Amos 2:6–3:8
Inexcusable Injustice

Sensitivity towards others is a crucial component of our service to Hashem.
Many of the Torah’s mitzvos such as: judging someone favorably; not paining
someone; not embarrassing someone, and not insulting someone are based
on sensitivity. In addition, from a Torah standpoint, insensitivity towards widows
and orphans stands above all and is responded to in the severest form. This
week’s Haftarah displays an additional dimension of sensitivity and discusses
Hashem’s response to insensitivity to the helpless and alludes to its
catastrophic repercussions.

Unforgivable Harm to the Helpless

Amos Hanavi began our Haftarah and stated in Hashem’s name, “Regarding three
offenses [I can be patient] but shall I not respond to a fourth one, over their selling the
righteous for money and a pauper in exchange for shoes!?” (2:6) Amos continued, “They
anxiously await the dirt of the ground [to be placed] upon the head of the impoverished.”
(2:7) Amos admonished the Jewish people for their apathy towards injustice. Their
judges would typically accept minimal bribes and render unfair judgments in exchange
for inexpensive shoes. They would also discriminate against the poor and literally drag
them through the dirt when they refused to comply with their unfair verdicts. (Radak and
Metzudas Dovid 2:6-7) Amos said that Hashem expressed great disturbance over these
crimes and declared them unforgivable.
Radak magnifies this message and explains that the first three offenses refer to the
cardinal sins of idolatry, adultery and murder. Hashem said that He would respond to the
injustice of the poor above all other offenses, even the three cardinal sins. In fact,
Hashem regards injustice to the poor so severe that He promised to respond to it
immediately. Rabbeinu Bachya explains that Hashem’s response is based on the
pauper’s degree of dependence on Him. People with meager financial means generally
do not generate respect from others, and Hashem becomes their sole source of security.
Because they rely totally on Him for assistance, He pledges to come to their immediate
defense and to respond harshly to all injustice done to them. (Rabbeinu Bachya intro. to
Vayeishev)

Yosef’s Infamous Sale

Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer interprets Amos’ words to refer to the infamous sale of Yosef.
He explains that Yosef’s brothers sold him for twenty silver coins and each of them
bought shoes with his sale value. Amos referred to that sale when he reprimanded the
Jewish people for selling the righteous for silver and a pauper for shoes. Hashem
declared Yosef’s sale unforgivable and viewed it with greater severity than cardinal
offenses. (Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer 38)
Apparently, Rebbe Eliezer explains that Hashem stated that He had no tolerance for
Yosef’s sale and that He would ultimately respond to it with grave severity. He seems to
mean that Amos’s prophecy alluded to the martyrdom of the Jewish people’s greatest
sages, the Ten Sacred Martyrs. Amos predicted that the Jewish nation’s most pious
sages would suffer torturous deaths to help cleanse the Jewish nation from its indelible
stain. As we know, Amos’ prediction materialized, and the Ten Martyrs’ sacred deaths
became the most tragic personal events in all Jewish history.
The Root of Interpersonal Offenses

Indeed, we find this point clearly underlined in the Midrash. Rebbe Abbin says that in
every generation there remains a trace of the sin of Yosef’s infamous sale. Rebbe
Yehoshua ben Levi adds, that the Ten Sacred Martyrs met their fate to atone for Yosef’s
sale. (Midrash Mishlei 1) Chazal reveal here that Yosef’s sale left an indelible impression
on the collective Jewish soul. Rav Meir Simcha of Divinsk equates the sale of Yosef to
the infamous sin of the golden calf. Regarding the latter the Torah states, “On the day
that I will recall [your inexcusable actions] I will recall you [for this one, as well].”
(Shemos 32:34) Chazal interpret this statement to mean that national misfortune always
includes a degree of retribution for the sin of the golden calf. (Rashi ad loc) The
explanation of this is that all offenses between the Jewish people and Hashem stem
from the Jewish people’s return to sinful practice through their plunge into foreign
service, after they had completely united with Hashem forty days prior when they
accepted His Torah.
Rav Meir Simcha explains that this principle only applies to the Jewish people’s
offenses between themselves and Hashem. But, regarding their offenses between one
and another, the sale of Yosef is at the deep root of their sin. He explains that in the
same manner that the golden calf led to all dissention between the Jewish people and
Hashem, the sale of Yosef led to all the Jewish people’s dissention amongst themselves.
Accordingly, whenever Hashem brings national misfortune for interpersonal offenses it
includes a degree of retribution for the sale of Yosef. (Meshech Chachma on Vayikra

16:30)

