Daily Zohar # 4409 – Vayetze – Challenging questions

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Vayetze
Continued from previous DZ
#135
He asks, ‘Was Benjamin truly righteous?’ And the answer is, ‘Yes, because he did not sin in the matter of the covenant of sexual purity all his days, even though he did not experience the test of temptation like Joseph did.’ The question then is, why is he called righteous if he did not face any temptation? Aren’t there many people who have kept the covenant of sexual purity all their days and yet are not called righteous, except if they have faced tests?'”
And the answer is, ‘But all the days that Jacob was in mourning for Joseph, Benjamin did not have relations with his wife. And for this reason, he merited the title of righteous. And if you say, ‘But when Joseph was taken from Jacob, Benjamin was still a child and not married,’ you say he did not have relations. And the answer is even though he married later, he did not go to bed with his wife.

Lesson;
The story of Joseph’s test: https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.39.7?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

#136
And he challenges again, saying, ‘But this is what we have learned: When Joseph asked Benjamin, “Do you have a wife?” he replied, “Yes.” Joseph asked, “Do you have children?” and he replied, “Yes.” Joseph asked, “What are their names?” and he replied with the names as it is written;
Genesis 46:21
“וּבְנֵי בִנְיָמִן בֶּלַע וָבֶכֶר וְאַשְׁבֵּל גֵּרָא וְנַעֲמָן אֵחִי וָרֹאשׁ מֻפִּים וְחֻפִּים וָאָרְדְּ.”
“The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.”

Lesson;
The question intensifies with the account of Joseph’s interaction with Benjamin. When Joseph asked Benjamin if he had a wife, Benjamin answered affirmatively. Joseph then asked if he had children, to which Benjamin also replied affirmatively, even naming them, as mentioned in the text. This suggests that Benjamin did have marital relations, contrary to the earlier assertion that he did not.

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