EXTRA on Bereishis 34:14

Side-ring · classical material beyond Torah Temimah

Source Citation

Bereishis Rabbah 80:11, on the identification of the foreskin as “cherpah.”

Sefaria · Bereishis Rabbah 80:11

כי חרפה — רבי נחמיה אמר: הֵיכָן מָצִינוּ שֶׁנִּקְרֵאת עָרְלָה חֶרְפָּה? מִן הָכָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי חֶרְפָּה הִוא.

“For that is a disgrace” — Rabbi Nechemiah asks where we find that the foreskin is called a disgrace, and answers: here.

What Is Learned

The foreskin is characterized as a cherpah, a source of disgrace, in the brothers’ negotiation.