In Bereishit chapter 31, Lavan chases after Yaakov and accuses him of stealing his idols. Yaakov responds with a bold declaration:
“With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live.”
עִם־אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּמְצָ֤א אֶת־אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לֹ֣א יִֽחְיֶ֔ה (בראשית ל״א:ל״ב)
Unbeknownst to Yaakov, Rachel had taken the idols. Tragically, this curse seems to have consequences: Rachel dies young, during childbirth. The Torah subtly links Yaakov’s words to her fate.
A similar moment unfolds in Bereishit chapter 44, when Yosef orchestrates a test by having his silver goblet planted in Binyamin’s sack. His guards pursue the brothers, accusing them of theft. The brothers, unaware of the setup, respond with a dangerous vow:
“Whichever of your servants it is found with shall die; the rest of us, moreover, shall become slaves to my lord.”
אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא אִתּוֹ מֵעֲבָדֶיךָ וָמֵת וְגַם־אֲנַחְנוּ נִהְיֶה לַאדֹנִי לַעֲבָדִים (בראשית מ״ד:ט׳)
Yosef quickly redirects the curse:
“Although what you are proposing is right, only the one with whom it is found shall be my slave; but the rest of you shall go free.”
גַּם עַתָּה כְּדִבְרֵיכֶם כֶּן הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִמָּצֵא אִתוֹ יִהְיֶה לִי עָבֶד וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ נְקִיִּים (בראשית מ״ד:י׳)
But the damage may already be done. The brothers have echoed the same kind of vow that once led to Rachel’s death. Yosef’s plan has backfired. Yehudah, trying to take responsibility, responds:
“Here we are, then, slaves of my lord, the rest of us as much as he in whose possession the goblet was found.”
הִנֶּנּוּ עֲבָדִים לַאדֹנִי גַּם־אֲנַחְנוּ גַּם אֲשֶׁר נִמְצָא הַגָּבִיעַ בְּיָדוֹ (בראשית מ״ד:ט״ז)
Yehudah has now offered all of Yaakov’s sons as slaves to the Egyptian crown. Just as Yaakov’s impulsive curse led to the death of his beloved wife, Yosef’s scheme—and the brothers’ rash vow—may have set the stage for the enslavement of the entire Israelite nation.
