Vayeishev 37:28 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeishev · Passuk 37:28

The Complete Passuk

וַיַּֽעַבְרוּ֩ אֲנָשִׁ֨ים מִדְיָנִ֜ים סֹֽחֲרִ֗ים וַֽיִּמְשְׁכוּ֙ וַיַּֽעֲל֤וּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִן־הַבּ֔וֹר וַיִּמְכְּר֧וּ אֶת־יוֹסֵ֛ף לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֖ים בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים כָּ֑סֶף וַיָּבִ֥יאוּ אֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃

And there passed by Midyanite merchants; and they drew and lifted up Yosef out of the pit, and sold Yosef to the Yishmaelim for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Yosef into Egypt.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to classical sources on acquisition by meshichah (drawing).

Sefaria context

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַיִּמְשְׁכוּ וַיַּעֲלוּ — מִכָּאן דְּהָא דְּקוֹנִים בִּמְשִׁיכָה אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא עַד שֶׁיּוֹצִיא אֶת הַחֵפֶץ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ.

English: “And they drew and lifted up” — from here we learn that acquisition by drawing is effective only when one removes the object from its place.

On the daf / in context: The action of drawing Yosef up from the pit is taken as a paradigm for the legal act of meshichah in acquisition.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (halachic sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The verbs of drawing and lifting establish the requirement for effective acquisition by meshichah.

What Is Learned

Acquisition by drawing (meshichah) takes effect only when the object is removed from its original location. The narrative of lifting Yosef from the pit illustrates this principle.