Vayeishev 38:14 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeishev · Passuk 38:14

The Complete Passuk

וַתָּ֩סַר֩ בִּגְדֵ֨י אַלְמְנוּתָ֜הּ מֵֽעָלֶ֗יהָ וַתְּכַ֤ס בַּצָּעִיף֙ וַתִּתְעַלָּ֔ף וַתֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ בְּפֶ֣תַח עֵינַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־דֶּ֣רֶךְ תִּמְנָ֑תָה כִּ֤י רָאֲתָה֙ כִּֽי־גָדַ֣ל שֵׁלָ֔ה וְהִ֕וא לֹֽא־נִתְּנָ֥ה ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

And she put off her widow’s garments from her, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entrance of Einayim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sotah 10a.

Sefaria — Sotah 10a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
״וַתֵּשֶׁב בְּפֶתַח עֵינַיִם״ — אָמַר רַבִּי אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָלְכָה וְיָשְׁבָה לָהּ בְּפִתְחוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, מָקוֹם שֶׁכׇּל עֵינַיִם צוֹפוֹת לִרְאוֹתוֹ.

English: “And she sat in the entrance of Einayim” — R’ Alexandri said: this teaches that she went and sat at the entrance of Avraham Avinu, a place upon which all eyes gaze.

On the daf / in context: Sotah 10a reads “Einayim” as the gateway associated with Avraham’s open hospitality.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. A place-name is read as a moral-geographic tip of the hat to Avraham’s house.

What Is Learned

Tamar positioned herself at the public entrance associated with Avraham — where all eyes look — to encounter Yehudah.