Where in Egypt Did the Israelites Live/1/en
Where in Egypt Did the Israelites Live?
Introduction
In Goshen or Beyond?
Upon their arrival in Egypt, Yosef settled his family in the land of Goshen, and the Torah notes that they struck roots and prospered there:
(בראשית מז:כז) וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן וַיֵּאָחֲזוּ בָהּ וַיִּפְרוּ וַיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד.
(Bereshit 47:27) And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
It is unclear, though, if the nation remained exclusively in Goshen, or if at some point they spread beyond its borders into greater Egypt. Shemot 1:7 describes the nation's proliferation:
וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּרוּ וַיִּשְׁרְצוּ וַיִּרְבּוּ וַיַּעַצְמוּ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם.
And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
The phrase "וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֹתָם" is ambiguous; does it suggest that as the Israelites multiplied, they left their original settlement and permeated the Land of Egypt as a whole, or does it mean more simply that they filled only the region of Goshen?
Isolation or Integration?
A second question relates to the level of interaction between Egyptians and Israelites. Were the two nations segregated from each other or did they live as neighbors? On one hand, by the plagues of ערוב and ברד the text mentions a geographic distinction between Goshen and Egypt proper, suggesting that Israelites lived in one and Egyptians in the other. Moreover, in explaining the impetus to move to Goshen, Yosef asserts that shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians, again hinting that the Egyptians wanted distance between the groups. On the other hand, the commandment to borrow vessels from one's neighbors and tenants presumes that Egyptians lived close to, and even in the same buildings as the Israelites! Similarly, the smearing of blood and skipping over homes during the Plague of Firstborn implies that the houses of the two peoples bordered on each other.
Implications
The above questions have implications for a variety of other issues including:
- Whom and Where Did the Plagues Strike? If Israelites had spread to live in Egypt proper were they also hurt by the plagues? If there were Egyptians living in Goshen, were they also spared? Was there both ethnic and geographic differentiation in the plagues or only one or the other?
- Why Live in Goshen? What was the original reason for the decision to settle in Goshen and was it still relevant throughout the years of bondage?
- Religious Identity in Egypt How did the choice of settlement affect the nation's religious identity?
- The nature of the bondage – Were the Israelites slaves only to the State or also to individuals? If the latter, did they live as house servants in their master's homes or did they have their own homes to return to at night?
