Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Vayigash/0/en
Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Vayigash
Economic Antisemitism
Throughout history Jewish economic success has sparked antisemitism. Jews have been blamed for the ills of capitalism, stereotyped as greedy moneylenders, and accused of attempting to take over the world. The phenomenon goes back to Biblical times, and one of its first manifestations might stem from Parashat Vayigash.1 Modern scholars, following R"Y Bekhor Shor, assert that the Economic Policies instituted by Yosef to deal with the famine bred hatred. The harsh measures and enslavement of the Egyptians, together with Yosef's simultaneous nepotism towards his family, caused resentment that later paved the way for the Israelite bondage.
- Do you think this is a valid reading of the events?
- What are the root causes of economic antisemitism? How does it compare to religious antisemitism? What role (if any) did each play in the enslavement?
- In what circumstances do you think that nepotism is a valid practice, and when is it problematic? Where else in Tanakh do leaders give preferential treatment to their families? Does this end well or poorly?
Making Sense of Midrash
The Midrash recasts Yehuda's plea for Binyamin into an overtly hostile and aggressive dispute in which Yehuda and Yosef each accuses the other of wrongdoing and duplicity, and finally threaten each other with violence. Is there any evidence for such a reading in the text? If not, where is the Midrash coming from and what message is it trying to impart? [See Yehuda's Oration]
- In general, how is one approach midrashim that seem to veer sharply from the plain sense of the verses?
- In this case, N. Leibowitz suggests that the Midrash is really having Yehuda argue not with Yosef, but with his own conscience, while others suggest that it is serving to foreshadow the future enmity between two tribes which will vie for power. Can you think of other midrashim which might similarly be read with the future in mind?
Purpose of the Exile
In the middle of the parashah, Yaakov's family descends to Egypt marking the beginning of Israel's first exile.
- When Yaakov's family moved to Egypt, how long had they intended to stay? Why did they not return to Israel as soon as the famine ended? [For one suggestion, see the third approach in Yosef's Economic Policies].
- Already in the Covenant between the Pieces, Hashem tells Avraham of the future exile. Does this mean that Hashem actively intervened to guide the Israelites into Egypt,2 or was the exile merely a natural result of human choices which did not involve any special heavenly input? See Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice.
- What was accomplished by having the nation live in exile? Why was this stay in Egypt a necessary part of Jewish history? Are the purposes of the exile and bondage identical, or might each have its own goals? See Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage.
