What Does it Really Mean to Forgive? A Closer Look at Joseph and His Brothers by Rabbi David Fohrman Lecture Notes / Class Four

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1 What Does it Really Mean to Forgive? A Closer Look at Joseph and His Brothers by Rabbi David Fohrman Lecture Notes / Class Four 1. Getting Back to the Loose Ends in Lecture I: Reviewing the Speech of the New King Who Doesn t Know Joseph. Some questions: a. How is it possible that the new Pharaoh didn t know Joseph. Nobody forgets about famous people so quickly, especially in Egypt, a very history oriented society. b. It must be that he made an effort to forget Yosef. This is probably where Rashi and the Medrash are coming from when they say: Same king but nischadshu gezeirosav. c. But the question is: Why? What motivation would he have to forget about Yosef s loyalty? d. Moreover, an even deeper question exists: Pharaoh s fear seems irrational that the Jews are getting too powerful and would ultimately betray the Egyptians. Wouldn t Yosef s example have, if anything, reassured Pharaoh that this wouldn t happen. Why would he want to actively ignore Yosef? 2. Genesis Chapter 47: Joseph Takes Care of His Brothers in Egypt. i. Structure of narrative: The Sandwich. (1) Pain of Egyptians sandwiched by ease of life for Jews. Joseph is at the core of both, in an attempt to take care of brothers and Egyptians. Two slices of bread, with filling in the middle: (1) Things go well for the brothers, as Joseph takes care of them. (2) Things are desperate for Egyptians. They sell everything for food. (3) But things were good for the Jews. b. A Closer Look at Genesis 47: Zeroing in on Sources of Resentment: i. Geirim vs. Achuzah. Jews were an outsider people that became an insider people. (1) What status did the Jews have in Egypt under Joseph s rule [transition from ger to achuzah ]? (2) Lagur ba aretz ba anu vs. vayiten lahem achuzah 47:4; 47:11. Page 1 of 5

2 iv. (3) Achuzah becomes bookend for hardship on mitzrayim v. 11 and 27. Achuzah is in Land of Raamses. The place they will then build into a city as slaves. Storehouses. What kind of city is Raamses, later in the times of Jewish slavery? It is a store-city. This seems to recall a kind of resentment, perhaps, at the storehouses that Joseph was in charge of... (1) Joseph is in charge of the storehouses for grain. (2) Jews build arei miskenos for Pharaoh. (3) Why, of all things, would Jews build storehouses for Pharoah? The Role of Children. Things go well for Jews... badly for Egyptians... well for Jews. The well for Jews are bookends: (1) Joseph fed them enough food even for their children... (v. 12). (2) v. 27, which closes idea, is same theme: Jews were able to have lots of children (because they were taken care of...). v. The Role of Bread. Device to make transtion from first bookend into main story is... (1) Lechem No Lechem. Jews and Egyptians: Transition into hardship of Egypt section is made through lechem-no lechem comparison in v (2) Children are emphasized: Jews could provide for their children and had enough bread for that (v. 12). vi. Jews Multiplied there, in the Achuzah (v. 28) Genesis vs. Exodus. (1) Genesis: Vayifru vayirbu me od.same language as beginning of Exodus (2) Exodus: Every other Word... Exodus: 1:7 Note very interesting comparison of this verse to v. 47:28 every other word is same, with more additions included in this verse: paru vayishretzu vayirbu vaya atzmu bime od me od. Seems to be a play on earlier verse, but indicate an exponential expansion. I.e. the process began by Yosef expanded exponentially. c. More Resentment: Further Parallels to Exodus. Oppression of Egyptian vs. Luxury of Jews turns into oppression of Jews later on... i. Mikneh: Jews have it; Egyptians surrender it. (1) v. 16; Jews go to Goshen because Pharaoh realizes we have Page 2 of 5

