Instructions for counting the omer are found on our Omer Overview Page. You can find the specific blessing for today at chabad.org.

We’re dedicating a new Sefer Torah on the first day of Shavuot. In honor of this joyous occasion, we’re using the counting of the Omer to take a whirlwind trip through the Torah

Today’s portion is Vayeshev from the book of Genesis. Today’s insight was generously provided by Deborah M.

Verses of note: Genesis 38

What caught your attention in this parashah?

In Vayeshev, we read the well-known story of Jacob giving Joseph a coat of many colors, and his brothers hating him so much they throw him into a pit and then sell him. However, before the story continues with Joseph thriving in Egypt, and then being imprisoned and interpreting dreams, there is an entire chapter about his brother Judah (to whom the idea of selling Joseph is attributed), and his daughter-in-law Tamar, that seems to interrupt the flow. How is it related?

What’s one explanation for these verses?

One connection between these stories is the role played by clothing and by the role that expectations play in people’s reactions. Joseph’s brothers hated him, among other reasons, due to his coat of many colors that symbolized being his father’s favorite. Tamar used clothing to hide her identity during the story (removing her widows clothing and instead wearing a veil) and trick Judah into giving her a son when he didn’t permit her to marry his third son (the first two had died). Relatedly, Judah didn’t recognize Tamar when he saw her in an unexpected location, just as Joseph’s brothers didn’t recognize him when they saw him in Egypt.