Why Live in Goshen/2

Why Live in Goshen?

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Good Land

Yosef wanted the brothers to live in Goshen because it had high quality land, with good grazing for their cattle.

Sources:RashiBereshit 46:34About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 46:34Bereshit 47:4About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Ralbag #1-2Bereshit Beur HaMilot 46:34About R. Levi b. Gershom,

אַנְשֵׁי מִקְנֶה / רֹעֵה צֹאן – It is the brothers' occupation as shepherds which leads to the choice of Goshen for their settlement.

"בְּמֵיטַב הָאָרֶץ" – These commentators might understand this to mean the best of the land of Goshen, rather than the best of Egypt.  If the brothers were shepherds, they had no special need for good agricultural land.  Nonetheless, both R"Y Bekhor Shor and Ralbag assume that Paroh really settled the brothers in the best of the land as a whole.

כִּי תוֹעֲבַת מִצְרַיִם כׇּל רֹעֵה צֹאן

• According to R"Y Bekhor Shor, the word "abomination" is simply the Torah's derogatory term to refer to Egyptian idolatry, and says nothing about the Egyptian's feelings towards shepherds.¹ In fact, he claims that the Egyptians esteemed shepherds because they cared for and raised their gods, and for that reason desired that they live in a good portion of land.
• According to Rlbag, in contrast, the Egyptians found shepherds abominable,² and would not want to live near them.  Since there was an uninhabited area in Goshen, Yosef knew that he would be able to have his brothers settle there.³

Why continue in the shepherding profession?

• Yosef might have simply desired that his family be able to continue in their known profession.
• Alternatively, R. BachyaBereshit 46:32About R. Bachya b. Asher posits that the occupation gave them both economic and spiritual benefits.  It helped them attain the necessary provisions of wool, meat and milk (perhaps especially important in time of famine), while the solitude facilitated attaining closeness to the Divine.⁴ 

"And you will be close to me"

Location of Goshen

"לָגוּר בָּאָרֶץ בָּאנוּ" – According to this approach, it is possible that when the family descended to Egypt they thought that it would be just for a short stay, until the famine ended.  Thus, they explainn to Paroh that due to the famine, there was no more grazing land in Canaan, implying that as soon as Canaan revitalized they would return there.  If so, "לָגוּר" means to sojourn rather than to actively settle⁵.

"אָנֹכִי אֵרֵד עִמְּךָ מִצְרַיְמָה וְאָנֹכִי אַעַלְךָ גַם עָלֹה"

Segregated from Egyptians and Paroh

Sources:JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2:7:5About Josephus, Seikhel TovBereshit 46:34About R. Menachem b. Shelomo, Ramban, Bereshit 45:10About R. Moshe b. NachmanRalbag #3-4Bereshit Beur HaMilot 46:34About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelBereshit 45:9About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, R. Avraham SabaTzeror HaMor Bereshit 46:31About R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor), R. Eliezer AshkenaziMa'asei Hashem, Ma'asei Avot 42About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Ma'asei Hashem), Keli YekarBereshit 46:32About R. Shelomo Ephraim Lunshitz, R. S"R HirschBereshit 46:33About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, NetzivBereshit 46:34Bereshit 47:4Shemot 1:7About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin

Proximity to Yosef

¹ This is a difficult read of the verses, since according to R"Y Bekhor Shor it should read "תוֹעֲבַת מִצְרַיִם כׇּל צֹאן"  and not "כׇּל רֹעֵה צֹאן"

² Since the Egyptians worshiped sheep they presumably found it disturbing that someone should think that they could be in charge of them, caring for and supervising them, as if they were superior.

³ Since, according to Ralbag, Goshen was considered to be a part of "the best" of Egyptian land, it is not clear why it would be unsettled, and why, of all people, the Egyptians would allow their detested shepherds to live there.

⁴ Moreover, he posits that the Patriarchs knew that eventually they would be exiled to Egypt where there would be a danger of acculturating and worshiping Egyptian gods. To prevent any notion of worshiping sheep, they chose the profession of shepherds which would make it difficult for their descendants to revere or seen any divinity in such animals.

⁵ See the haggadah of Pesach where the verse is explained, "מְלַמֵּד שֶׁלֹא יָרַד יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ לְהִשְׁתַּקֵעַ בְּמִצְרַיִם אֶלָּא לָגוּר שָׁם".  R"Y Bekhor Shor nonetheless explains that the simple sense of the verse is that the brothers came to settle more permanently.