3 iv. mikneh. (2) First thing Joseph takes from them is mikneh Sarei Mikneh Sarei Misim (1) Pharaoh generously offers for any able bodied Jews to become sarim over the sheep that he has. Moreover, the verb he suggests for this is sam (v samtem sarei mikneh). See v. 6. (2) In Egypt they become enslaved by vayasimu alav sarei misim. Let us be Slaves to Pharaoh. (1) The people plea: Let us be slaves to Pharaoh: Although Joseph never quite lets it happen (v. 19). (a) Albeit... People recognize that they are alive because of Joseph... (v. 25) and are thankful to them... (2) Jews becomes slaves to Pharaoah in Egypt. Gradual Enslavement: Exodus and Genesis (1) Process of Enslavement is gradual for Mitzrim. (2) And its gradual for the Jews later, too (Ramban). v. Priests are Spared in the Servitude for both Jews and Egyptians. vi. Children Singled out For Food. (1) In Genesis: Both Egyptians and Jews: (a) Jews taken care of lefi hataf : 47:12. (b) Egyptians are pressed to take care of their own children: 47:24 Joseph says he is giving them food to sustain their children, and in the next verse, they thank him saying, you have given us life (2) But later, the Egyptians take aim first at the Jewish children: Killing the children then throwing them into the Nile. 3. Revisiting our Questions about the Speech of the New King Who Doesn t Know Joseph : a. Nobody Forgets Joseph... How is it possible that the new Pharaoh didn t know Joseph. Nobody forgets about famous people so quickly, especially in Egypt, a very history oriented society. b. Source for Rashi Regarding the New King... It must be that he made an effort to forget Yosef. This is probably where Rashi and the Medrash are coming from when they say: Same king but nischadshu gezeirosav. Page 3 of 5

4 c. But Why? But the question is: Why? What motivation would he have to forget about Yosef s loyalty? d. Wouldn t Yosef s Memory Reassure, Not Threaten? Here are some more things to notice about Pharaoh s speech: That despite the fact that he is forgetting Joseph, his speech is laced with references to the Joseph he has supposedly forgotten: e. Hava Nischakma Lo: i. People ask Joseph: Hava lanu lechem. Joseph uses similar word to ask the people to give their mikneh if they have no money for food. Havu mikneichem.... f. Nischakma Lo: The next and last time that word is used in Chumash is by Pharaoh: Hava nischakma lo... pen yirbeh upen yifrotz... i. First time Pharaoh meets Joseph, his immediate response is that Joseph is a chacham: Acharei asher hodiah elokim es kol eleh, ein chacham venavon kamocha (41:39). What ultimately was the function of that chochma? Pharaoh originally thought its purpose would be to get the Egyptians through the years of hunger. And it was. But it also safeguarded Jews... (1) Joseph counsels brothers to say that they are shepherds so that they will get to live apart in Goshen (46:34), since Egyptians hate shepherds. g. Am Rav. Now Pharaoh recalls Joseph s chochma, which was eventually used to help safeguard Jews while taking care of Egyptians. Now he uses that midah of chochmah against them... i. Joseph says he was spared to allow the Jews to become an am rav (50:20). When is the next time these words are used in Chumash? Pharaoh later paraphrases these exact words: He says that the Jews are an am rav v atzum mimenu hinei am benei yisrael rav veatzum mimenu... h. Venosaf Gam Hu Al Soneinu... i. Immediately after we are told that Pharaoh forgot Yosef, he uses a variation of Yosef s name to suggest that the Jews will ultimately betray the Egyptians. Why? Page 4 of 5

5 In fact, he is suggesting that the Jews will be the opposite of Joseph. Joseph was loyal and helped the Egyptians! Except that perhaps there is an underlying core of resentment to the fact that although he helped Egypt, he showed an (understandable) tendency to favor his family even more. If so, he wasn t totally forgetting about Joseph; he was remembering him too. There was a kernel of truth to his actions, but he was projecting an exaggerated vision based on resentment An Assessment. Was what Joseph was doing morally corrupt? No he was helping Egypt survive, and it is natural to look out for one s kin. But it was God s way: 5. Re-examining Gensis Chapter 50. a. The Dialogue. i. Brothers: Let us be your slaves. Joseph: Am I in Place of God? Joseph: You thought to do ill to me... but God made it work out OK. b. Interpretation I: The Midrash, quoted by Rashi. A subterranean interpretation. (1) Am I in Place of God 12 against 1; 1 against 12 (2) And he spoke soothingly to them... until now, people thought I was a slave, and through you, they found out I came from an upstanding family... c. Interpretation II: Closer to the Simple Meaning of the Text. i. Joseph: Not up to me to decide on your offer to be my slaves; its up to God. (Then, next verse...) But if you want my opinion of what God thinks of all this, he probably doesn t mind; look, he made it turn out so well, I was able to make you into an am rav... d. The Am Rav connection to Exodus: Circles of Providence... i. The offer of slavery gets left on the table 6. Conclusion Ramifications for Exodus Ramifications for the rest of Jewish History. (1) David and Saul. Page 5 of 5

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