ויחי

The Homecoming of Yosef

Whilst in Egypt, Yosef retains (and even develops) his moral and religious integrity. This is apparent from his rejection of Potiphar's wife's advances and the religious tone discernible in all his interactions. No person in Tanach mentions God more than Yosef as he continuously attributes life's circumstances and his own abilities to God. What is less apparent – at least until right at the end of his life - is his connection to the covenant and the land of Israel. Over the hundreds of verses dealing with Yosef we seldom hear of any sentiment for the land of Israel. He actively encourages his family to descend to Egypt, advertising the economic benefits, his personal success, and the protectzia they will enjoy as a result of his own position and power. He is similarly quick to assure them they will be able to live an insular life in Goshen and thereby mitigate the threat of assimilation. Yet there is no express mention that it will be a temporary stay and no reference to a return to the land of Israel. This sharply contrasts with Yaakov who is fearful to descend to Egypt and receives reassurance from God that he will descend with them and then return with them to Israel (see Gen. 46:4).

The tension around Yosef's identity is highlighted by the fact that the word bayit appears over and over again from the moment Yosef arrives in Egypt. He is moved from Potiphar's house to the jail, and from jail to the palace. Despite the differences in settings, each one is referred to as a bayit:

וַיְמָאֵן וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנָיו הֵן אֲדֹנִי לֹא־יָדַע אִתִּי מַה־בַּבָּיִת וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יֶשׁ־לוֹ נָתַן בְּיָדִי׃ (בראשית לט:ח)

כִּי אִם־זְכַרְתַּנִי אִתְּךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לָךְ וְעָשִׂיתָ־נָּא עִמָּדִי חָסֶד וְהִזְכַּרְתַּנִי אֶל־פַּרְעֹה וְהוֹצֵאתַנִי מִן־הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה׃ (מ:יד)

אַתָּה תִּהְיֶה עַל־בֵּיתִי וְעַל־פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק כָּל־עַמִּי רַק הַכִּסֵּא אֶגְדַּל מִמֶּךָּ: (מ:מא)

The impression is that Yosef is on a search for a new identity and belonging having been traumatically evicted from the family home. Seemingly, his search comes to an end when he is invited into the palace and successfully interprets Pharaoh's dream. Pharaoh takes him out the 'pit' (as the jail is referred to – see 41:14), brings him into his home, and provides him with clothes. This is the inverse of the actions of his own family who took away his clothes and threw him into the pit.[1] Pharaoh gives him a new name and finds him a wife, as a parent would be expected to do. The name given to his eldest son does indeed suggest Yosef has found a new home to replace his old one:

וַיִּקְרָא יוֹסֵף אֶת־שֵׁם הַבְּכוֹר מְנַשֶּׁה כִּי־נַשַּׁנִי אֱלֹהִים אֶת־כָּל־עֲמָלִי וְאֵת כָּל־בֵּית אָבִי׃ (מא:נא)

Nevertheless, when Yosef finally reveals himself and says 'is my father still alive' his purpose is to make it clear that he has not forgotten his family. Yaakov remains his true father and Yosef retains his loyalty to him.[2]

Only right at the end of Yosef's life do we learn that he has also not forgotten the land and the covenant. The final words of Yosef are the first time he speaks of a return to the land:

וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל־אֶחָיו אָנֹכִי מֵת וֵאלֹהִים פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם וְהֶעֱלָה אֶתְכֶם מִן־הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֶל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב׃ (נ:כד)

The fact that we (the readers) are left in suspense until right at the end of his life serves to accentuate how Yosef had to shield his true identity from his environment. His self-identity is hidden from us as it would have been to his Egyptian surroundings. The literary form thus reflects the motif and reinforces the significance of the challenge Yosef faced.[3]

Remember, remember…

Why was it specifically Yosef who was chosen to deliver the message of the covenant and the future redemption? The answer seems to lie in Yosef's proven ability to maintain his faith and identity in times of exile as alluded to above. But what was his strategy to accomplish this? The Torah devotes significant attention to Yosef's skill in navigating the years of famine through his prudent policies. This is not just economically shrewd, but reflective of an underlying quality of character. The plan to fill the storehouses in the years of plenty requires foresight, planning and most importantly, discipline. Through this plan and its successful implementation, Yosef demonstrates how to actively preserve the achievements of the present in order to persevere through future adversity.

