בראשית, פרק מ״ט, פסוק כ״ג

Jacob's parting words to Joseph bring the beloved son's turbulent past to the surface. Before detailing how Joseph bravely withstood his trials and rose to greatness, a harsh picture emerges of the persecution, deep hatred, and relentless hostility he endured from both within his family and without. Commentators differ on the identity of these persecutors. One perspective suggests the focus is on Potiphar, his wife, and Pharaoh's ministers, who fabricated false charges and threw Joseph into prison [רשב״ם, ספורנו, רד״ק]. According to this view, Jacob deliberately avoided speaking ill of his sons during their blessing, directing his criticism at the Egyptians instead. Conversely, others maintain that the hostility refers directly to Joseph's brothers, who despised and sold him [אבן עזרא, שד״ל]. A central approach harmonizes these views, suggesting the suffering spans both periods. First, his life was embittered by his brothers, and later by Potiphar and his wife [רש״י, יריעות שלמה, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, בכור שור]. Another interpretive layer views these pursuers as forces of impurity and the evil inclination, embodied by Potiphar's wife, who sought to bring about Joseph's moral collapse [אור החיים, אלשיך].

The attacks on Joseph unfolded in distinct, agonizing stages. His adversaries deeply embittered his life, causing him immense sorrow from the moment he was beaten and cast into a pit through his many years of Egyptian imprisonment. Some commentators explain that his enemies effectively turned him into a living target, aiming their malice at his most sensitive physical and emotional vulnerabilities [אבן עזרא, טור הארוך, בכור שור, מחוקקי יהודה]. They relentlessly shot their metaphorical arrows at him [אבן עזרא, רשב״ם, רד״ק, שד״ל, העמק דבר, גור אריה, בכור שור, שטיינזלץ], initiating constant strife [רש״י], as troubles and dark forces multiplied in an effort to break his spirit [אור החיים]. This hostility was not a sudden outburst of temporary anger, but rather a deep, suppressed, and calculated hatred. His enemies nursed a lingering grudge, deliberately and patiently seeking ways to harm him [העמק דבר, רש״ר הירש, ביאור יש״ר, שטיינזלץ].

The imagery of archers further illustrates the nature of the weapons used against him. The primary approach among commentators is that these arrows serve as a metaphor for slander. Just as an arrow is shot from a distance and strikes its target, the false accusations spun by Potiphar's wife and the Egyptian officials struck Joseph from afar [רשב״ם, ספורנו, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, בכור שור]. Others link the concept of arrows to the idea of division, suggesting it refers to his brothers, who were meant to share an inheritance with him but instead became his bitter rivals [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, נתינה לגר]. Looking at this through a psychological lens, the arrows represent the very weapons his enemies prepared for him. Although they provided him with every justification for revenge, when Joseph finally reached a position of supreme power, his noble character led him to leave his bow undrawn, refusing to turn their own weapons against them [רש״ר הירש]. In the spiritual context of his trial with Potiphar's wife, the arrows symbolize human seed, which the forces of impurity pressured him to waste, yet God stood by his side and helped him preserve his sanctity [אור החיים].