For twenty-two years, Joseph waited for his father to find him, while his father mourned his death – a tragic misunderstanding that would change the course of biblical history. This was Joseph’s reality for over two decades in ancient Egypt, according to a compelling interpretation by Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun that turns the traditional understanding of this biblical narrative on its head.
For generations, readers of the Hebrew Bible have grappled with a troubling question: How could Joseph fail to contact his elderly father Jacob for more than twenty years, especially after rising to become Egypt’s viceroy? Egypt was a mere six-day journey from Hebron where Joseph’s family lived, and surely a son’s duty to relieve his father’s anguish should have outweighed any other considerations.
Rabbi Bin-Nun offers a radical but psychologically astute solution: Joseph never contacted his father because he believed his father had abandoned him. According to this interpretation, Joseph had no idea that his brothers had deceived their father with his bloodied coat, leading Jacob to believe he had been killed by wild animals. Instead, Joseph spent years in slavery and then in his rise to power wondering why his father, a man of means and influence, never came searching for him.
According to Rabbi Bin-Nun, this heartrending misunderstanding is reflected in the name Joseph gives his firstborn son, as recorded in Genesis 41:51:
The choice of name reveals Joseph’s painful acceptance that his life would be lived separately from his family, whom he believed had rejected him.
This interpretation also explains Joseph’s complex behavior when his brothers finally appear before him in Egypt. Rather than immediately revealing himself, he needs to understand: Why did his father send him to his brothers that fateful day? Why did no one ever come looking for him? His harsh treatment of his brothers and his insistence on bringing Benjamin to Egypt become not acts of revenge, but rather a desperate attempt to uncover the truth about his family’s apparent abandonment.
The moment of revelation finally comes when Judah, pleading for Benjamin’s release, unknowingly tells Joseph exactly what he has yearned to hear for twenty-two years – that his father never rejected him at all, but rather believed him dead and had mourned him all these years. This explains Joseph’s sudden, emotional response: “Joseph could no longer control himself… He wept so loudly… And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?'” (Genesis 45:1-3)
Rabbi Bin-Nun’s interpretation transforms our understanding of this ancient story from one of seemingly cruel delayed revelation to a profound tale of tragic misunderstanding and ultimate reconciliation. It reminds us that even in our closest relationships, we sometimes operate on completely mistaken assumptions about others’ feelings and motivations. We should never let our interpretations of others’ actions go unchallenged – the truth might be entirely different from what we imagine.
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