Rationale of Yosef’s Sale

At this point, it is important to place Yosef’s sale in proper perspective. We should
note that the Haftarah only refers to one dimension of the sale, its insensitivity.
Apparently, Hashem did not fault our patriarch Yaakov’s ten pious sons for the actual
sale of their brother, rather for the humiliating way which it was done. Before discussing
this, let us provide some background to the situation between Yosef and his brothers.
The Torah relates that Yosef appointed himself spiritual supervisor over his brothers. In
truth, his sole objective was to refine every imperfection in his brothers’ character and to
develop their supreme spiritual qualities. Since the young boy Yosef did not feel
adequate or qualified to reprimand his older brothers, he faithfully informed his father of
all their suspicious mannerisms. Unfortunately, Yosef severely misjudged some of their
mysterious ways and he was unaware of their innocence in all of their doings.
Rav Shmuel Meltzan develops this idea and quotes one of his contemporary Torah
authorities who explains that Yosef’s brothers perceived him as a threat to their basic
existence, both spiritual and physical. Because Yaakov’s ear was always available to
Yosef he became a threatening adversary to his brothers. The brothers were painfully
aware of Yaakov’s penetrating power of speech and of how his innocent words had
brought about the untimely passing of his cherished wife, Rachel. They feared that
Yosef’s relentless campaign for their perfection could and would eventually kindle their
father’s wrath against them. Who knows what powerful words Yaakov might express in
response to the brother’s alleged wrong doings? Because of their heightened sensitivity
about this matter, they developed a strong degree of suspicion about Yosef’s true intent.
They reasoned that if he was truly concerned about their welfare, he would never
endanger their lives with the tales he consistently brought to their father, Yaakov.
The matter became increasingly difficult when Yosef seemed to have become overtly
insensitive to their spiritual well-being. He seemingly had no difficulty relating to them his
uncanny dreams about becoming their leader. The brothers were greatly disturbed by
that insensitivity and ruled that Yosef certainly realized the sinful reaction he could elicit
from them in response to his dreams, but he simply did not care! (From the comments of
Rabbi Shmuel Meltzan to Even Shlomo 4:17)
All the above built a stone wall between Yosef and his brothers and rendered it nearly
impossible for them to discuss their disturbances with him. Accordingly, Seforno explains
the brother’s rationale for the sale. When Yosef suddenly visited his brothers who were
tending to their sheep far away from home, their warning signals began flashing. They

concluded that he came to spy on them and discover some apparent wrong of theirs to
report to his father. His suspicious unexpected visit “proved” to them his ill intent, and, in
their trying situation, they regarded Yosef as a serious threat to their existence and
therefore engaged themselves in self-defense. In situations of threatening danger, the
Torah permits one to protect oneself at all costs, and the brothers justifiably sold Yosef to
a traveling caravan in attempt to rid themselves of their problem. (based on Seforno’s
comment to 37:18)

Inexcusable Shoe Purchase

Although these words present a clear defense for the actual sale, Hashem declared its
humiliating manner — purchasing shoes with the sale value — totally inexcusable.
Conceivably, the brothers denigrated Yosef’s honor to establish a pertinent precedent.
From their perspective, Yosef had coveted the mantle of leadership and had disregarded
the brothers’ wellbeing in the process. They erroneously believed that Yosef had regarded
himself their superior and had focused on the unique benefits that his leadership could
bring to their illustrious family. They understood that Yosef’s self-righteousness had grown
to such proportions that it eventually threatened their actual existence. Fearing that such
behavior could reappear amongst themselves they resolved to denounce it. They
therefore purchased shoes with Yosef’s sale value to declare that any family member who
would seek to become their superior would ultimately lose all of his dignity. (Radal to Pirkei
D’Rebbe Eliezer ad loc)
The above explanation reveals the brother’s rationale for purchasing shoes but the
fact remained that their purchase extended beyond self-defense. True, Yosef was
misguided, but because he remained one of Yaakov’s illustrious children he deserved his
due honor and respect. Hashem therefore declared the humiliating manner of Yosef’s
sale inexcusable. Unfortunately, the brothers’ approach to Yosef became ingrained in the
Jewish nation’s soul and it opened the door for diversity and dispute amongst the Jewish
people, and for religious factions to disregard the validity of differing opinions. Until
Yosef’s self- appointed position, Yaakov’s household had functioned in perfect harmony.
But, after that major rift the potential existed for unjustified hatred to appear amongst the
Jewish people at any point. Hashem pledged to severely respond to such diversity if it
would reappear and to help the Jewish nation cleanse itself from such inappropriate
behavior.

The Ten Sacred Martyrs

Chazal relate that severe diversity did develop in later generations. They note that

during the era of the Second Bais HaMikdash, concealed hatred became a way of life.
(Yoma 9b) After a period of time Hashem responded to the Jewish people’s inexcusable
behavior and decreed the destruction of the second Bais HaMikdash. But, as we have
learned, whenever Hashem brings national misfortune for interpersonal offenses, He
includes a degree of retribution for the sale of Yosef. Therefore, shortly after the
destruction of the Bais HaMikdash, Hashem recalled the infamous sale of Yosef and
brought brutal deaths to three of the Sacred Martyrs. Conceivably, Hashem was showing
the Jewish people through those sacred deaths the severity of the people’s
insensitivities and was inspiring them to develop true love for one other.
Unfortunately, the effect of that lesson was short lived, and fifty-two years later the
Jewish people’s abhorrent behavior reappeared through the fierce hatred that developed
between the inhabitants of Yerushalyim and Beitar. (Eicha Rabba 2:4) During the era of
the Beitar massacre, Hashem recalled Yosef’s sale once again and completed the earlier
martyrdom process with the brutal deaths of R’ Akiva and his colleagues. (Seder
Hadoros, years 3828 and 3880) At that point, the Jewish nation pledged never to forget
their tragic lesson and they eternalized its message in their moving Yom Kippur Selichos
and Tisha B’Av Kinos. During these solemn moments, the Jewish people are motivated
to reflect on their shortcomings in the area of inter-personal relationships and to resolve
to rectify them in full.

Today’s Sacred Martyrs

In our times, the Jewish nation’s tragic personal experiences attest to the approaching
era of Mashiach. Chazal teach us that before the advent of Mashiach our nation’s
tragedies will become so common that people will grow insensitive to them. Let us do
our utmost to combat this curse and to plead with Hashem to end our troubles. Let us
implore Hashem to spare every precious Jewish soul and to sensitize us to the pain and
misfortune of all those bereaved families. Let us internalize Dovid Hamelech’s classic
words and follow his example and cry out to Hashem, “I pour my words before You and
tell you ’my’ trouble.” (Tehillim 142:3)