Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

69
Vayigash
Memory, Emotion and Odor: Yosef’s Collapse
S weet Smells and Chekov’s Gun
The great Russian playwright, Anton Chekov, offered the following advice to an aspiring
writer: “If in Act 1 you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act.”
In other words, every detail introduced in a story must eventually play a crucial role in
the plot. If this is true for human writers, all the more so it must be true for the ultimate
Author.
Let’s explore an astounding example of this principle by examining a detail in Yosef ’s story
which on the surface seems almost entirely irrelevant, but in the end will take a central
position in the narrative. In Parshat Vayeshev, Yosef is sold to a band of Yishma’eilim
traveling by caravan to Mitzrayim. The Torah (37:25) goes out of its way to tell us exactly
what these merchants carried with them: nechot u-tzri va-lot – spice mix, balsam and
ladanum – all three of which are used in perfumes due to their intense fragrance. How
does this detail play a role in the larger plot of Yosef ’s life? When does ‘Chekov’s gun’ fire?
We will see that these perfumes do indeed take an important position in the plot. In
order to appreciate this, let’s first explore the central enigma in the story – why does
Yosef ’s self control crumble?
Control and Crisis
Rav Asher Friedman
Yosef ’s greatness lies in his self-mastery and control. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce
him, and he responds with cold, rational thought in this most emotional of circumstances.