Vayigash | Why Did the Children of Israel Go Down to Egypt?
I. The Hidden Hand of God
When Yosef reveals himself to his brothers, he removes the shadows of the false accusations of espionage and theft that had been hanging over them. But it is doubtful whether cancelling those accusations raises the brothers' spirits, for with it comes a much more real and terrible guilt – the sale of their brother into slavery. Yosef, who does not want the guilt to overwhelm his brothers' spirits, adopts the very same attitude that his brothers had adopted toward their experiences in Egypt, but in the opposite direction. The guilt-ridden brothers had sought to find the punishing hand of God in the libels of espionage and theft, whereas Yosef asks them to find relief from their guilt for the sale, by looking at the delivering hand of God:
And Yosef said to his brothers: Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said: I am Yosef your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here; for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years has the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Bereishit 45:4-8)
At that difficult time of revelation, Yosef chooses not to mention his brother’s evil intentions (see 50:19-20), but rather to focus their perspective on the deliverance that was born as a result of their actions; to set aside the human dimension and emphasize instead the Divine dimension, which can see from beginning to end and send a remedy even before the blow strikes.[1] Thus Yosef's brothers, and all those who study the Torah, are given a new interpretation of all the events related in the past few Torah portions.
Nevertheless, one might ask: Did Yosef properly understand the Divine plan?
II. God Reinforces Yosef’s Interpretation
Yaakov hears the words of Yosef as reported by his sons, but does not go down directly to Egypt.[2] Rather, he stops in Be'er-Sheva, which represents the southern border of settlement in the land of Canaan:
And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Be'er-Sheva, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Yitzchak. (46:1)
It stands to reason that Yaakov is afraid[3] and unsure whether or not Yosef's proposal necessarily conforms to God's will. Before he takes the dramatic step of leaving the land – a step that had previously been forbidden to his father Yitzchak – Yaakov seeks God's approval. As Rabbi Menachem ben Shlomo explains:
He said: My father Yitzchak wanted to go down to Egypt, but the Holy One, blessed be He, stopped him. How then can I go down not at His word? Therefore it is stated: "to the God of his father Yitzchak," that He should tell me whether I should go down or not. This appears correct, for the holy word answered in terms of what he had been thinking. (Sekhel Tov [Buber] to Bereishit 46:1 [vol. I, p. 289])[4]
God reveals Himself to Yaakov, alleviates his fears, and ostensibly approves the plan proposed by Yosef:
And He said: I am God, the God of your father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation. I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring you up again; and Yosef shall put his hand upon your eyes. (46:3-4)
Yosef had said to Yaakov: "Come down to me; tarry not" (45:9), and God reinforces his words by saying to Yaakov: "Fear not to go down into Egypt" (46:3). Yosef had said that going down to Egypt would lead to a vast increase in numbers: "And God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great deliverance" (45:7), and God adds His promise: "For I will there make of you a great nation" (46:3). Yosef alludes to a fixed stay in Egypt: "And there will I sustain you; for there are yet five years of famine" (45:11), and God's words to Yaakov imply the same: "I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring you up again" (46:4). And finally, Yaakov hoped to see Yosef before his death: "It is enough; Yosef my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die" (45:28), and God promises Yaakov: "And Yosef shall put his hand upon your eyes" (46:4). Not only will Yaakov merit to see Yosef before he dies, but it is Yosef who will close his eyes upon his death.[5] Since God promised Yaakov that he will merit returning to the land, it may be concluded that Yosef too will merit returning with him.
III. Does the Prophecy to Yaakov Come True?
At first, it seems that events are proceeding according to plan. The children of Israel do not come to settle in Egypt, but only to reside there as foreigners during a period of famine: "And they said to Pharaoh: To sojourn in the land we are come… for the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan" (47:4). Yosef keeps his promise and sustains his family during this difficult period: "And Yosef sustained his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household, with bread, according to the want of their little ones" (47:2). And indeed, the children of Israel enjoy a great increase in numbers: "And they were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly" (47:27).
However, reality soon deviates from the lines of the prophecy. The children of Israel continue to dwell in Egypt long after the famine: "And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein" (47:27). Even Yaakov understands, as he approaches death, that God does not plan to return him to the land, and he is compelled to make Yosef swear that he will return his corpse there:
And the time drew near that Israel must die; and he called his son Yosef, and said to him: If now I have found favor in your sight, put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray you, in Egypt. But when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. (47:29-30).
