Rabbi's Sermons

Shabbat Shalom,

Two main topics appear in this week's portion, Parashat Vayigash. The tale of Genesis, in Chapter 47, is little known and yet, very important in the Biblical story: Yosef's economic reforms in Egypt, during which, on the one hand, he saved the Egyptians from famine and sustained his country, using a strict hierarchical regime, and on the other hand, he separated Egyptian farmers from their lands, and eventually made them slaves to Pharaoh. The second topic that almost everyone remembers from chapter 45, is Yosef's dramatic reunion with his brothers, when he made himself known to them.

Basically, Yosef’s economic reforms, being Pharaoh’s second in Egypt, are made by creating a large concentration of economic power possessed by him. After storing the grain which had grown during the seven years of plenty, he gathered all the income from the sales of food in Pharaoh's house, so the people had no money left to pay for their own food. In a way, that today would be seen as a very unpleasant political move, Yosef sold the agricultural products that the farmers themselves had grown, in exchange to their livestock and property: “And Yosef said, “Give your cattle; and I will give to you for your cattle, if money fail” ^{Genesis 47:16}. When property ran out in the second year, and hunger continued to strike, Yosef allowed the popular masses to buy his food in exchange to their own land, the land of their ancestors from immemorial times! “And Yosef bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them; so the land became Pharaoh’s” ^{Genesis 47:20}. When the lands were transferred to his possession, Yosef moved the multitude of the Egyptian people from his lands to the cities.

At first glance, it could be assumed that Yosef's actions were an economic necessity in years of famine, and that all his efforts were directed towards the good of the Egyptian people and their salvation during the difficult lean years. But even those motives of generosity and concern are not free from political agenda, and it is worth mentioning, how the Torah emphasizes this political agenda and does not hide from us the considerations of power and hierarchy behind Yosef's actions: "Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them by Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they sold not their lands" ^{Genesis 47:22} - there are those for whom the redistribution of resources did not apply - there were those whose food is guaranteed even in years of famine, and their lands remained in their possession, even when all the people were forced out of their homes, by order of Pharaoh.

The terrible culmination of Yosef's economic reform would be the Egyptians selling themselves to Pharaoh as slaves, in exchange for food, during the famine years. They enslaved themselves and gave up their homes to the leader, and they even believed that in this, there was a great salvation. They told Yosef: "And they said, “Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants" ^{Genesis 47:25}. And the Torah tells us, two verses later, almost with a cynical smile, from someone who knows the rest of the story: “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew and multiplied exceedingly” ^{Genesis 47:27}. So Israel dwelt, being numerous, protected from Yosef, taking possessions of the land of Goshen, while all the Egyptian people became slaves and without lands… Doesn’t this story tell you anything?

As for the second story of the meeting between Yosef and his brothers, Yosef's family was not an agricultural family, they were engaged in herding sheep, and this is emphasized several times in the Parasha. In an agricultural land like Egypt, shepherds are passive, were considered as parasites, they enjoyed and earn their living from the hard work of farmers. When the famine in Egypt increased, and farmers were forced to sell their property and land to Yosef in exchange for food that they, themselves, produced on their own land, Yosef's family members became his "political proteges". The children of Israel – who did not bother to work the land, nor did they cultivate the grain – enjoy bread, as well as all their basic needs: “And Joseph nourished his father and his brethren and all his father’s household with bread, according to their families" – indicates verse 12, and then, right after, the next verse, returns us to the cruel Egyptian reality, and opens our eyes – by surprisingly indicating, that: "And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine”. These are the couple of verses that make us face a moral distortion that Yosef applies, openly! There is no bread in all the land of Egypt! There is no bread – for those who have cultivated their land and drew bread with the sweat of their backs! And curiously, there was bread – for priests who are members of the clergy, and close to Pharaoh. And there was bread – for Yosef's relatives – those foreigners who are not even Egyptians, shepherds who did not contribute anything to the growth of the grain, and who even damaged it, with their flocks when grazing. In the meanwhile, what happened to the people of Egypt? They turn into slavery...

It may be possible that Yaacov's family, satisfied with bread and comforts, had not been aware of the economic process and the very severe social problem which developed around them. It may be possible, that they had not been aware of the pain of those who lost their lands to Yosef, and it may be possible, that they had been deaf to the cry of: "Thou hast saved our lives!", which would, eventually, be replaced by a cry of hatred, some years later, with a new Pharaoh, who: "did not know Yosef".

But if we analyze it, this lack of morality of the children of Israel, is not surprising at all. After all, we already observe them – eating bread, quietly, while for a young Yosef, the world turned into tragedy, into a survival test. This is their way of being and when they are eating, they forgot the hungry people who were by their side: "²³ And it came to pass, when Yosef had come unto his brethren, that they stripped Yosef of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; ²⁴ and they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it. ²⁵ And they sat down to eat bread..." – great isn’t it?

And even when Yosef reconciled with his brothers and forgave them, and even though, they repented and suffered for their behavior towards him – were their human values really corrected? The truth is, that satiety blinded their eyes and bread closed their ears. This opacity is the great sin of human society, and some concur, that it is the infamous degree of the sin of Sodom, as expressed by the prophet Ezekiel: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy" ^{Ezekiel 16:49}.

Even if we did not understand the problems raised by Yosef's economic measures and we overlook the social and moral distortion in the conduct of the Yaacov’s family in Egypt, the Torah does not forget and does not forgive. Parashat Vayigash repeatedly mentions the future to come, which opens at the beginning of the Book of Exodus, and warns us, that what today seems full and peaceful, may be changed at any time, the lack of consideration of the needs of others, no matters who, predicts a bad ending, because when the system is evil and offensive, not even proximity to the government, constitutes as immunity or protection. Yosef's understanding was limited, for what appeared to be, in Parashat Vayigash, a rescue from famine and an exciting family reunion, were to become in the book of Exodus, a honey trap to terrible destiny of slavery. Let us learn from this Parasha, that our eyes should not be closed to the needs of those around us, nor be insensitive to those who come to us, asking for bread or help: a neighbor, a person in a stoplight, anyone in need! That is one of the most important humanity lessons in our faith.

This is the first sermon of civil year 2025. Year 2024 was such an extremely difficult year for Medinat Israel, for Ukraine, challenging elections for this country, and for me personally having so many difficult challenges and changes in my life, that will be remembered for a lifetime. My wish is the coming civil year 2025 will bring us hope to end this terrible wars, bring back the 100 hostages, and have a better life for us, for this congregation, for Israel, and for all humanity. Amen.

Shabat Shalom!

Rabbi David Laor

January 2^nd, 2025