Who made Yosef's life bitter; who quarreled with him, and who hated him?
Rashi: His brothers, as well as Potifar and his wife, embittered his life (when they incarcerated him). His brothers became his antagonists, and people whose tongues were like arrows (Ba'alei Leshon ha'Ra) hated him. 1
Targum Onkelos: His brothers ("Ba'alei Chitzim" - who were destined to share their inheritance with him [Chitzim is like Mechtzah - half]) 2 embittered his life, took revenge from him and oppressed him.
Rashbam: Potifar's wife embittered his life and 'shot at him arrows' (i.e. she caused him to be thrown into jail through Leshon ha'Ra).
Seforno: Yaakov was referring to the butler 3 and the courtiers 4 who slandered 5 him to Pharaoh.
Targum Yonasan: He was referring to the sorcerers of Egypt, who quarreled with him and spoke about him Lashon ha'Ra. 6
Ohr ha'Chayim #1: Initially, his brothers thought to kill him; they inflicted many wounds on him. They then decided to cast him to a pit and sell him. "Va'Robu" refers to the many afflictions they did to him. Eshes Potifar and her colleagues (refer to 49:22:2:6) hated him [for denying their request]; they are called Ba'alei Chitzim, for they wanted him to cast into them semen, which shoots like arrows.
Ohr ha'Chayim #2: The entire verse refers to enticement to do evil; Kelipah is called Marah. This caused his semen to leave via his fingers. The forces of evil increased and were forcing him to sin. Ba'alei Chitzim are Kelipos that make a man sin and waste seed, which shoots like arrows.
Malbim: Ba'alei Chitzim are Ba'alei Leshon ha'Ra - Yosef's brothers and Potifar's house, who embittered him and hated him. "Va'Robu" is an expression of shooting arrows - as in "Roveh Kashas" (21:20). 7
Ha'amek Davar: [His brothers] embittered him between his two periods of growth. 8 "Va'Robu" is an expression of shooting arrows - "Roveh Kashas" (21:20). One who strikes amidst hatred is far worse than one who strikes by chance.
They cast on him words as harsh as arrows (Midrash Rabah, 98:19).
This is Rashi's explanation of Targum; but see Gur Aryeh (49:23:1.3:1).
When they asked Pharaoh how a slave whose master acquired him for twenty silver pieces could possibly rule over them!
Since, like arrows, it kills from afar (Targum Yonasan. See also Perush Yonasan). Refer to 49:23:1:4**.
Compare to Gur Aryeh; refer to 49:23:1.1:2.
Refer to 49:22:151:6 and to 49:22:151:7.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "Va'Robu - His brothers became adversaries to him." What is the etymology of the word "Robu"?
Rashi: "Robu" comes from 'Riv' (fight); 1 the verb means "they made themselves into adversaries."
Gur Aryeh: "Robu" means 'to shoot an arrow;' 2 the verb means, "they aimed their arrows at him." 3
Its root would then be Reish-Vav-Beis; as in the verse "ha'Rov Rav Im Yisrael" (Shoftim 11:25). (CS)
Gur Aryeh: Its root is Reish-Beis-Beis (the Dagesh in the Beis shows this); as in "Rabim, Kol Dorechei Keshes" (Yirmeyah 50:29).
Gur Aryeh: To answer for Rashi. we sometimes find even in a deficient root (with a Vav) that the last letter is doubled (e.g. the word "Konen" (Tehilim 9:8)), or that it is given a Dagesh (e.g. "Domu" (Shmuel I 14:9)).
Rashi writes: "Va'Robu - His brothers became adversaries to him... and this is how Targum translates -- 'they took their revenge against him.'" How else can Targum be explained?
Gur Aryeh: Explaining unlike Rashi (and continuing from 49:23:1.1:2), Gur Aryeh understands Targum Onkelos to mean, 'they [aimed their arrows at him to] take their revenge.' Targum explains the idea of the Pasuk without precisely translating the term "Robu."
Rashi writes: "'Ba'alei Chitzim' - ... Targum translates as in the word 'Mechetzah' (half), to mean '[Yosef's brothers] who would be splitting their inheritance with him.'" How else can Targum be explained?
Gur Aryeh: (Explaining unlike Rashi,) Targum is based on the usual meaning of the word "Chitzim" - "arrows." An arrow is called a 'Chetz' because it travels straight through the air, slicing the air and anything else in its path in half. 1 (A sword, on the other hand, is not used along a straight line.)
Yerios Shlomo (of R' S. Poppenheim, Vol. 3 16b): The arrow must be placed at the precise midpoints of the bow and the drawstring (bisecting them in half), in order to be effective.