Yosef himself may no longer enjoy the same influence he had in Pharaoh's house, and even for a brief departure from Egypt for his father's burial, he has to turn to intercessors:
Yosef spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying: If now I have found favor in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying: My father made me swear, saying: Lo, I die; in my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father, and I will come back. (50:4-5)
In fact, the description of the journey to Yaakov's burial may imply that the Egyptian trap is already beginning to close around the children of Israel:
And Yosef went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Yosef, and his brothers, and his father's house; only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company. (50:7-9)
Leaving their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen, as well as their being accompanied by chariots and horsemen, seem to be subtle hints that will take on full meaning when we read about Pharaoh's attempts to prevent Israel from fleeing his land.[6]
How can these puzzling facts be explained? After all, even if we say that Yosef did not correctly identify the Divine plan, what are we to do with the explicit revelation received by Yaakov?
IV. The True Meaning of the Revelation to Yaakov
A careful study of Yaakov's prophecy indicates that there is a huge gap between what is explicitly stated in the prophecy and what is implied by it. All the things that God explicitly said to Yaakov do come true, but not a single particular comes true exactly as one might have expected.
1. God says to Yaakov: "Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation" (46:3), and the people of Israel do in fact increase greatly in Egypt. During Yaakov's lifetime, this increase is presented only in a positive manner (47:27), but after his death, the increase is the primary cause of the suffering that befalls Israel. The increase lies at the foundation of the enslavement of the people of Israel: "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us; come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply… Therefore, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens" (Shemot 1:9-11). It is also at the foundation of the intensification of the enslavement: "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread aboard. And they were adread because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard service" (Shemot 1:12-13), and even at the foundation of the decree to drown the children of Israel in the Nile: "And the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty… And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive" (Shemot 1:20-22).[7]
2. God promises Yaakov: "I will go down with you into Egypt; and I will also surely bring you up again" (46:4), and this prophecy serves as proof that in fact God goes down with him into Egypt. But seeing that Yaakov dies in the foreign country and does not merit returning to his land, how is the second half of the promise fulfilled?
Some maintain that God fulfills the promise by way of the fact that Yaakov's mummified body is brought for burial to the Makhpela Cave,[8] for the promise given to Yaakov does not specify what his condition will be when he returns to the land.[9] However, since this quasi-return is not explicitly attributed to the deeds of God, it is doubtful whether this is what is alluded to in the Divine promise.
A more plausible possibility is that God fulfills His promise only after the passing of several generations of suffering and torment. Since the figure of Yaakov alternates between representing the private individual ("fear not to go down into Egypt") and representing the people as a whole ("for I will there make of you a great nation"), "I will go down with you into Egypt" can be understood as relating to Yaakov," while "and I will also surely bring you up again" relates to the people of Israel.[10]
3. Ostensibly, God's promise: "I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again" (46:4), indicates that God will remain close to His people throughout their stay in Egypt. On the other hand, Scripture contains no explicit mention of a Divine revelation between Yaakov's last prophecy when he goes down to Egypt and the first prophecy to Moshe regarding the future salvation.[11] This too does not breach the Divine promise, however, for in contrast to the revelations that accompanied Yaakov's two previous journeys (28:15; 31:3), God does not promise He will be with Israel and not leave them.
4. God promises Yaakov: "And Yosef shall put his hands upon your eyes" (46:4). It would be possible to understand this promise, which appears after the words "And I will also surely bring you up again," as hinting that at the time of Yaakov's death, the family will already have returned to the land of Canaan. This, however, is not stated explicitly. Yosef is with his father when he dies, as God had promised, and even makes the funeral arrangements, though in Egypt rather than in Canaan.
It turns out that even though the prophecy contains not a single word of falsehood, no detail is fulfilled as expected.[12] Moreover, God uses several rhetorical tricks to obscure the deceptive meaning of the prophecy. Thus, for example, it seems He emphasizes the benefit of going down into Egypt, without mentioning the generations of slavery, in order to obscure the horror and suffering inherent in the process. The parallel between the descent of Yaakov and the ascent of Israel (as well as the transition from relating to Yaakov as an individual to relating to him as a people) seems intended to obscure the centuries that will pass between the events. Further, this parallel between the descent and the ascent encourages the understanding that God will be with Israel throughout the period of slavery, even though there is not a single explicit Divine revelation between the descent and the ascent. And pushing off the death of Yaakov to the end of the prophecy while breaking the chronological sequence creates the impression that Yaakov would die peacefully in the land of Canaan.
