Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors. (Gen 37:3)
וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא לֹ֑ו וְעָ֥שָׂה לֹ֖ו כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים׃
Israel autem diligebat Ioseph super omnes filios suos, eo quod in senectute genuisset eum; fecitque ei tunicam talarem.
The “covering from skins” that man received just before his catch out from paradise was his first robe. God’s gesture signified the love that protects and shields what is vulnerable and what is easy for grudges. The author of the Book of Genesis used the same term as in today’s reading. Israel decorated Joseph with a tunic as a sign of his special love. After Joseph alleged loss, this tunic became a sign of mourning by his father. Sometimes, when we love someone, we give that person a robe of dignity and respect, through a kind word, prayer, tenderness, to strengthen what may be weak and still immature in this person.
