THE SALE OF YOSEF
בראשית פרק לז
כג וַיְהִי כַאֲשֶׁר-בָּא יוֹסֵף אֶׁל-אֶׁחָּיו וַיַפְשִיטו אֶׁת-יוֹסֵף אֶׁת-כֻתָּנְתוֹ אֶׁת -כְתֹנֶׁת הַפַסִים אֲשֶׁר עָּלָּיו :
כד וַיִקָּחֻהו וַיַשְלִכו אֹתוֹ הַבֹרָּה וְהַבוֹר רֵק אֵין בוֹ מָּיִם :
כח וַיַעַבְרו אֲנָּשִ ים מִדְיָּנִים סֹחֲרִ ים וַיִמְשְכו וַיַעֲלו אֶׁת-יוֹסֵף מִן-הַבוֹר וַיִמְכְרו אֶׁת-יוֹסֵף לַ יִשְמְעֵאלִים בְעֶׁשְרִ ים כָּסֶׁף וַיָּבִיאו אֶׁת -יוֹסֵף מִצְרָּיְמָּה :
This is what G-d says for three iniquities of Israel, and on four I will not forgive them, for their sale of a righteous person for money and a pauper for a pair of shoes. (Amos 2,6)
The Medrash says that the ten brothers sold Yosef for only 20 measures of money. They then divided it up evenly and each one purchased a pair of shoes.
In the penitential prayers of Yom Kippur and the Kinos of Tishah B'Av, we read the story of the "Asarah Harugei Malchus," the "Ten Martyrs." This account poetically unites the historically separated martyrdoms with a judgment by the Caesar against the greatest Sages of the Talmud.
The Caesar had a room filled with shoes and invited the Sages to him. He said to them, "If one sold his fellow Jew into slavery, what is the law of the Torah?" They answered that he must be put to death. He then said, "The brothers of Yosef were never brought to trial for their sin of selling their brother into slavery. Since the brothers are no longer alive and were not punished, so I will carry out their punishment upon you, for you represent the Torah."
How could someone as valuable as Yosef be sold for only 20 pieces of silver?
At first the brothers stripped Yosef of his clothes (“they removed his coat”), and threw him into a pit to allow time to decide what to do with him. The pit was empty (of water) but not empty of snakes and scorpions. When Yosef despaired of his life due to these lowly creatures, it was as if he lost his beauty and his value. But HaShem closed the mouths of the creatures and they did not harm him.
When Yosef’s brothers saw the caravan of the Yishmaelim they drew him out of the pit naked and sold him as he was (very little value). HaShem said “Should a righteous person like this one, stand naked in front of others?” HaShem sent Gavriel to fashion the amulet around Yosef’s neck into a garment to cloth him. When Yosef’s brothers saw this they requested the clothing back from the Yishmaelim saying they had sold him naked. The Yishmaelim replied they would not return the clothing unless each would give the value of four pairs of shoes. They did not pay.
Yosef was taken to Egypt with only this clothing; he was thrown in jail only with this clothing; he stood before Paroh only with this clothing; and he only ruled over Egypt with this same clothing.
