2 His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.
ב וַיִּתֵּן אֶת־קֹלוֹ בִּבְכִי וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ מִצְרַיִם וַיִּשְׁמַע בֵּית פַּרְעֹה׃
5 Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me hither; it was to save life that Hashem sent me ahead of you.
ה וְעַתָּה אַל־תֵּעָצְבוּ וְאַל־יִחַר בְּעֵינֵיכֶם כִּי־מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי לְמִחְיָה שְׁלָחַנִי אֱלֹהִים לִפְנֵיכֶם׃
6 It is now two years that there has been famine in the land, and there are still five years to come in which there shall be no yield from tilling.
ו כִּי־זֶה שְׁנָתַיִם הָרָעָב בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ וְעוֹד חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים אֲשֶׁר אֵין־חָרִישׁ וְקָצִּיר׃
7 Hashem has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance.
va-yish-la-KHAY-nee e-lo-HEEM lif-nay-KHEM la-SUM la-KHEM sh’-ay-REET ba-A-retz ul-ha-kha-YOT la-KHEM lif-lay-TAH g’-do-LAH
ז וַיִּשְׁלָחֵנִי אֱלֹהִים לִפְנֵיכֶם לָשׂוּם לָכֶם שְׁאֵרִית בָּאָרֶץ וּלְהַחֲיוֹת לָכֶם לִפְלֵיטָה גְּדֹלָה׃
8 So, it was not you who sent me here, but Hashem; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his household, and ruler over the whole land of Egypt.
ח וְעַתָּה לֹא־אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים וַיְשִׂימֵנִי לְאָב לְפַרְעֹה וּלְאָדוֹן לְכָל־בֵּיתוֹ וּמֹשֵׁל בְּכָל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃
10 You will dwell in the region of Goshen, where you will be near me—you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that is yours.
י וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בְאֶרֶץ־גֹּשֶׁן וְהָיִיתָ קָרוֹב אֵלַי אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וּבְנֵי בָנֶיךָ וְצֹאנְךָ וּבְקָרְךָ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לָךְ׃
11 There I will provide for you—for there are yet five years of famine to come—that you and your household and all that is yours may not suffer want.’
יא וְכִלְכַּלְתִּי אֹתְךָ שָׁם כִּי־עוֹד חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים רָעָב פֶּן־תִּוָּרֵשׁ אַתָּה וּבֵיתְךָ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לָךְ׃
12 You can see for yourselves, and my brother Binyamin for himself, that it is indeed I who am speaking to you.
יב וְהִנֵּה עֵינֵיכֶם רֹאוֹת וְעֵינֵי אָחִי בִנְיָמִין כִּי־פִי הַמְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיכֶם׃
13 And you must tell my father everything about my high station in Egypt and all that you have seen; and bring my father here with all speed.”
יג וְהִגַּדְתֶּם לְאָבִי אֶת־כָּל־כְּבוֹדִי בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם וּמִהַרְתֶּם וְהוֹרַדְתֶּם אֶת־אָבִי הֵנָּה׃
14 With that he embraced his brother Binyamin around the neck and wept, and Binyamin wept on his neck.
יד וַיִּפֹּל עַל־צַוְּארֵי בִנְיָמִן־אָחִיו וַיֵּבְךְּ וּבִנְיָמִן בָּכָה עַל־צַוָּארָיו׃
15 He kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; only then were his brothers able to talk to him.
טו וַיְנַשֵּׁק לְכָל־אֶחָיו וַיֵּבְךְּ עֲלֵיהֶם וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן דִּבְּרוּ אֶחָיו אִתּוֹ׃
18 Take your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you shall live off the fat of the land.’
יח וּקְחוּ אֶת־אֲבִיכֶם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיכֶם וּבֹאוּ אֵלָי וְאֶתְּנָה לָכֶם אֶת־טוּב אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְאִכְלוּ אֶת־חֵלֶב הָאָרֶץ׃
19 And you are bidden [to add], ‘Do as follows: take from the land of Egypt wagons for your children and your wives, and bring your father here.
יט וְאַתָּה צֻוֵּיתָה זֹאת עֲשׂוּ קְחוּ־לָכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עֲגָלוֹת לְטַפְּכֶם וְלִנְשֵׁיכֶם וּנְשָׂאתֶם אֶת־אֲבִיכֶם וּבָאתֶם׃
20 And never mind your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt shall be yours.’”
כ וְעֵינְכֶם אַל־תָּחֹס עַל־כְּלֵיכֶם כִּי־טוּב כָּל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לָכֶם הוּא׃
21 The sons of Yisrael did so; Yosef gave them wagons as Pharaoh had commanded, and he supplied them with provisions for the journey.
כא וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם יוֹסֵף עֲגָלוֹת עַל־פִּי פַרְעֹה וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם צֵדָה לַדָּרֶךְ׃
22 To each of them, moreover, he gave a change of clothing; but to Binyamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and several changes of clothing.
כב לְכֻלָּם נָתַן לָאִישׁ חֲלִפוֹת שְׂמָלֹת וּלְבִנְיָמִן נָתַן שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת כֶּסֶף וְחָמֵשׁ חֲלִפֹת שְׂמָלֹת׃
23 And to his father he sent the following: ten he-asses laden with the best things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with grain, bread, and provisions for his father on the journey.
24 As he sent his brothers off on their way, he told them, “Do not be quarrelsome on the way.”
כד וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־אֶחָיו וַיֵּלֵכוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אַל־תִּרְגְּזוּ בַּדָּרֶךְ׃
כה וַיַּעֲלוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֶל־יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם׃
כח וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל רַב עוֹד־יוֹסֵף בְּנִי חָי אֵלְכָה וְאֶרְאֶנּוּ בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת׃
45:7 To save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance
To allay his brothers’ fears that he will take revenge for selling him into slavery, Yosef observes that their actions were part of the divine plan, and will undoubtedly bring great salvation. The short term benefit is already clear in that, due to his position, Yosef will be able to save his family and the entire region from the famine which has just begun. Further, in the great scheme of history, the sale of Yosef brought the entire family down to Egypt, thus beginning the fulfillment of God’s promise (Genesis 15:13-14) that Avraham’s descendants will be strangers in a strange land. It follows that after the period of enslavement in Egypt specified by the prophecy, they will merit a ‘great deliverance,’ and ultimately return to the Promised Land.2 comments