Vayeishev 38:26 · unit 2

Parashas Vayeishev · Passuk 38:26

The Complete Passuk

וַיַּכֵּ֣ר יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ צָֽדְקָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נִּי כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֥ן לֹא־נְתַתִּ֖יהָ לְשֵׁלָ֣ה בְנִ֑י וְלֹֽא־יָסַ֥ף ע֖וֹד לְדַעְתָּֽהּ׃

Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more in the right than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he was not intimate with her again.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sotah 10b.

Sefaria — Sotah 10b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
מִנָּא יָדַע? וְדִילְמָא כִּי הֵיכִי דַּאֲזַל אִיהוּ לְגַבַּהּ אֲזַל נַמִּי אַחֲרִינָא? אָמַר רָבָא: דְּחָשֵׁב יַרְחֵי וְיוֹמֵי וּמִתְכַּוְּנִי.

English: How did he know? Perhaps just as he went to her, someone else also went? Rava said: he calculated the months and the days, and they matched.

On the daf / in context: Yehudah’s certainty rests on timing, not on exclusive access alone.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Practical calculation underwrites the admission “she is right.”

What Is Learned

Yehudah verified the pregnancy’s timing against his encounter before declaring Tamar righteous.