It turns out that not only the is true meaning of God's actions difficult to interpret, but even the meaning of His words!
V. The True Divine Plan (?)
Following a more comprehensive look, it turns out that the sale of Yosef, as well as the confusing prophecy received by Yaakov,[13] constitute an important stage in the fulfillment of an even earlier and broader Divine plan: "And He said to Avram: Know that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (15:13).
In order to fulfill this harsh prophecy of the Covenant of the Pieces, God employs tricks, as Chazal explain:[14]
Rabbi Yehuda bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: By rights, Yaakov should have gone down to Egypt in chains of iron, but the Holy One, blessed be He, employed schemes to bring him down with dignity. Therefore, it is stated: "And He called a famine upon the land" (Tehillim 105:16). And all this why? "Israel also came into Egypt" (ibid. v. 23).
Rabbi Pinchas Ha-Kohen said… This may be likened to a cow that they tried to drag to the slaughterhouse, but it could not be dragged. What did they do? They first dragged its offspring, and [the cow] came running after it. Thus, before Yaakov came to Egypt, various schemes were performed, that Yosef's brothers should do all those things, so that Yosef would come down to Egypt, and afterwards Yaakov would come down after him to Egypt. (Midrash Tehillim [Buber] 105, 5 [pp. 450-451])
The sons of Yaakov saw the revealed layer of reality, according to which Yosef ended up in Egypt because of their actions. In contrast, Yosef saw the Divine causation that stood behind the revealed events – to save his family from starvation. Chazal come and expand our perspective even further, saying that even the famine was part of the Divine plan that began already at the Covenant of the Pieces.[15]
Have we uncovered the full scope of the Divine plan? Highly doubtful! We do not know with certainty the reason for the decree contained in the Covenant of the Pieces. It seems as if this story comes to teach us that not only does the natural reason have a Divine reason hiding behind it, but even behind the Divine reason, another reason may be concealed. The more deeply a person considers the matter, the more he realizes how limited is his understanding. As the prophet said:
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, except it water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void, except it accomplish that which I please, and make the thing to which I sent it prosper. (Yeshayahu 55:8-11)
(Translated by David Strauss)
[1] Who knows? Perhaps this is how Yosef deals with his guilt for his own actions as a youth. If his sale to Egypt was a tool in the hand of providence to sustain Yaakov and his family in the days of famine, perhaps the cause of the sale – his stories about his dreams – were also a tool in the hand of providence. In other words, Yosef dreamt of extreme greatness when he was a teenager, so that he could brag to his brothers. In this way, Yosef would stir up his brothers' hatred and envy, and thus bring about his sale to Egypt. Then, being in Egypt, he would be able to support his family when hunger strikes.
[2] According to Emanueli, Be'er-Sheva was not just a stop on Yaakov's journey to Egypt, but a stop where he intended to decide whether to go down to Egypt or stay in the land of Canaan. Emanueli offers two proofs for his argument:
"From Chevron he travels to Be'er-Sheva (35:27; 46:1), but the chariots sent by Pharaoh, about which we will hear later, are not mentioned at all; this implies that he did not want to use them, because his destination was not Egypt, but Be'er-Sheva. In Be'er-Sheva he would decide whether to continue or return. Moreover, when a writer wishes to describe the route of a journey, he ordinarily indicates the point of arrival next to the point of departure, even though the traveler has not yet arrived there… Here, the destination is missing…for indeed, the target is Be'er-Sheva, not Egypt" (Y. M. Emanueli, Sefer Bereishit: Hesberim ve-He'arot, Tel Aviv 5737, p. 578).
[3] Yaakov's fear can be inferred from the words with which God opens His response: "Fear not to go down into Egypt" (46:3). Thus, for example, writes the Zohar: "For Rabbi Yasa said: When Israel went to go down into the exile of Egypt, fear and dread fell upon him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Yaakov: Why are you afraid? 'Fear not to go down into Egypt.' From what is written: 'Fear not,' the implication is that he feared" (Zohar, Parashat Beshalach [part II, 53a]).
And in the words of Rabbi Chizkiya bar Manoach: "'Fear not' is only said to someone who is afraid." See also Rabbi Avraham son of the Rambam, Peirush al Bereishit u-Shemot [ed. E. Y. Vizenberg], London 5718, p. 176; N. Leibowitz, Iyyunim be-Sefer Bereishit be-Ikvot Parshaneinu ha-Rishonim ve-ha-Acharonim, Jerusalem 5727, p. 357; E. Samet, Iyyunim be-Farshot ha-Shavua, 3rd series, Tel Aviv 5773, vol. I, pp. 230-231.
