Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/322

Rh The Book of Genesis

304

What

useful task which awaited him.

that

how

was, and

Joseph performed it, and the great blessing he wrought, and how he lived true to the birthright of Abraham, we shall

now

see.

NOTES The to

story of

children.

that

it

may

Potpihar's wife can not, of course, be told directly

Yet

it

an

siicli

is

integral

of

part

Joseph story,

the

The teacher must

not he omitted entirely.

refer to the

awkward

incident with infinite caution and tact, in order to preclude

Perhaps,

questions.

she

unless

has

sufficient

confidence

in

her

and constructively, it will be better to dismiss it with the simple statement that Joseph was falsely accused of a grave crime, and was therefore cast into prison, and then proceed to develop the thought of God's help, as But if the teacher have set forth in the second half of the lesson. sufficient conifidence in her abihty, and every good teacher should have this, then the opportunity to present the thoughts of resistance to temptation and of the privilege of Israel's birthright should not Here the teacher must exercise her individual be allowed to pass. judgment. XL, 3. Evidently this captain of the guard was not the same person as Potiphar, Joseph's former master, cf. XXXIX. 1. '. 20. The birthday of the king was, and still is today, frequently celebrated as a national holiday, upon which the king manifests his pleasure and goodwill l)y l)Cstowing rewards and honors upon deability

handle

to

this

delicate

story

properly

serving subjects.

XLI.

1.

"The

river"

is,

of course, the Nile,

from which

all

Egypt

today as in ancient times, derives its chief sustenance. y. 6. In Eg>'pt the east wind, blowing in the summer from the burning Arabian Desert, l)ecomes at times almost unbearal)le for men, while the crops are occasionally l)lasted by its awful heat. If the question be asked, how can ears of C(^rn swallow V. 7. other ears, or. for that matter, h(nv can sheaves in the field, or the sun, moon and stars stand up and bow down before a man, the simple still

answer should be

that

often

dreams are unreal and

fantastic,

and

these are probal)ly such.

The

and professional powers, and Joseph, who is not a professional interpreter of dreams, and ascribes everything to God, yet succeeds where they fail, might be profitably Vv.

8ff.

contrast

interpreters of dreams,

who

between "the rely solely

magicians

upon

their

own \n