The dungeon scene, which
ended last week’s Parasha, shifts almost instantaneously to a palace, and it is
there that the present Parasha opens up. A short phrase acts as a bridge, connecting
these two very dissimilar places, yet making it clear that the events happening
in the palace are not entirely removed from the afore-mentioned prison cell and
its occupants.
And so we read: “At the full end – “miketz” - of two
years of days” (literal translation)…
"Miketz" signifies here the “full end” (to the very
last day) of the two years following the fulfillment of the dreams interpreted
correctly by Yoseph, for which he was hoping to be rewarded… “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph,
but forgot him" (40:23). "Did not remember, but forgot,” is an
emphatic and decisive double statement that ended last week’s Parashat
Va’yeshev and seemed to seal off Yoseph's fate. Moving on to the next chapter
(and Parasha), we find that it begins where the former left off; that is, with
dreams. Moreover, Par’oh’s dreams could not have come before the period
allotted by YHVH for Yoseph’s prison experience. Thus, the thread connecting
the 'dreamer' of this Parasha (Par’oh) to the interpreter of dreams (himself a
renowned dreamer, ref. 37: 5 – 10) in last week’s Parasha, begins to unravel.
Consequently, that which appears to be the protagonist’s sealed fate takes a
sharp and immediate turn, as the times
and events of his life are being directed from above (see Ps. 31:15a; Prov.
20:24). Thus it is only when the two years fully expire that change can come
about in Yoseph's life circumstances, and as is so often the case, once change
sets in, it gathers momentum (ref. 41:14).
In Parashat Miketz we
will encounter certain Egyptian names, words, and terms. Although in most cases
they are not directly related to the Hebrew language, their Hebrew
transliterations happen to have clear meanings. Even if these are mere
happenstances or coincidences, they are intriguing!
Let us begin with the
king of Egypt
As Par'oh continues to
endow Yoseph with honor and material wealth, "he had him ride in his
second chariot; and they proclaimed before him: "Bow the knee"
- or “av'rech” (41:43). “Av'rech” does contain the word for
"knee," “berech,” which, as we have seen before (in Parashat Lech
Lecha, Gen. 12 – 17, particularly in ref. to chapter 12), is also the root for
the verb "to bless." Indeed, Yoseph is a great blessing to the people
of Egypt Egypt
In 41:51, 52, mention is made of Yoseph's
sons, whose names are explained according to their respective Hebrew meaning.
However, these names (also) happen to sound like Egyptian names, which may have
been another reason why Yoseph chose them. Let us begin with the name of the
youngest, Ephraim, meaning, "multiplicity of fruit"
(v. 52). As we can see, the same consonants that we just noted above: P/F and R,
make up that name. Obviously, Yoseph did not want to stand out as a foreigner
in the land of his benefactors, but at the same time also wished to express his
faith in the promise, of the multiplication of the seed, that was given to his
ancestors. In the blessing and promise to Ya'acov, in 35:11 (Parashat
Va’yishalch), Elohim says: "Be fruitful and multiply, a nation and
a company of nations shall come from you" (italics added), and likewise in
the prayer that Ya'acov prays and blesses Ephraim with, in Parashat Va’ye’chi (ref.
48:4). Thus "fruit" ("pri", of the root p.r.a, pey,
resh, hey), is found in this name. It will also be in the title with which
Ya’acov will bless Yoseph and confer upon him (again in Parashat Va’yechi) -
“ben porat,” that is, "son of fruitfulness" (49:22). Prophetically
significant is also the fact that “Ephraim” contains the consonants, e.f.r
(alef, pey/fey, resh), forming the word “efer” which means "ashes." Interestingly,
the prophet Hoshe’ah (Hosea) describes Yisrael/Ephraim, while in their state of
sin, as “smoke from a chimney” (13:3).