[4] According to this interpretation, the sacrifices were intended to bring about a Divine revelation. See also Radak; Ralbag; R. Fiedler, "Chalomot ha-Shav Yedabeiru"? Chalomot Hitgalut ba-Mikra u-Mekomam be-Toledot ha-Emuna ve-ha-Masoret be-Yisrael ha-Keduma, Jerusalem 5765, pp. 188-189 (see there for additional bibliography); Samet (above note 3), p. 230. Others maintain that these were thanksgiving offerings for the favorable information that he had received concerning Yosef. See, for example, Rabbi S. R. Hirsch, Chamisha Chumshei Torah… im Peirush (ed. Breuer), Jerusalem 5762, Bereishit 46:1 (vol. I, p. 430); Wenham (G. J. Wenham, Genesis II [WBC], Waco & Dallas 1994), p. 441; Hamilton (V. P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis II [NICOT], Grand Rapids & Cambridge 1995), p. 589. The fact that the offerings in question are sacrifices and not burnt-offerings strengthens this approach. See Sarna (N. M. Sarna, Genesis [JPSTC], Philadelphia 1989, p. 312.
[5] The meaning of the phrase "he shall put his hand upon your eyes" is uncertain. Some biblical commentators and academic scholars understood it in the sense of "he shall sustain you." See, for example, MS Midrash ha-Bei'ur (cited by Rabbi M. M. Kasher, Torah Sheleima, part 7 [vol. VIII], Jerusalem 5698, p. 1675); Rashbam; Ri Bekhor Shor; Seforno; Emanueli (above note 2), p. 478. Most, however, understood the phrase as alluding either to the practice of closing the eyes of the deceased after his passing, or to the verse: "And Yosef fell upon his father's face" (50:1). See, for example, Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (ed. Shalit), Givatayim and Ramat Gan 1967, 2, 7, 3, 175 (vol. I p. 55); Sekhel Tov (Buber), Bereishit 46, 4 (vol. I p. 289), 50, 1 (vol. I p. 327); Ibn Ezra; Radak; Chizkuni; Rabbi Zekharya ben Shelomo ha-Rofe, Midrash ha-Chefetz al Chamisha Chumshei Torah (ed. Chavatzelet), Jerusalem 5751, Bereishit 46:4 (vol. I p. 244); Shadal, Peirush Shadal al Chamisha Chumshei Torah (ed. Schlessinger), Jerusalem 5726, p. 184; Skinner (J. Skinner, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Genesis [ICC], Edinburgh 19302 [19101], p. 492; see there a list of classical sources in which this custom is mentioned); Samet (above note 3), pp. 234-235. See also Mishna im Peirush Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon: Makor ve-Targum (ed. Kafih), Jerusalem 5724, Shabbat 23:5, and Rambam's commentary there [vol. II, p. 91].
A third approach, original and surprising, was proposed by Rabbi Y. Abravanel: "Since Yosef was the cause that brought about this exile, He said to him: 'And Yosef shall put his hand upon your eyes,' that is to say, he shall close the eyes of your discernment, so that you not examine this, and you will not leave Egypt during your lifetime because of him. Because in your desire to see him, you shall bring your sons there; and because of your love for him, you shall live there all the days of your life, and exile will result from this. This is what He meant by: 'And Yosef shall put his hand upon your eyes,' that is to say, he shall prevent you from discerning and seeing the future" (Abravanel [ed. Shaviv], Jerusalem 5767, Bereishit 46 [p. 743]).
It is almost certain that according to Abravanel, this is a hidden meaning, which Yaakov was not supposed to understand when he heard the prophecy. For a similar interpretation, see Sacks (R. D. Sacks, "The Lion and the Ass: A Commentary on the Book of Genesis," Interpretation 12:2-3 [1984], p. 152; and in his wake, L. Kass, Reishit Chokhma: Keri'a be-Sefer Bereishit (trans. M. Arbel), Jerusalem 5770, p. 630.