We have previously discussed how Yosef realised certain things about Pharaoh's dream which Pharaoh missed. Yosef saw the lean cows and the fat cows standing side by side which appears in the original narration of the dream but not in Pharaoh's recollection. Yosef's plan takes its cue from this detail by integrating the years of plenty into the years of famine. Similarly, Pharaoh panics at the image of the lean cows consuming the fat cows and remaining unchanged, whilst Yosef's interpretation ignores this fatalistic imposition (which is again not present in the objective narration of the dreams). Yosef's plan shows how the lean cows consuming the fat cows can be understood as holding the key to survival if interpreted in terms of sustenance.

Yosef's ability to integrate past, present and future translates into other areas as well. Yosef knows how to dream and to remember his dream:

וַיִּזְכֹּר יוֹסֵף אֵת הַחֲלֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם לָהֶם (מב:ט)

Aside from God he is the only person in the Torah of who it is stated 'he remembered'. As with the cases where God remembers, Yosef remembering his dream is a trigger for action. He recalls the past to navigate the present.[4]

When faced with the challenging circumstances in Potiphar's house, his discipline and loyalty to his master save him from sin:

אֵינֶנּוּ גָדוֹל בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה מִמֶּנִּי וְלֹא־חָשַׂךְ מִמֶּנִּי מְאוּמָה כִּי אִם־אוֹתָךְ בַּאֲשֶׁר אַתְּ־אִשְׁתּוֹ וְאֵיךְ אֶעֱשֶׂה הָרָעָה הַגְּדֹלָה הַזֹּאת וְחָטָאתִי לֵאלֹהִים׃ (לט:ט)

The Talmud, which Rashi references, is also noteworthy for its emphasis on Yosef's loyalty:

וַתִּתְפְּשֵׂהוּ בְּבִגְדוֹ לֵאמֹר וְגוֹ׳ בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה בָּאתָה דְּיוֹקְנוֹ שֶׁל אָבִיו וְנִרְאֲתָה לוֹ בַּחַלּוֹן (סוטה לו:)

Loyalty is a quality borne out of a deep attachment to relationships forged in the past. This quality was glaringly absent from the butler who conveniently 'forgets' about Yosef. But for Yosef, loyalty is central to his being. Wherever he goes, he is appointed to positions of responsibility owing to his loyalty and trustworthiness.

Yosef thus shows he is adept at foreseeing and withstanding challenging times by anchoring himself to memory of the past. His foresight informs his present actions whist his discipline and loyalty keep him on track as the events unfold. As one who is able to retain his deepest loyalties through the most difficult times, Yosef fully comprehends that God too will retain his loyalty to the nation and the covenant. He is therefore uniquely qualified to deliver the message that 'God will be sure to remember you (פקד יפקד)'.

Outside of this context (and the connected reference in Ex. 3:16), the only other time in the Torah where this root doubles up is where Yosef suggests to Pharaoh how to plan for the years of famine:[5]

יַעֲשֶׂה פַרְעֹה וְיַפְקֵד פְּקִדִים עַל־הָאָרֶץ וְחִמֵּשׁ אֶת־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בְּשֶׁבַע שְׁנֵי הַשָּׂבָע׃ (מא:לד)

Yosef, who understands the need to store the grain so that the years of plenty provide for the lean years, similarly understands the need to furnish a vision of redemption to provide hope to the nation during the exile. He does so by making them swear to take his bones up to Israel when the time of redemption arrives. Yosef's bones thus become a powerful symbol for the future reflecting his unwavering belief that such a day will arrive. The last verse in the book of Bereishit tells us of a final act of storage. Yosef's body is embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. Yosef dies but the vision he created is preserved: 