Yoseph names his
firstborn “Mena'she,” because Elohim had caused him to forget his past
(thereby easing his pain of separation from his family, 41:51), since n.sh.h is
the root of a verb which means “to forget.” The “sinew of the thigh”
which is not eaten by the sons of Yisrael because of the maiming inflicted upon
Ya’acov when he fought the “man” at P’niel, is called in Hebrew “gid ha’nasheh”
(ref. Gen. 32:32). Some rabbis and commentators are of the opinion that this
title for the thigh (exclusively connected with the above-mentioned episode) -
“nasheh” - is of the same root as “forgetfulness,” because it was meant as a
‘remembering device.’ That is, by not partaking of what is symbolically a
“sinew of forgetfulness,” the Israelites were to remember their Elohim, His
commandments, and their own identity. But try hard as the nation may have done,
forgetfulness did set in quickly, resulting in dire consequences. Nevertheless,
in our Parasha it is evident that forgetfulness and remembering are also
subject to YHVH’s sovereignty. Thus, the cupbearer’s forgetfulness (different
word in this case than the above n.sh.a., this one is sh.ch.ch – shin, chaf,
chet), and subsequent remembrance, are used by YHVH in order to set His plan
into motion. Yoseph also makes use of
the same verb when interpreting Par’oh’s dream:
“But after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty
will be forgotten in the land
of Egypt
Back to Menashe… whose
name sounds much like "Moshe" (Moses), which in spite of its Hebrew
meaning is most likely also of Egyptian origin, as it was Par’oh’s daughter who
gave it to the foundling. Yoseph’s sons names, therefore, which although of
significant Hebrew meaning, most likely would not have sounded strange in their
environment.
The book of Hoshe'ah (Hosea) deals at great
length with the northern kingdom
of Yisrael 13, in a specific address to
Ephraim, some of the same words, or roots, which we have just encountered, are
repeated. "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up, his sin is stored up"
- "stored up" is “tzfoona” of the same root which is in
Yoseph's Egyptian name “Tzafnat.” In the following verse (13) mention is made of
the "opening of the womb," literally "the breaking [forth] of
the sons," the word being “mishbar” of the root sh.v/b.r (shin,
vet/bet, resh). The word for "grain" and the verb for "supplying
food" appear many times in our Parasha; both of them are founded in
this very root, which in our story is utilized in the sense of the "breaking"
of hunger or famine, like the breaking of a fast. Yoseph, the one supplying
provender, is called “mashbir.” In Psalm 105: 16, 17 we read
about Yoseph and his mission: “Moreover He called for a famine in the land; He
destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them -- Joseph --
who was sold as a slave.” “He destroyed all provision” is rendered in the
Hebrew by “shavar” (literally, “broke”) of the afore-mentioned root. Amos
deplores those who do not “grieve for the breaking – or affliction - of
Joseph” (6:6), which in
Hebrew is “shever Yoseph.” It seems that ‘shever’ accompanies Yoseph, both the
man and his descendants, in his/their successes and failures. Back to Hoshe’ah...
In 14:8 we read: “Ephraim
[doubly fruitful], 'What have I to do anymore with idols?' I have heard
and observed him. I am like a green cypress tree; Your fruit
[“pri”] is found in Me" (italics added).
Last week we saw that
Yoseph made YHVH's name known in his foreign environs. He certainly continues
to do so when standing before the king (41:16, 25). And like Potiphar before
him, Par'oh too acknowledges Yoseph's Elohim: "’Can we find a man like
this, in whom is the spirit of Elohim?’ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since Elohim
has informed you of all this…'" (41:38, 39).
Par’oh not only
acknowledges Yoseph’s Elohim, he also honors Yoseph by having him ride his
"second chariot" (41: 43), or “mirkevet ha'mish'neh.” “Mish'neh”
is from the root sh.n.h (shin, noon, hey), the primary meaning of which is
"to repeat" or "extra." In 43:12 we read that
Ya'acov gives his sons “extra” or “double” money to take with them to Egypt Israel
Part of Yoseph's advice
to Par'oh was to "exact a fifth of the produce… in the seven years of
abundance" (41:34). "Exacting a fifth"
appears here in verb form, “chimesh.” Number five is “cha'mesh”
(ch.m.sh.- chet, mem, shin) in Hebrew, and the verb which stems from it means
"to arm" or "to be armed," such as when “YHVH led the
people around… and the sons of Israel went up in martial array
[“chamushim”=”armed”] from the land of Egypt" (Ex. 13: 18). In the verse
following this one, that is in Sh’mot (Exodus) 13:19, mention is made of Yoseph’s
request to have his bones brought to the Land. Was it the memory of how Yoseph ‘armed’
Egypt
The figure seven, “sheva,”
as pertaining to the two seven-year blocks of time, with their abundance on the
one hand, and the lack thereof on the other, is repeated time and again in
chapter 41. Abundance, or "plenty"
appear here as “sova” (ref. vs. 29 ,30 ,31) which we have already noted
as meaning "fullness" (as in a full belly), or “satisfaction,” as
well as its closeness to the figure seven – sheva. YHVH's precise order within humanity and over
nature, as He makes provision for “sova” in the two periods of “sheva,” is evident
even in the very words themselves.
