A New King Arose
This coming Shabbat we will read about the rise of anew king “who did not know Joseph.” Last week we observed the inauguration of a new Mayor in New York. Are there similarities between the two?
The new Pharaoh in Egypt knew very well that Joseph existed and had saved Egypt from famine. To understand what a king “who did not know Joseph” means, we need to look back at Parashat Vayigash and Egyptian history.
Written records and archaeology show that there was a struggle for power in Egypt between the Hyksos, a Semitic people of shepherds who lived in Goshen, and the Hamite native Egyptians. It is in this context that we can better understand why Pharaoh sent Jacob and his family to Goshen, “for all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians.”
During the years of plenty, Joseph stockpiled grain for the years of famine that were ahead.
When the famine hit, Joseph managed an emergency by empowering the state to ensure that the basic needs of the Egyptian people were met. He sold grain, amassing all of Egypt’s money into Pharaoh’s treasury. Next, he gathered all the flocks of sheep, cattle, and donkeys into Pharaoh’s hands. Finally, the people sell their land and themselves to Pharaoh. Joseph moved all of the population to cities to break the connection to their former lands. He distributed grain for people to plant, with one-fifth of their produce to be turned over to Pharaoh with the rest remaining in the hands of the farmers.
Desperate times can call for desperate measures. Joseph empowered the state to provide for the everyday needs of the Egyptian people, while setting up a future economic system that would allow people to keep most of the fruits of their own labor.
In an era where democracy was unknown, Joseph was what the Greek philosopher Plato described as a “benevolent despot,” a man who amassed great power and used it to benefit the people.
This was appreciated by the Egyptian people, who proclaimed, “you have saved our lives, we are grateful to my lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh.”
By the time Joseph and his brothers died, the native Egyptians were seeking to rally support to defeat the Hyksos. Like many demagogues through the ages, Pharaoh needed a scapegoat to incite the population against. Joseph, as a powerful official of the previous regime and a relative of shepherds living in Goshen, was the perfect target.
Using the very facts described at the end of our parsha, the new Pharaoh painted a revisionist picture of Joseph.
Joseph was the man who took advantage of a crisis to enrich himself and his family. Joseph was the man who gathered all the sources of wealth, making us all wards of the state. Joseph was the man who reduced us all to being serfs and tenant farmers.
Joseph was transformed from the arch hero to the arch villain of Egyptian history. From there, it was an easy step to make the Israelites as a whole the scapegoats for Egypt’s problems.
It is interesting to note that what Pharaoh and his advisors said about the Jews are the same arguments used by anti-Semites today.
“The Israelites are too numerous and too powerful for us.”
The Jews are too powerful. The Jews have all the money. The Jews control the banks and the media. They have amassed power by taking from us.
“In the event of war, they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.”
The Jews are disloyal. The Jews side with our enemies.
Pharaoh turned history on its head. He transformed Joseph from a hero to a villain. He used the very success of Jews to proclaim that the Jews had gained power by illicit means and should be enslaved for the benefit of the Egyptian population.
Today, our enemies, including many of our one-time friends, are also turning history on its head.
The Jews who were victims of genocide are portrayed as the perpetrators of genocide.
Jews, with a connection to the Land of Israel going back to almost 4,000 years are portrayed as “colonialist settlers.”
The success of Jews in all facets of human endeavor is attributed to Jews being part of the “oppressor class.”
Palestinians who have rejected numerous offers for statehood in order to attempt to annihilate Israel are portrayed as victims, while Israel is portrayed as an obstacle to peace.
People inspired by anti-Semitism couched in the language of human rights and social justice have committed violence in against Jews. While “progressives” lament the discrimination against numerous other groups, it is Jews, who make up just 10% of the population, who are the victims of the majority of hate crimes in New York City.
Zohran Mamdani rose to power using the terms “Zionists” or “Israelis” rather than Jews to proclaim these lies. He wasted no time in translating his rhetoric into action. As one of his first acts in office, he ended the city’s acceptance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism and allowed companies doing business with the city to boycott Israel. His affinity for having bagels and lox for breakfast on Sunday morning is of no comfort.
As Mamdani proved that anti-Semitism masquerading as anti-Zionism can be a successful political program, others have jumped on the bandwagon. This includes dangerous figures on the right like Tucker Carlson.
Sadly, even some of our own people have bought into Mamdani’s poisonous rhetoric. Approximately one-third of Jewish New Yorkers voted for him.
As Pharaoh hardened his decrees, many Jews blamed Moshe for “making us loathsome to Pharaoh and his courtiers, putting a sword into their hands to slay us.” Similarly, today, there are many Jews who blame Israeli policies for the alarming rise in anti-Semitism. We, too, have our Datans and Avirams.
Even Moshe himself began to despair, asking G-d, “Why did you bring harm upon this people? Why did you send me?”
As we look at the situation today, it is easy to become discouraged. Yet we cannot give in to despair. Success is our best revenge. We need to support candidates from both parties who have the courage to stand up to the Mamdanis and the Carlsons. We need to intensify our commitment to Israel and the Jewish people.
Yet we can take heart from G-d’s reply.” I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I Hashem.”
That promise is being fulfilled as we speak. Within the next few years, a majority of Jews in the world will be living in Israel, something that was not achieved in the entire Second Temple era. We are returning to the land where our kings ruled, our prophets preached, and our sages taught to write the next page in the story of the Jewish people.
