Joseph's Strategy
Parashat Vayigash, Genesis 44:18–47:27
Rabbi Dr. D. Friedman, Jerusalem, Israel
Vayigash: All I can say is, “What a Torah portion!”
One of the most difficult things to figure out when reading this portion is why Joseph behaved as he did. Some commentators think he was living by the proverbial “seat of his pants” and dealt with his brothers in a chaotic, emotional, perhaps even spiteful manner. I admit that as I’ve read through this portion every year, I have thought that Joseph was indeed shooting from the hip, acting impulsively without any thought or plan.
This year I was encouraged in reading a Jerusalem rabbi, Nathan Lopes-Cardozo, to look at this portion anew. Cardozo is an orthodox rabbi who teaches his students to take a fresh and renewed look at our Torah portions. I find his insights inspiring and thought provoking.
Cardozo argues that Joseph had a well-planned strategy and that was to give the brothers an opportunity to make a choice that they did not make over 20 years earlier. Their choice would show whether or not they had learned anything, or had turned from their decision to toss Joseph into a pit.
Here is Cardozo’s thought: Joseph notices that his full brother Benjamin did not make the trip to Egypt. He commands the brothers to summon him. By placing Benjamin at the center of a filial test, Joseph makes Benjamin what he was 20 years earlier—the acid test of the morals, family love, and loyalty of the brothers. This test would show whether they felt remorse for their previous actions. Benjamin, like Joseph, was a younger brother, also Rachel’s son. Like Joseph, he was the favorite son of his father Jacob, and could easily be considered the brother who was causing a family problem for all brothers. Joseph forces the brothers into a decision: they could either protect Benjamin from the harm that would seem to await him for stealing an item, or they could do something radically different.
They could choose to protect Benjamin; and this is indeed what Judah did. Such a choice was fraught with risks: by approaching Pharaoh’s highest official and pleading for Benjamin’s fate, Judah could have easily and immediately been put to death. Pharaoh’s official could have decimated the entire family for their perceived actions and for their forward attitudes! In ancient Egypt, human rights, especially for Canaanite shepherds, was no societal priority.
Joseph’s test did show some change in the brothers since his betrayal 20 years earlier. So I like Rabbi Cardozo’s thought, that this test was a successful and planned one.
Indeed, in front of Joseph, the brothers said to each other:
“This horrible situation has come upon us because we are guilty of harming our brother. We saw his distress, and how he begged us for mercy, but we didn’t listen to him.” Reuven responded to them by saying: “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t do wrong to the boy,’ but you didn’t listen! Now we are paying for his death.’” However, they didn’t know that Joseph understood (them). He went away from them, weeping. (42:21–24)
Later, Judah says, “What can we say to your Eminence? What can we possibly say? What can justify us? God has paid us back for our sin” (44:16).
If I return to your servant my father (Jacob), and the boy (Benjamin) isn’t with us, because their lives are so emotionally connected with each other, when he sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will then have made your servant our father go to the grave in agony. . . . Please now, let your servant take the place of the boy, to become my master’s servant, so that the boy can go back up to his father. . . . How can I return to my father without the boy (Benjamin) along with me? I would then see horrible sorrows befall my father. (44:30–31, 33–34)
Judah takes the lead in showing a brave, altruistic attitude. He displays love, respect and deep concern for his father, care for the youngest brother, and a willingness to live out his life as a servant-slave in order to preserve the family. Judah admits that they had all done wrong (44:16). Joseph’s plan succeeds in revealing the attitude of the brothers collectively, and in particular, that of Judah. Joseph now knows that they have changed. He hears that they felt guilty about their previous actions towards him. His plan was effective.
What bothered the brothers about Joseph—Jacob’s favoritism—could easily have unnerved them regarding Benjamin. But they passed the test, and we can admire Joseph for putting together a successful plan for revealing hearts, as well as for his compassion.
I cannot help but feel that Joseph gave hints to his brothers regarding who he was—it was as if he wanted them to recognize him. It’s true that after 20 years Joseph’s physical growth, his use of facial makeup, and his Egyptian clothes would make that a difficult task. But here are some hints given by Joseph to draw his brothers to him.
First, “Binyamin’s servings were five handfuls more (than anyone else’s)” (43:34). Such a situation was either an oversight or aberration, or a purposeful show of favoritism. And why would Pharaoh’s official favor Benjamin? (hint-hint).
Second, Joseph asked them a highly irregular question, coming from a Prime Minister to “unclean” Canaanite shepherds: “How is your elderly father, whom you told me was still living?” (Gen 43:27). Think about it. What would the prime minister of the most powerful nation in the area care about a single, elderly, and poor Canaanite shepherd? This is especially so when the sons of that very shepherd are being “tried” for spying?
Third, Joseph said a strange thing to the brothers:
“So, one of you will be sent back to get your brother, while the rest of you will be under arrest. This is how your words will be tested, to see if you tell the truth. If not, as sure as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” Then he arrested them for three days. On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this, and you’ll live, because I fear God. If you are honestly brothers, then one of you will be kept under house arrest. The rest of you, go and take grain back to your hungry families.” (Gen 42:16-19)
Joseph told them that he feared God. Although there were dynasties in ancient Egypt that believed in one God, there is no particular evidence that this was one of them. Who would say that he feared God, and because of that, make the arrangement between them easier and lighter? (hint-hint). What prime minister of a powerful nation would ever show compassion to a few worthless Canaanite shepherds—and their families? (hint-hint). This is most unusual for that historical context. Joseph was making his own Egyptian subjects sell everything they had to eat. Why treat these Canaanites differently?
I thus believe it possible that Joseph treated them with kid gloves as a sign to them of who he was, and in fact his heart was broken enough that it was he who told them who he was. What a moment! Can you imagine the pure shock that the brothers must have experienced when they heard Joseph speak to them in perfect Hebrew?
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” His brothers could not talk because they were so shocked! So Joseph told his brothers: “Please come here to me”, and they came. He said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt!” (45:3–4)
If they ever had any doubt as to the truth of Joseph’s claim to be their brother, the favoritism towards Benjamin still continued and served as proof of the connection between Joseph and Benjamin. “Each man was given a change of garments, and in addition Binyamin was given 300 pieces of silver, along with five changes of garments” (45:22).
Joseph’s plan to try his brothers was in keeping with what we know about him. We see that God’s wisdom and compassion were active in his plan; and the plan gave plenty of room for the fulfilling of what he knew the family’s future would be. Our parasha is a success story for reuniting the family, under the guiding Presence of God himself.
All Scripture references are the author’s translation, with emphasis added by author.