Are We Well?- Vayigash 5785

There are multiple moments in the book of Genesis when characters reunite after a long absence from each other. In my opinion, there is perhaps no more emotional reunion than that of Joseph and his brothers, when Joseph reveals himself after they’ve returned to buy more food in Egypt.

What’s striking to me, though, is the question that Joseph asks his brothers in the same breath as his revealing himself to them. The Torah teaches:

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶל־אֶחָיו֙ אֲנִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף הַע֥וֹד אָבִ֖י חָ֑י וְלֹֽא־יָכְל֤וּ אֶחָיו֙ לַעֲנ֣וֹת אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֥י נִבְהֲל֖וּ מִפָּנָֽיו׃

“Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still well?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dumbfounded were they on account of him.”

Our Etz Hayim chumash translates Joseph’s question הַע֥וֹד אָבִ֖י חָ֑י as “Is my father still well?”, but a more literal translation of the Hebrew would be “Is my father still alive?”.

It’s striking to me that the very first thing Joseph says to his brothers after he reveals his identity to them doesn’t concern them, but their father. We know that Joseph and Jacob share a special father-son relationship. We learn at the start of parshat Vayeishev that Jacob makes a ketonet pasim– an ornamental tunic- for Joseph, and that Joseph is entrusted to bring news of his older brothers back to Jacob when they’ve gone to graze their cattle. Furthermore, Joseph’s brothers have been nothing but hurtful to him, even going so far as to sell him to a caravan of Ishmaelites going down to Egypt. It’s only when they don’t recognize Joseph, with Joseph recognizing them, that they are differential and respectful, unwittingly bowing down to him in fulfillment of Joseph’s youthful dreams.

In considering all this, perhaps it’s not a surprise that Joseph’s first question is about their father Jacob, who despite moments of his own frustration with Joseph has remained sadly bereft since being convinced that he has been torn by a wild beast. Several commentators interpret Joseph’s question about Jacob’s welfare as a form of tochecha– rebuke. Instead of asking about the welfare of his brothers alongside him, he asks for news about their father. Moreover, the dumbfoundedness of his brothers according to Rashi and others stems from their own shame. In an instant, they recall all the bad they have visited upon their brother, and feel such remorse that they are unable to answer him at first. 

In addition to perhaps being an admonishment, one can see Joseph’s question as a matter of survival. Joseph during his time in Egypt has gained an Egyptian name, learned the Egyptian language, risen to great power, and gained an Egyptian wife with whom he has had two children. We might think that he has lost touch with his Israelite background, but on the contrary, his question can be interpreted as a way of assessing whether or not the covenant sworn to him and his family for the last several generations is still in effect. 

The midrash in Bereishit Rabbah paints perhaps a surprising scene regarding this interpretation. After the question posed to his brothers, they are too dumbfounded to speak because they can’t believe that it’s him. It’s only when he shows them his own sign of the covenant- his circumcision- that they realize that it’s indeed Joseph who stands before them. Despite becoming an Egyptian in nearly every way, Joseph is still mindful of the covenant that was sworn between G-d and his great grandfather Abraham, and passed on to his descendants including Joseph himself.

This initial family reunion between Joseph and his brothers is but the start of a greater reunion. Joseph exhorts them to hurry back to Canaan and tell their father Jacob that he is alive and well, and that they may settle in Egypt where there are plenty of resources for survival. In the very last verse of the parsha, though, we begin to set the stage for what’s to come:

וַיֵּ֧שֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ גֹּ֑שֶׁן וַיֵּאָחֲז֣וּ בָ֔הּ וַיִּפְר֥וּ וַיִּרְבּ֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃

“Thus Israel settled in the country of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly.”

We learn that there are 70 people, Joseph included, who go down to Egypt and settle there. These 70 people are the kernel from which the Israelites increase greatly in numbers and become a multitude. At the start of the book of Exodus, there are famously four different Hebrew verbs used in one verse to symbolize just how large a nation the Israelites become in Egypt, and how quickly they’ve grown. Here is the last verse of our parsha, we have two verbs- va’yifru v’yirbu– which are forms of the same verbs used in the creation story in the first chapter of the Torah. Both animals and people are commanded pru u’rvu– “be fruitful and multiply”- in order that the earth be filled with life. Here in Egypt Joseph’s family does just that, which will have great repercussions, both positive and negative, in the story of the Jewish people.

The Torah in this verse takes a birds-eye view of the Israelites, teaching us not about individuals, but as a collective people. It’s a stark contrast to what has come before, and points to increasing fertility and dynamism in the years to come. As I read this verse, I’m thinking about myself. Some of you may know that tomorrow, January 5th, is my 40th birthday. As I reflect on my own journey and what it means to be forty, our tradition offers some guidance: in chapter 5 of Pirkei Avot, Judah ben Teima teaches that age forty is the age for wisdom. What does this actually mean? Some hold that age 40 is when one is at an age to be able to study the Zohar, the foundational work of kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). 

Truth be told, I took a whole class on Zohar in rabbinical school, so I jumped the gun there. However, it’s Joseph’s wisdom that allows him to rise to prominence and feed the world while ensuring Egypt’s survival. 

My own wisdom which I’ve accrued until now, which I pray should only continue to grow, leads me to realize that I don’t need to ask Joseph’s question myself. “Is my father well?” Are we, the Jewish people, still a family? Do we still find comfort in our collective story and hold on to collective ideals? The answer, thankfully and resoundingly, is yes. Despite our internal debates and disagreements, I believe that am Yisrael– the Jewish people, which bears Jacob’s divine name- all need each other, and that our unity is ever more important in a time such as this. So, let’s do what we can to assuage any of Joseph’s doubts about our unity, our health, and our lineage. As we enter a new secular year this week, let’s keep working towards a vibrant future that ensures continuity and joy in engaging with our tradition, as well as working for a better world for all, with Joseph’s great ideas and wisdom as an example to live by.