HJC Parashat Vayigash - Judging Joseph's Actions

ויבא יוסף, in order to demonstrate his integrity. He did not need to do this and could have stored it in the granaries. Pharaoh had never demanded an accounting from Joseph, knowing that he was absolutely trustworthy. Nonetheless, Joseph was concerned not to allow anyone to suspect him of pocketing anything for his own private purposes.

AND JOSEPH GATHERED UP ALL THE MONEY, etc. Scripture relates this and goes on to complete the subject in this entire section in order to make known Joseph’s excellence in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and that he was a faithful man in that he brought all money into Pharaoh’s house and did not accumulate for himself treasures of money and secret hiding places for wealth in the land of Egypt, or send it to the land of Canaan. Instead, he gave all money to the king who trusted him and purchased the land for him, and even the bodies of the Egyptians. Through this endeavor, he found grace even in the eyes of the people, for it is G-d Who causes those who fear Him to prosper.

וילקט יוסף את כל הכסף הנמצא, “Joseph collected all the money which could be found, etc.” When the verse continues with: “Joseph brought the money he had collected to the palace of Pharaoh,” the letter ה is to tell us that he brought all of it to Pharaoh’s palace. All the acquisitions Joseph made from the people he channeled to Pharaoh. He did not pocket any of it for himself. Although he took from the people their most precious possessions he remained popular with them. This was clearly something that G’d had arranged. The plain meaning of all these verses is that the money mentioned (verse 18) is money which Joseph collected over a period of five years and brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. It is not reasonable to suppose that the population of Egypt ran out of money and cattle within a single year or two. The Egyptians had hoarded their money and it had lasted them for five years although under non-famine conditions they would have been less frugal and would have used it up much sooner. The Torah records only that after five years when their money had run out, the people turned to Joseph. Joseph agreed to hand out food in return for their cattle and, when at the end of the sixth year, they had no more cattle left either, he had to warn them to be very frugal in their eating habits.

(23) He replied, “All is well with you; do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, must have put treasure in your bags for you. I got your payment.” And he brought out Simeon to them.

ולמה נמות….כי אפס כסף, "why should we die …for there is no more money?" The people complained that Joseph had proved unwilling to accept any payment other than money in return for grain. They argued that they were not destitute, they could pay him with other chattels; why should they die merely because they could not pay cash? This is why Joseph replied that he was willing to accept their cattle in payment only "if indeed there is no more money." Joseph's reason for all this was to impoverish the Egyptians so that his brothers would not be in an economically inferior position vis-a-vis the Egyptians. Joseph was very clever not to accept any payment other than money as long as there was cash around. As long as the Egyptians still had their livestock they would have to provide fodder for their animals; presumably one effect of the famine was the absence of grazing land. The Egyptians therefore had to feed their livestock with barley. This in turn led to the money supply becoming completely exhausted within a year. As a result of Joseph's strategy the brothers who arrived during the second year of the famine were wealthy compared to the average Egyptian at that time.

BUY US AND OUR LAND. Now they said to him that he should also purchase their bodies as servants for Pharaoh, and thus did Joseph say, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land. However, Scripture records, And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, but it does not say that he bought their bodies, only the land. The reason for it is that the Egyptians told Joseph that he should purchase them as servants to perform the king’s business as he pleases. But Joseph wanted to buy only the land, and he made a condition with them that they work on it forever, thus becoming Pharaoh’s family tenants. Afterwards he said to them, “Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh, not as servants as you told me, but you will belong to him with the land.

Now it is proper that the king, who is now lord of the land, take four parts of the harvest and that you take the remaining fifth, but I will deal kindly with you in that you will take the portion due to the owner of the land, and Pharaoh will take the portion due the tenant. However, you will be sold to him in that you will not be able to leave the fields.” This is the meaning of that which they vowed to him, And the land will not be desolate meaning that it will never be desolate. For this reason they said to Joseph, “We have found favor in the sight of my lord, for you have been lenient with us by permitting us to take four parts of the harvest so that we may use them to live, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants, as we have vowed, in that we will work the ground in accordance with his will.”

ויאחזו בה, “they became totally attached to it.” They acquired land that served as the ancestral heritage.