Mock Trial of Joseph's Brothers

[Blue Bird]

Thanks for everyone's comments!

I too am on the side of the jury, with only 1 guilty verdict.

What is very interesting to me, and this was part of my Parsha reading from one of Rabbi Fohrman's books, is who actually sold Joseph.

Isn't it very odd the way one verse is sort of glaring, seeming a bit out of place -

Genesis 37:28


Then Midianite men, merchants, passed by, and they pulled and lifted Joseph from the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver [pieces], and they brought Joseph to Egypt.

So Joseph's brothers really didn't sell him into slavery, did they?

They were thinking of selling him to the Ishmaelites but never did. And Reuven was heart wrenched when he saw Joseph was gone.

The verse before, vers 27, mentions his brothers: "his brothers listened". So, the question is who is "they" in verse 28? It could be the Midianite men or Josephs brothers. Because his brothers talked about selling him before, I would guess that "they" refers to the brothers.