TT #7 · Parashas Mikeitz · Passuk 41:50
וּלְיוֹסֵ֤ף יֻלַּד֙ שְׁנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים בְּטֶ֥רֶם תָּב֖וֹא שְׁנַ֣ת הָרָעָ֑ב אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָֽלְדָה־לּוֹ֙ אָֽסְנַ֔ת בַּת־פּ֥וֹטִי פֶ֖רַע כֹּהֵ֥ן אֽוֹן׃
And unto Yosef were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him.
Torah Temimah points to Ta’anis 11a.
אמר ריש לקיש, אסור לאדם לשמש מטהו בשני רעבון, שנאמר וליוסף יולד שני בנים בטרם תבא שנת הרעב.
English of Core Text: Reish Lakish said: It is forbidden for a person to engage in marital relations in years of famine, as it is said, “And unto Yosef were born two sons before the year of famine came.”
On the daf / in context: The Gemara derives from the careful timing of the birth of Menasheh and Ephraim that a person who is not suffering from the famine should nevertheless share in the community’s distress by refraining from marital relations during years of famine. Tosafot and later authorities qualify that the restriction applies primarily to those who are not themselves in distress.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13; the sugya extracts a practical halachic/ethical rule from the narrative detail that Yosef’s sons were born before the famine years.
What Is Learned: One who is not personally afflicted by a communal calamity (such as famine) should still identify with the suffering of the community, including by refraining from marital relations during years of famine.