When "Ya'acov saw that there was grain
[“shever,” referred to above] in Egypt
Yoseph, on the other
hand, sees and recognizes his brothers, although he acts as a stranger toward
them (ref. 42:7). “Va'yitna'ker” – “he made himself as a stranger”
- since “nochri” is “stranger” and “nechar” is a “foreign land,” with the root
being n.ch.r (noon, kaf/chaf, resh). However, it is also this very root that
forms “nikar,” which means "seen" or "apparent" (the sounds
"k" and "ch" are denoted sometimes by the same letter, in
this case the letter kaf/chaf). And thus, “to know” or “recognize” is “haker.”
The paradoxical meaning imbedded in this root, which is shared both by words
pertaining to recognition, and by those which have to do with estrangement is
made very real in the scene before us. Yoseph’s recognition of his brothers, on
the one hand, and his estrangement from them, on the other, is summed up well by
these two verbs (stemming from the one root) – “va'ya'kirem,” - “vayitna'ker.”
Thus, seeming opposites are actually two sides of the same coin! This act of
estrangement is in fact a tool that Yoseph uses in order to find out more about
his brothers, as he desires to become re-acquainted with them and their present
disposition.
The brothers return
home, yet it is not long before the provisions come to an end. If they are to
go down again to the 'land of plenty,' Ya'acov's sons need to convince their
father to send their youngest brother, in accordance with the demand of the
‘Egyptian ruler.’ Yehuda, therefore, pleads with Ya’acov: "Send the lad
with me… I myself will be surety for
him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and
set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you for ever"
(43:8,9). Yehuda is willing to “guarantee” his brother, or to become an
“era'von.” Last week, in Parashat Va’yeshev, we saw Yehuda as he was
learning something about the principle of redemption from his daughter-in-law.
At the time, Tamar used a "pledge," also an “era'von,” in order to
force her father-in-law into acknowledging his duty (ref. 38:17, 18). A wiser
Yehuda now offers up himself as the pledge or surety, in the process of
qualifying for the position of firstborn-redeemer of the family.
When in Egypt
But just before
closing, let us examine one more term. When Ya'acov acquiesces and commits
Binyamin to the mercy of his brothers, he makes his sons take an offering
"to the man" (43:11), in spite of the famine and their own great want. That which is translated as "best
produce of the land" is “zimrat ha'aretz.” While “ha'aretz”
is "the land" or “the earth,” “zimra”
stems from the verb “zamor”
(z.mr., zayin, mem, resh)," to cut off vine branches,” but in many more
instances it is "song" or "music." According to the
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament 3, "the vast majority of
occurrences of this verb and its derivatives focus upon praising the Lord; The
people of Israel lift their voices and their instruments to praise their God as
long as they live” (Ps. 104:33; 146:2). [Several times this praise is tangibly
directed toward the "name of the Lord” - the "name," as
representing YHVH Himself (Ps. 18:49; 66:4; 135:3)]. What exactly did Ya'acov
have in mind when selecting this particular and uncommon choice of words? Do
these words reveal something that is perhaps beyond what Ya’acov himself was
aware of? Is this alluding to a latter day, when praise will be brought to the
‘man’ (ref. John 19:5), who is the vine (John 15:1, 5), by the ones who are the
proverbial branches? The verb “zamru” (“sing”) is repeated a number of times in
T’hilim (Psalms) 66, and so we read in verse 4: “Kol ha’aretz (the whole
earth)… ye’zamru (“will sing praise”) lach (to you),” echoing the term “zimrat
ha’aretz,” as coined by our father Ya’acov.
Notes
1.The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius
Lexicon, Francis Brown Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody , Mass.
2..Ibid
3. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament,
vol. 1, R. Laird Harris ed. Moody Press, Chicago .
1980.
