Shabbat Vayigash
Politics
Yosef comes across as a consummate politician. It starts off with the way he deals with his brothers who have come down to buy grain and do not recognize him.
Although he certainly recognizes them. The process of how he toys with them, threatening them, then compromising and threatening them again, almost inhuman on the surface, seems to be a matter of taking revenge for what they did to him. But on the other hand, he has to be certain that they will now accept his authority in Egypt, given how much they rebelled at the start against what they saw as his arrogance.
The constant tension (and clues that they do not seem to pick up on) culminates when he finally breaks down and reveals himself to them. And then reassures them that he’s going to protect them and feed them. He harbours no ill feelings towards them because, as he tells them, this is all part of a Divine plan. This ability to change his personality to achieve his aim, might be thought of as an example of vengeful manipulation, even deceit. But rather it should be seen as necessary caution.
He invites the family to come down to live in Egypt. Yosef presents his brothers to Pharaoh, but in such a way as to make sure that they are neither seen as a threat, nor are they seen as fodder for Pharaoh’s regime. Yosef has already made clear that he wants his family to be living in Goshen which is to the north of Egypt towards the Nile Delta. Quite a way South and distant from the main seats of Egyptian power. This is why he emphasizes to Pharaoh that his brothers are shepherds. Something despised by the Egyptian hierarchy. And also, why he presents the least impressive of his brothers when they go to Pharaoh for an audience. He has an agenda which is to avoid the integration of his family into Egyptian life and to make sure that they are not seen as a threat as other migratory tribes such as the Hapiru were.
Yosef then carries out the plan he always had in mind of how to deal with the famine. When it hits, he requires people with money to pay for the grain, both to eat and to plant in the hope of achieving a harvest. But then when the money runs out, they have to provide him with their livestock. When that runs out, they offer their land, and finally they agree that they will become serfs to Pharaoh who in exchange will provide them with grain for their labor. They become indentured slaves working the land. Giving 1/5 to Pharaoh and keeping 4/5 both for food and for agriculture. To use modern terminology, he nationalizes everything. At the same time, he moves the population away from their original locations to make sure that they break their ties to their ancestral lands. The sort of policy Assyrians used towards those people it conquered. Thus, he ensured they will not re-constitute and become a threat.
The only people that he doesn’t apply this to are the priests. The priesthood in Egypt was very powerful and attempts to reform or overthrow failed. The later Pharaoh Akhenaton (1355-1338 B.C.E.) who the priests considered to be a threat to their power and position, was deposed by them. Yosef is very careful not to offend them. Another example of his political wisdom. In contrast much later, the Torah laws of the priests specifically commanded that priests would not have tribal property in contrast to the Egyptians so that they would focus only on service. Something they later ignored.
You might have thought that the ordinary Egyptians would have resented what had happened, losing their freedom. Maybe in due course, this will explain why, under a new regime, Yosef was forgotten, whether intentionally or not. At any rate, in the Torah this week, it says that they were very grateful to him for this solution.
The lessons we can learn are applicable today. Politicians trying to enforce rigorous laws that may give rise to opposition, have to calculate who to alienate or not to alienate. Harsh policies might require sweetening but also appealing to self-interest. A politician has to show firmness and determination to do what he or she feels appropriate and yet at the same time must try to show a human caring persona to win popular support. Yosef is an example of a good and effective politician.
Bereishit Chapters 44-47:27
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