וַיָּמָת יוֹסֵף בֶּן־מֵאָה וָעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים וַיַּחַנְטוּ אֹתוֹ וַיִּישֶׂם בָּאָרוֹן בְּמִצְרָיִם׃ (נ:כו)[6]

Thus, the exile follows the same pattern as Pharaoh's dreams. Just as Pharaoh feared that the lean years will cause the years of plenty to be forgotten, so the 'new' Pharaoh forgets the good which Joseph did. However, just as Yosef found a way to ensure that the years of plenty were remembered in the years of famine, so too he successfully perpetuates the memory of the covenant to sustain the nation in exile. In the end it is the reverberating echo of Yosef's words which awaken the people to the forthcoming redemption:

לֵךְ וְאָסַפְתָּ אֶת־זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֵיכֶם נִרְאָה אֵלַי אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב לֵאמֹר פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם וְאֶת־הֶעָשׂוּי לָכֶם בְּמִצְרָיִם׃ (שמות ג:טז)

מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁתֹּאמַר לָהֶם לָשׁוֹן זֶה, יִשְׁמְעוּ לְקוֹלְךָ, שֶׁכְּבָר סִימָן זֶה מָסוּר בְּיָדָם מִיַּעֲקֹב וּמִיּוֹסֵף, שֶׁבְּלָשׁוֹן זֶה הֵם נִגְאָלִים, יַעֲקֹב אָמַר לָהֶם "וֵאלֹהִים פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם" (בראשית נ'), יוֹסֵף אָמַר לָהֶם "פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם" (שם): (רש"י, שמות ג:יח)[7]

 

 

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[1] For our purposes we need not labour the point as to whether Yosef thought his father was part of the conspiracy.

[2] The suggestion that Yosef's rhetorical flush – 'is my father still alive' – shows his connection to his family obtains support from Moshe's use of an almost identical expression at the pivotal moment when he decides to take leave of Jethro to rejoin his brethren in Egypt (noting this is but one of many parallels between Yosef and Moshe's early life):

וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וַיָּשָׁב אֶל־יֶתֶר חֹתְנוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֵלְכָה נָּא וְאָשׁוּבָה אֶל־אַחַי אֲשֶׁר־בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶרְאֶה הַעוֹדָם חַיִּים וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם׃ (שמות יד:יח)

[3] With Yosef's hiding of his identity from his brothers we are similarly not too sure of his plan until he reveals himself.

[4] This reminds me of an interesting quote from R. 'Joseph' Soloveitchik:

…man is bound to the past, nonetheless, he must anticipate the future and take all actions necessary to ensure that continuity. The past requires a future, and the future requires a past. Had Jews not identified with both the past and the future, the Jewish people could not have survived. People often say incorrectly and sarcastically,

העבר אין, העתיד עדיין, ההווה כהרף אין, אם כן דאגה מנייו

The past is remote, the future has not yet occurred, the present is fleeting, why, then, should one be concerned? Yahadus disagrees. Yahadus proposes:

העבר יש, והעתיד יש, וההווה גשר המקשר את העבר ואת העתיד

The past exists. The future exists. The present is the bridge between the past and the future. Therefore, one should be concerned. (Source: https://seforimblog.com/2010/11/whence-worry-on-murky-trail-of-aphoris/ )

[5] The only other places in Tanach where the phrase appears is Esther 2:3 in reference to the gathering of the women of Persia for the pleasure of the king. This is an intended wordplay on the grain storage in the Yosef story and serves to criticise the objectification of women in Persia.

[6] Perhaps the emphasis on embalming also reflects the theme of preservation which is so integral to Yosef's character. It should be noted that it was Yosef who requested that they embalm Yaakov.

[7] The Torah does not in fact record Yaakov as saying these words. See Ramban who attempts a difficult defence of Rashi. Ramban himself points out that in the source Midrash of the Shemot Rabbah the phrase is never attributed to Yaakov.