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בטרם תבא שנת הרעב BEFORE THE YEAR OF FAMINE CAME — from here we learn that a man must practise continence during times of famine (cf. Taanit 11a).

בטרם תבא שנת הרעב, seeing that Yaakov arrived in Egypt at the beginning of the second year of the famine and he died at the end of seventeen years of having lived in Egypt, he said to Joseph prior to his death: “the two sons of yours who were born before I came i.e. Ephrayim and Menashe, will be to me as Reuven and Shimon.” Any children of Joseph, and he had such, who were born to him after his father arrived in Egypt would be considered as regular grandchildren of Yaakov in respect of the eventual parceling up to the tribes of the soil of the Holy Land. (48,5-6).

וליוסף יולד שני בנים, Two sons were born to Joseph, etc. The Torah includes this with what has been recorded before about Joseph's remarkable achievements during these seven years. The names Joseph gave his sons are proof that he was well pleased that G'd had let him forget his previous problems and had also made him fruitful. The word "fruitful" includes both having children, amassing wealth and being honoured.

וליוסף יולד, the singular mode used by the Torah in describing the birth of these two sons of Joseph suggests that they were twins. At least they were presumably born during the same night.

וליוסף יולד שני בנים בטרם תבא שנת הרעב, “And two children had been born for Joseph before the years of famine commenced.” From this verse our sages learned that it is forbidden for a person to indulge in marital relations during a famine. This raises the question how Levi could have ignored this ban [in effect already during the deluge in the ark, Ed.] since we have a tradition that Yocheved was not born until the family of Yaakov had reached the boundary of Egypt. Whence would Levi have known when the famine would end, and when the family would be moving to Egypt where the family would be amply provided for? We must assume that Joseph knew that his father’s family was not personally affected by the famine; besides Jews do not need to refrain from practicing reproduction only because the gentiles are short of food. If Joseph did refrain from indulging in marital relations it was because as a member of the Egyptian nation he had to share their hardship and be seen to do so. Moreover, at the beginning of the famine Joseph had no idea if his father was personally affected by the famine, so that he was duty bound to share the hardships endured by other members of his own family.

בטרם תבא שנת הרעב, “before the year of famine had set in.” This verse prompted our sages (Taanit 11) to decree that it is forbidden for man and wife to engage in marital relations during a year of famine. The only exception to this rule are couples who have not yet been able to produce any children. Joseph named his sons by commemorating events in his life.

That a person may not have marital relations during years of famine. Although it is written (v. 54), “There was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread,” perforce it means there was famine in all the lands even in their storehouses. But in Egypt there was bread in the storehouses [of Yoseif]. Although Yitzchok had relations during a famine year (26:8), it was already explained [that in Gerar there was no famine]. Re’m asks: Did not Leivi have relations during famine years? Yocheved was born to him as they entered Egypt, as Rashi explains on 46:15, and there was famine then. The answer is: One who is childless may have relations even during years of famine.

Eine eigentümliche Weise des Erzählens: es wurden ihm zwei Kinder geboren, welche ihm Asnath geboren hatte. Und dazu noch יֻלד Singular, statt: יֻולדו In ähnlicher Weise heißt es später Kap.46, 20: ויוָלד ליוסף בארץ מצרים ילדה לו אסנת וגו׳. Es scheint, dass hier die Geburt in doppelter Beziehung aufgefasst wird, vom Standpunkt der Mutter und dem des Kindes. Es kann die Mutter physisch dem Vater das Kind gebären, dabei aber gleichwohl noch in Frage bleiben, ob das Kind auch nach der Geburt dem Vater geboren bleibt, ob es nach innerer Anlage und äußerem Einfluss sein Kind in geistiger und sittlicher Beziehung wird und bleibt. Unter gewöhnlichen Umständen genügt ותלד לו; was die Gattin dem Gatten gebiert, wächst unter beiderseitigem Einflusse zu ihrem Ebenbilde heran. Es braucht dann nicht noch gesagt werden, dass יֻלד לו, dass dem Vater das Kind geboren worden. Hier aber ist dies ausdrücklich und bedeutsam hervorgehoben. Die Mutter war die Tochter einer angesehenen priesterlichen Familie, die also in alle ägyptischen "Geheimnisse" und Anschauungen ein- geweiht und darin erzogen war, und Josef war doch immer ein durch die Gunst des Königs gehobener Sklave und Ibri. Es kann einer nach außen der gefürchtete Gebieter eines Volkes sein und doch zu Hause der kriechende Sklave seines hochmütigen Weibes. Wie viel gehörte dazu, dass Asnath wahrhaft Josefs Weib und Mutter seiner Kinder werden sollte! Es brauchte nur Asnath nicht ganz mit Geist und Herz in Josefs geistige und sittliche Lebensanschauung aufzugehen, es brauchte nur Josef nicht eben Josef gewesen zu sein, und die Gefahr lag nahe, dass sie ihm wohl Kinder gebären, und doch die Kinder nicht ihm geboren würden. Dazu kommt nun noch das impersonale יֻלָד in welcher Form, wie ויוגד usw eine Tätigkeit oder eine Wirkung ganz absolut, und völlig abgesehen von ihrem Träger, als Subjekt des Satzes gefasst wird. "Es wird gesagt"; d. h. das Sagen wird bewirkt. "Es wurde geboren": die Geburt wurde geboren, die Geburt wurde gefördert, verwirklicht. Damit wird die Geburt als solche als unter besonderem Einfluss, hier des göttlichen Schutzes und Segens, begriffen. Und der gehörte wahrlich dazu. In Mizrajim der einzige Jude sein, die Tochter eines כומר לע׳ז zur Frau haben und doch Kinder erhalten und erziehen, mit denen noch die spätesten Geschlechter sich segnen und keinen höheren Wunsch kennen sollen, als, dass Gott ihnen Kinder gleich diesen möge werden lassen, das ist allerdings eine זכיה, die besonders hervorgehoben zu werden verdient und daher auch später bei der Aufzählung der Familien des Jakobshauses in gleicher Weise angemerkt wird.

