Parshas Vayeishev: Speech Therapy

His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, so they hated him and could not speak with him peaceably. (Bereishis 37:4)

R

abbi Yehonasan Eybeschutz points out the construction of this phrase: they could not speak with him. Completely unable.

Had the brothers been able to speak to Yosef, they might have told him of their anger at his talebearing, and of their distress at seeing the multicolored coat. They might have spoken frankly about their humiliation at the way their father favored Rochel over their mother Leah.  Yosef might have come to understand their feelings. It might have made him more modest or at least more thoughtful.

But they simply couldn’t bring themselves to speak. (Rabbi Jonathon Sacks, Covenant and Conversation)

“Arggh!! Ma!!” Loud wails sound from the boys’ room.

“Oof, Mommy!!” Stomping feet march to the kitchen to find me.

I don’t know about your home, but in ours, we sometimes have a hard time with being rodef shalom. We’re more into the rodef part….

Arbitrating altercations is part and parcel of a mommy’s job, but what often irked me is that I couldn’t even figure out what was going on. I’d arrive at the scene to find one child upset and another one smirking, but hey, how was I supposed to referee when no one would say a word?