[Avodah] Yosef Kappara and Tamar

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 01:50:44PM -0500, T613K at aol.com wrote:
: He had to do all that in order to 1. find out if the brothers were sorry 2.
: induce them to do teshuva 3. make sure the teshuva was perfect -- perfect
: teshuva being that if you are in the same situation again, this time you don't
: do the sin and 4. give them enough tza'ar that they would have kapara in this
: world and not have to be punished b'yedei Shamayim in this world or the next.

But according to the medrash that links the harugei malkhus to the sale
of Yoseif (and not just as an excuse proposed by the governor), it would
seem that Yoseif's grand plan failed. There was remaining guilt, and a
skewed perception that was taught down the generations until it needed
removal in the days of churban bayis sheini and of Bar Kochva.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha