Joseph in the Pit

יוסף בתוך הבור

Beraishit 37.24

24.’And they took him, and they cast (it with) him into the pit; and the pit was empty, no water was in it- וַיִּקָּחֻהוּ וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ הַבֹּרָה וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם (3014=8 counting final Mem as 600).

The verse can be divided so:

And they took him, and they cast (it with) him into the pit

וַיִּקָּחֻהוּ וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ הַבֹּרָה

1126=10=1

And the pit was empty no water was in it

וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם

678+5 words = 683 = 17=8

Rashi comments here that the seemingly superfluous words “and the pit was empty, no water was in it”- וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִםteaches us that although the pit was empty of water there were snakes and scorpions in it-נחשים ועקרבים (Shabbat 22.a).

Snakes and scorpions

נחשים ועקרבים

836=17=8 or + 2 words=19=10=1

The gematria of the words "and the pit was empty"- וְהַבּוֹר רֵקis 509+2 words=521=8.

The gematria of the words "no water was in it"- אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם is 159+3 words=162=1+8.

Moreover, the Torah by telling us that the pit was empty and there was no water in it teaches us that it was not a pit designed to hold water. It was the pit that Jacob had buried the idols and gold earings when he had left Shechem (see above).

Thus the Torah is teaching us that the articles that Jacob had buried there had been removed-i.e. the pit was now empty.

Alternatively the words "snakes and scorpions"- נחשים ועקרבים refer to the idols that were thrown in the pit after Jacob left Shechem including the Teraphim of Lavan.