בטרם תבוא שנת הרעב, “before the year of famine arrived.” The Talmud in tractate Taanit folio 11 teaches that from this verse we learn that during a famine man and his wife are not to cohabit [so as not to add more hungry mouths at that time. Ed.] In light of this it is difficult to understand how Levi could have sired Yocheved during those years as we have been told that she was born when her mother entered Egypt on her way there with Yaakov’s family. (Compare Genesis 45,6) Rabbi Yehudah hachassid, opined that the prohibition of cohabiting with one’s wife during periods of famine is valid only for a prophet who has been told by G–d directly that there was going to be such a famine. Joseph was such a prophet who had been inspired by G–d to advise Pharaoh of future events. Levi who did not have any direct knowledge concerning the origin of this famine, and who had caused it, was therefore not obliged to abstain from the commandment to be fruitful and to multiply. According to a different interpretation, the brothers Levi and Joseph took different sides in an argument aired in the Talmud, tractate Yevamot folio 61 concerning that if the commandment to be fruitful has already been fulfilled if one has fathered two sons. A second opinion holds that until one has sired both a son and a daughter, one cannot claim to have fulfilled the commandment. Since Levi at this time had not yet sired a daughter, he had felt entitled to maintain normal family relations with his wife. Joseph had already sired two sons, and he held that thereby he had fulfilled the commandment.

בטרם תבא שנת הרעב , “before the first year of the famine commenced.” Rashi explains the significance of this verse being that marital relations during a famine are prohibited under Jewish law. You could ask that his brother Levi certainly had had marital relations with his wife during the famine, else how could his daughter Yocheved have been born during the second year of the famine when Yaakov travelled down to Egypt? (According to our tradition) We must therefore presume that the reason that Joseph abstained during that period was because he realised that his family went through a difficult time, not having any supplies until they replenished them by buying grain in Egypt.

שנת הרעב, the first year of the famine; the Torah adds: בטרם תבא, for they were born during the last year of the 7 years of plenty. Joseph was 37 years old when they were born. They were therefore 19 years old when Yaakov died. My teachers (Taanit 11) explained that the wording “before the onset of the famine,” is meant to teach that a person must not engage in marital intercourse during years of famine.

בטרם תבוא שנת הרעב, before the year of famine arrived. Taanit 11 derives from here that it is forbidden to maintain marital relations during a famine. We can conclude from the fact that the Talmud uses the example of Joseph [the words "before the arrival of the year of famine"] to deduce this ruling, that it is applicable only to people who have not yet fulfilled the commandment to be fruitful. Joseph had already fulfilled that commandment, ergo he could not have marital relations during the famine. Had he not had children yet, the fact that there was a famine would not have represented a halachic hindrance to his having normal marital relations during that period.

אשר ילדה לו אסנת, this is to teach that Joseph did not have any additional wives, i.e. both of his sons were born by the same mother.

Keeping this in mind, the question raised by Tossaphot in the Talmud about how Yocheved could have been born during the descent of Jacob's family to Egypt, seeing the famine was in full swing at the time, becomes moot. Tossaphot is at pains to explain that the rule was not a legal one but only a pious practice. This appears unacceptable seeing the whole rule is based on scripture. Besides, the Torah testifies to Levi's piety in Deut. 33,8, suggesting that of all the sons of Jacob he was the most pious. Even though the statement in Deuteronomy refers to the descendants of Levi, i.e. the branches, it is most certainly applicable also to the root, i.e. to Levi himself. Inasmuch as Levi did not yet have a daughter at the time, he was at liberty (compare Yevamot 61 and Even Ha-Ezer 1) to indulge in normal conjugal relations with his wife.

Moreover, the prohibition of conjugal relations applies only when the Jewish people experience the pain of a famine. Famine amongst the Gentiles has no bearing on Jewish family life. Inasmuch as Jacob was known to have a sufficient supply of food (compare Taanit 10) and he only sent his sons to Egypt for appearances' sake (so as not to arouse the envy of his neighbours) as we know from Rashi on Genesis 42,1 למה תתראו, Levi had acted one hundred percent within accepted Jewish norms. While it is true that there is a statement in Bereshit Rabbah 91, that Jacob's family did not even have any barley left, that statement refers to the second year of the famine. During the first year they certainly had enough grain left and Levi had every right to sleep with his wife. They did not have to refrain from conjugal relations on account of Joseph. Joseph was only an individual and the rule applies only to when a community is in economic straits. It is possible that Joseph refrained from conjugal relations with his wife during the famine because he knew that his family in the land of Canaan was suffering from the famine (the first year before they came to him).