Learning website that suggests we view these three stories in the context of a literary approach to understanding Torah.

Gen 12:11-13    As they approached Egypt, [Avram] said to his wife Sarai, ‘I realize that you are a good-looking woman.  When the Egyptians see you, they will assume that you are my wife and kill me, allowing you to live. If you would, say that you are my sister. They will then be good to me for your sake, and through your efforts, my life will be spared.’

Gen 20:1-2   Abraham migrated from there to the land of the Negev, and he settled between Kadesh and Shur. He would often visit Gerar. [There] he announced that his wife Sarah was his sister, and Abimelekh, king of Gerar, sent messengers and took Sarah.

Gen 26:6-7   Isaac thus settled in Gerar. When the local men asked about his wife, he told them that she was his sister. He was afraid to say that she was his wife. Rebecca was so good-looking that the local men could have killed him because of her.

Yitzchak’s wife Rivkah
Literally the answer
To a servant’s prayers

Asked:
24:12, 14 ‘O God, Lord of my master Abraham: Be with me today, and grant a favor to my master Abraham … If I say to a girl, ‘Tip over your jug and let me have a drink,’ and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels,’ she will be the one whom You have designated for Your servant Isaac.”

And answered:
24:19 When he had finished drinking, she said, ‘Let me draw water for your camels, so they can [also] drink their fill.’

... and Sarah laughed ...

Abraham is told
Sarah’s gonna have a son
She just has to laugh

When the boy is born
He’s given the name Yitzchak
Which means “he will laugh“

As the parsha ends
G-d tells Avram names will change
For the first two Jews

Adding one letter
Avram becomes Abraham
Sarai’s now Sarah

The letter? It’s “hey”
Represents the name of G-d
Marks the covenant