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From: am@vilya.UUCP (MALEK)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: A question on parsha Vayeshev
Message-ID: <260@vilya.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Dec-85 12:52:43 EST
Article-I.D.: vilya.260
Posted: Fri Dec 13 12:52:43 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Dec-85 18:54:20 EST
References: <1683@decwrl.UUCP> <380@mhuxi.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Parsippany
Lines: 18

In article <380@mhuxi.UUCP>, dsg@mhuxi.UUCP (David S. Green) writes:
> The commentary says that "a certain man" or this man was an "angel" I forget
> if he was Michael or Gabriel.  The reason that the man was an angel is
> because he knew Joseph was looking for his brothers without Joseph having
> to ask.  The exact identity of the angel is taken from a similar phrase
> "a certain man" elsewhere in the TANACH where the angel is identified.
Rashi quotes Tanchuma that the man was Gavriel, based on the pasuk in
Daniel "Ve-ha-is Gavriel". This is not clear from the Chumash, since nothing
supernatural occurs here. However, any pshat should explain why the word
"ish" occurs so many times, so there is some reason for Rashi's pshat.
Ibn Ezra says that the man was a regular person, following his regular practice
of interpreting psukim literally whenever the literal interpretation makes
some sort of sense. This does not negate the fact that the "man" was sent
by Hashem.
For a more complete analysis, Mr. Green has suggested that one refer to
the Torah Shlema or the Art Scroll.
-- 
Avi Malek @ATT Bell Labs Parsippany, NJ