[6] Here are some of the similarities: 1) Just as the house of Pharaoh speaks to Pharaoh about Yosef that he should allow him to go up to Canaan, so too in the story of the exodus from Egypt: "And Pharaoh's servants said to him… let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God" (Shemot 10:7). 2) Just as the sons of Yaakov go up with less than a full ensemble: "Only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen" (Bereishit 50:8), so too in the future Pharaoh will say to Moshe: "So be the Lord with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones; see you that evil is before your face. Not so; go now you that are men, and serve the Lord" (Shemot 10:10-11), and then he will compromise and demand: "Only let your flocks and your herds be stayed; let your little ones also go with you" (Shemot 10:24; see also 12:31-38). 3) Just as the sons of Yaakov bring up Yaakov's mummified body, so the people of Israel bring up Yosef's mummified body (see Bereishit 50:26; Shemot 13:19). 4) Just as the sons of Yaakov went up "with both chariots and horsemen" (Bereishit 50:9), so the people of Israel will be pursued by "all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army" (Shemot 14:9). 5) Just as those who went up with the sons of Yaakov are described: "And it was a very great company" (Bereishit 50:9), so those who went up with the people of Israel are described with the words: "And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle" (Shemot 12:38). It should be noted that almost all the instances of the term "kaved me'od" ("very great") in Scripture are concentrated in the stories about Israel in Egypt.
[7] See also Greenberg (M. Greenberg, Understanding Exodus, New York 1969), pp. 32, 35; L. Mazor, "Piryon ve-Nashim be-Itzuv Reishit Yisrael be-Mitzrayim: Iyyun Sifruti-Ra'ayoni bi-Shemot 1-2," Massekhet 7 (5768 2007), pp. 11-14.
[8] This explanation is quite common among biblical commentators and academic scholars. For example, this is what we find in the book of Jubilees: "I will go down with you, and I will bring you up again, and in this land shall you be buried, and Yosef shall put his hands upon your eyes. Fear not; go down into Egypt" (Jubilees 44:5-6). See also Josephus (above note 5) 2, 7, 3, 175 (vol. I, p. 55); Rashi; Rashbam; Ibn Ezra; Rabbi Avraham son of the Rambam (above note 3), p. 176; Midrash ha-Gadol al Chamisha Chumshei Torah: Sefer Bereishit (ed. Margoliot), Jerusalem 5727 (5707), 46:1 (vol. II p. 814); Abravanel (above note 5), Bereishit 46 (p. 742); Z. Weisman, Mi-Yaakov le-Yisrael: Machzor ha-Sippurim al Yaakov ve-Shiluvo be-Toledot Avot ha-Uma, Jerusalem 5746, p. 129; Samet (above note 3), p. 234 note 30.
[9] Midrash ha-Gadol explains God's words in an original way: "The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him: As for what you said that you were buried in Egypt… 'And I will also surely bring you up again' (Bereishit 46:4). What is meant by 'also'? Even if you are dead" (Midrash ha-Gadol [above note 8], Bereishit 46:1 [vol. II p. 814]).
[10] Many have proposed such an interpretation, from early exegesis of the Bible to modern Biblical study. See, for example, Josephus (above note 5), 2, 7, 3, 175 (vol. 1 p. 55); Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (ed. Epstein and Melamed), Jerusalem 5715, 3, 8 (p. 1), 15, 2 (p. 79); Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael (ed. Horowitz and Rabin), Frankfurt 5691, massekhta de-shira 3 (p. 128); Shemot Rabba (ed. Shinan), 3, 3; Ralbag; Seforno; Rabbi S. R. Hirsch (above note 4), Bereishit 46:2-4 (vol. I p. 431); Skinner (above note 5), p. 492; Shadal (above note 5), p. 184; Leibowitz (above note 3), p. 363; Emanueli (above note 2), p. 580. This explanation has two strong proofs: First, unlike the bringing up of Yaakov's coffin, which, as stated, is nowhere attributed to God, the bringing up of Israel from Egypt is attributed to God time after time (see, for example, Shemot 3:8, 17; 6:6-8). Second, ultimately both Yaakov and Yosef interpret God's promise as relating to the entire people (Bereishit 48:21; 50:24; see also below note 15). Nevertheless, the fact that Yaakov himself went up to the land, though after his death, brought several commentators and academics to see the fulfillment of God's promise both in the bringing up of Yaakov's coffin and in the bringing up of the people of Israel from Egypt. See, for example, Targum Pseudo-Yonatan, ad loc.; Midrash ha-Gadol (above note 8), Bereishit 46:1 (vol. II p. 814); Sekhel Tov (Buber), Bereishit 46:4 (vol. I p. 289); Ri Bekhor Shor; Abravanel (above note 5), Bereishit 46 (p. 742); Or ha-Chayyim; Sarna (above note 4), p. 313; Wenham (above note 4), pp. 441-442; Hamilton (above note 4), p. 591; Kass (above note 5), p. 630.
