Parashat Va-yiggash (Genesis 45:1 - 47:12)

by Rabbi Pete Tobias

Summary

Finally we arrive at the denouement of the Joseph story.  His dreams have been fulfilled, his brothers have all bowed down before him just as we read in chapter 37 of Genesis.  And now, as Judah steps forward to beg this Egyptian ruler to permit Benjamin to be released, Joseph can restrain himself no longer and he reveals his true identity.  The drama reaches its inevitable conclusion as Joseph’s brothers make one final journey back to Canaan – to fetch their families and their aging father Jacob to complete the Joseph saga and achieve the purpose of the final third of the book of Genesis: getting the descendants of Jacob to Egypt ready for the Exodus.

Commentary

There are two intriguing elements in this final unfolding of the drama between Joseph and his brothers.  Firstly, in what would seem to be a moment of pure comedy, the brothers are told by Joseph (Genesis 46:33-34) to tell Pharaoh that they keep livestock and not to say that they are shepherds, as the Egyptians despise shepherds (perhaps a reference to the Hyksos, foreign ‘shepherd kings’ who ruled Egypt around the 17th century BCE).  Just a few verses later (Genesis 47:3) when five of the brothers are presented to Pharaoh, he asks them what is their profession.   ‘Shepherds,’ they answer, apparently forgetting Joseph’s advice.

But the real drama in this week’s portion lies not in the brothers’ apparent short-term memory loss, nor yet in the reunion between Jacob and his long lost favourite son but in the reconciliation between Joseph and the spokesmen for the brothers who is Judah.  It is no coincidence that the blessings that Judah and Joseph will receive from their father Jacob in chapter 49 of Genesis are longer than those given to the others ten brothers.  For these two tribal groups were the key players in the political set-up in the period of Judges and, particularly, Kings in Israelite history: Judah representing the kingdom of the same name while Joseph’s name was synonymous with that of his son Ephraim who in turn was identified with the kingdom of Israel.

Perhaps the author of the Joseph story was indicating to listeners (who would have understood political subtleties and realities long lost to us) the superiority of the northern kingdom (Joseph) over their southern cousin (Judah) at an unknown point in ancient Israelite history.  Whatever the reason for Judah being spokesman at this moment of reconciliation with Joseph (and the traditional haftarah from Ezekiel confirms that this north/south relationship is the significance of the encounter), the climax of the book of Genesis is filled with drama and excitement whose impact still resonates with audiences three thousand years later.

Rabbi Pete Tobias

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree

You can hear Rabbi Pete Tobias giving a ‘Pause for Thought’ on BBC Radio 2’s ‘Wake up to Wogan’ at 9.15 am on Tuesday mornings between December 11th 2007 and February 5th 2008.