Rabbi Jon’s Reflection on This Week’s Torah Portion
12.22.2023
Vayigash 2023: We Created the Path for Our Own Self-Destruction
A short reflection on Vayigash (Genesis 44:18 - 47:27)
We created the path for our own self-destruction, a path which led to 400 years of slavery. We became slaves because of the power we gave to the position of Pharaoh the day we arrived as a small group of 70 Hebrews and accepted grain to fill our bellies and land where we could let our cattle graze. How often do we hand our power to others thinking it is wise in the moment only to find out later we have made a terrible mistake? Handing over power has been the downfall of many people including our biblical ancestors. Learning from this mistake is not easy, especially when your belly is growling for food or wealth or a small piece of power for yourself.
Our problem started when we came to Egypt in search of food during the second year of a seven year famine. We found our brother Joseph in charge of the Pharaoh's grain, enough grain to fill our bellies and the bellies of all of Egypt. Because of this grain, we survived the famine. But, we were not wise enough to return to Canaan once the famine ended. We stayed thinking we were living a life of freedom, an impossibility when a land is ruled by a dictator whose word was law.
When studying Vayigash, we seem to always focus on the reunion between Joseph and his family especially, the emotional reunion between Joseph and his father, Jacob. Why wouldn’t we focus on this moment of beauty, a moment where a father who believed his son to be dead, but finds him alive and well and acting as the second-in-command of a foreign nation? It seems we forget the following story, spoken between Egyptian farmers and Joseph.
In Genesis 47 we read, “‘Let us not perish before your eyes, both we and our land. Take us and our land in exchange for bread, and we with our land will be serfs to Pharaoh; provide the seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become a waste.’So Joseph gained possession of all the farmland of Egypt for Pharaoh, all the Egyptians having sold their fields because the famine was too much for them; thus the land passed over to Pharaoh. And he removed the population, town by town, from one end of Egypt’s border to the other.”
Joseph’s plan of stockpiling food during seven years of plenty was not established for purely humanitarian purposes. The food was not given out to the population freely. It was exchanged. Free farmers became serfs to the Pharaoh in order not to starve. Pharaoh and Joseph used their knowledge of seven years of prosperity and seven years of famine to their advantage. These Egyptian farmers went on to say, “You have saved our lives! We are grateful to my lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh.” Temporarily, they were satisfied because they would not die of starvation, but they did not consider the long game. In the end, they declared that the Pharaoh would own all of Egypt. With this amount of power and wealth, each succeeding Pharaoh’s ego would only increase. Even without an understanding of the multi-generational agreement they were making, the Egyptian farmers understood they were trading food for serfdom. In contrast, the Hebrews seemed unaware that they made a deal with Satan. They seemed to think that the grain and land they were receiving were gifts.
Joseph's ability to interpret dreams and to manage grain empowered the Pharaoh. Life was good for the Israelites at this moment. They were no longer hungry. They were safely raising their cattle in Goshen. But, as we know from our Biblical text, a new pharaoh arose, one that enslaved the Jewish people. From this scenario, we learn that the deal one generation blindly has the potential to affect the next.
It is often our desire to fix today’s problems without concern for the future. But, as we empower our leaders to take action, we need to think beyond this moment. We need to consider the long game, what will happen tomorrow… next week… next year… next decade. Every decision we make and every decision we allow our leaders to make reverberates for generations. Because of this, we need to ruminate on our own actions and to choose our leaders carefully, avoiding dictators and despots to the best of our ability through our ability to vote.
Our ancestors learned the hard way that you don’t empower a despot no matter what is promised today. When you do, it is likely you are cursing future generations.
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VAYIGASH SUMMARY FROM THE URJ
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Judah pleads with Joseph to free Benjamin and offers himself as a replacement. (44:18-34)
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Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and forgives them for selling him into slavery. (45:1-15)
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Although the famine still rages, Pharaoh invites Joseph's family to "live off the fat of the land." (45:16-24)
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Jacob learns that Joseph is still alive and, with God's blessing, goes to Egypt. (45:25-46:33)
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Pharaoh permits Joseph's family to settle in Goshen. Pharaoh then meets with Jacob. (47:1-12)
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With the famine increasing, Joseph designs a plan for the Egyptians to trade their livestock and land for food. The Israelites thrive in Egypt. (47:13-27)
For more on this Torah portion from the URJ go to:
https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/vayigash
