Vayeishev 37:35

וַיָּקֻ֩מוּ֩ כׇל־בָּנָ֨יו וְכׇל־בְּנֹתָ֜יו לְנַחֲמ֗וֹ וַיְמָאֵן֙ לְהִתְנַחֵ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּֽי־אֵרֵ֧ד אֶל־בְּנִ֛י אָבֵ֖ל שְׁאֹ֑לָה וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ אֹת֖וֹ אָבִֽיו׃

All his sons and daughters sought to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, saying, “No, I will go down mourning to my son in Sheol.” Thus his father bewailed him.

Source Citation

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text

וַיְמָאֵן לְהִתְנַחֵם — מִפְּנֵי מָה? לְפִי שֶׁאֵין מְקַבְּלִין תַּנְחוּמִין עַל הֶחָי. אֲבָל הַמֵּת מִשְׁתַּכֵּחַ מִן הַלֵּב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״נִשְׁכַּחְתִּי כְּמֵת מִלֵּב״.

English: “And he refused to be comforted” — why? Because one does not accept consolation for the living. But the dead is forgotten from the heart, as it is said: “I am forgotten as a dead man from the heart.”

On the daf / in context: Yaakov’s refusal is read as evidence that, deep down, the loss was not final — consolation is only fully accepted for the dead.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli/midrash style) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Psychological fact about mourning is tied to the verse’s refusal.

What Is Learned

True mourning-consolation settles only for the dead; refusal to be comforted can signal that the person is still alive.

Vayeishev 37:35 · unit 1

The Complete Passuk

Source Citation

Core Text of Chazal

Type of Learning

What Is Learned