[11] It should be noted that the beginning of the revelation at the burning bush is very reminiscent of Yaakov's prophecy:
|
The last revelation to Yaakov (Bereishit 46) |
The first revelation to Moshe (Shemot 3) |
|
And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night |
And God called to him out of the midst of the bush |
|
and said: Yaakov, Yaakov. |
and said: Moshe, Moshe. |
|
And he said: Here am I. |
|
|
And He said: I am God, the God of your father |
And He said: I am the God of your father, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzchak, and the God of Yaakov. |
|
fear not… |
And Moshe hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. |
|
I will go down with you into Egypt |
and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians |
|
and I will also surely bring you up again |
and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey |
[12] Kass makes a similar argument:
"It is difficult to say that there is no ambiguity in these words. As often happens in dreams, one can only see part of the truth embedded in them. Israel learns (for the first time) that his father's house will become a great nation in Egypt, but he does not know that this will happen only through bondage and a loss of identity. It is true that God will go down with Israel into Egypt, but He will remain silent… for four hundred years. God will surely take out Yaakov himself, but only after his death. God will surely take out the people of Israel, but only in an exceedingly long time. Yosef will close, literally, Yaakov's eyes when he dies, but… he will also blind the eyes of all of Israel from seeing the fate of bondage awaiting them" (Kass [above note 5], p. 630).
In my opinion, we should not accept Kass's argument that the ambiguity results from the prophecy's being delivered in a dream. There are no difficult-to-explain symbolic images or vague sentences. On the contrary! The prophecy does not appear ambiguous when it is delivered. Only in retrospect (that is to say, after the fulfillment of the prophecy) do we discover that the seemingly unambiguous sentences were formulated in a masterpiece of deception and obscurity, whose major power lies in disguising itself in clear sentences.
[13] Why did God choose to hide from Yaakov the true meaning of his going down into Egypt? Elsewhere, I tried to show that this is an example of deception out of altruistic goals:
"The old father wants to meet his beloved son before he dies, but his overt joy conceals a hidden fear of leaving the land. Yaakov fears deep down in his heart that even though the descent into Egypt is necessary (due to the famine), and even desirable (due to the meeting with his son), it is filled with danger. And who knows whether the great joy of the encounter with Yosef will turn out to be small in the face of the heartbreak that leaving the land will bring his family. Later in the story, the reader will discover that Yaakov's fear is justified. But the Divine plan of old, which depends not at all on Yaakov's actions, necessitates the descent of the children of Israel into the bondage of Egypt. While the benefits of the descent into Egypt will become clear already in the days of Yaakov (for example, 47:27: 'And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly'), the horrors of bondage will only begin some time after his death. And so God comforts His servant, and calms his fear. Even if Yaakov realizes before his death that he was not promised his own return to the land, but only the return of his descendants, and that deception was embedded in the prophecy that he had received, the happiness of his final years was not for naught" (Y. Fargeon, "'Lama Tateinu Hashem?' Me'uravuto shel Elokim bi-Shekarim u-ve-Hat'ayot be-Sippur ha-Mikra'i," Ph.D. thesis, Bar Ilan University, p. 107).
[14] The source presented does not explicitly link the matter to the Covenant of the Pieces, but it stands to reason that this is its intention, as may be understood, for example, from the following midrash:
"'And Yosef was brought down to Egypt'… To what may this be compared? To a cow that they wanted to bring into a slaughterhouse, but it did not want to enter. What did they do? They took her offspring and brought it into the slaughterhouse. When her offspring began to low, its mother went in after it, to her detriment. So it was with Yaakov our father and his sons. They were the cow… and Yosef was brought down first to Egypt, to fulfill the decree that was issued against the elder, as it is stated: 'And they will serve them, and they will afflict them' (Bereishit 15:13). And Yaakov was afraid to go down. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought Yosef down to Egypt, and he pulled down his father, to his detriment. Therefore, it is stated: 'And Yosef was brought down to Egypt'" (Tanchuma [Buber] Vayeshev 15 [vol. I p. 185]).
[15] It stands to reason that this meaning of the Divine plan was to become clear to Yaakov (see 48:21-22; see also Samet [above note 3], pp. 238-239). And perhaps even more clearly to Yosef (see 50:24-25).
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