Jacob in Egypt

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Jacob's Prophetic Journey to Egypt

LITURGY

Jacob's descent into Egypt was not a mere coincidence but a fulfillment of a divine prophecy. The Pesach Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, recounts the story of Jacob's journey to Egypt, emphasizing the fulfillment of God's prophecy to Abraham.

“AND HE WENT DOWN TO EGYPT” –
Compelled by what had been spoken.
“AND RESIDED THERE” –
From this, learn that our father Jacob went down
not to be absorbed into Egypt,
but only to reside there for a time.
As it is said:
“They said to Pharaoh,
‘We have come to reside in this land,
for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks,
for the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan;
and now, if you please,
let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.’”

Pesach Haggadah, Magid, First Fruits Declaration 3

Jacob's Blessing in Egypt

TARGUM

Jacob's blessing of Pharaoh is understood here to invoke divine favor to end the famine and replenish the Nile. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Torah, provides additional context and elaboration on the biblical text.

And Joseph brought Jakob his father, and presented him before Pharoh. And Jakob blessed Pharoh, and said, May it please the Almighty that the waters of Nilos may be replenished, and may the famine pass away from the world in thy days!

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 47:7

The Revival of Jacob

COMMENTARY

Jacob's emotional and physical revival upon learning that Joseph is alive is a powerful moment of family reunion and divine providence. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's modern translation and commentary on the Torah portion 'Vayigash' provides a clear and engaging exploration of this pivotal moment.

Due to Jacob’s reaction, they spoke to him in detail all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph sent to convey him. The presence of the Egyptian wagons, which generally were used for military functions and were not easily transported out of Egypt, corroborated their story. And the spirit of Jacob their father was revived from his faintness, as he gradually became convinced that the report was indeed true. The knowledge that Joseph was alive shocked him, but also revived him.

Steinsaltz on Genesis 45:27

The Primacy of Ephraim

COMMENTARY

Jacob's blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh had significant implications for the tribal lands in Israel. This modern analysis explores the historical significance of Jacob's blessing, focusing here on the unique status of Ephraim and Manasseh.

The primacy of Ephraim, second son of Joseph, was first noticeable when Jacob called upon his two grandsons to bless them. Though Ephraim was the younger, Jacob placed him first. “Now, your two sons that were born to you in the land of Egypt – they are mine! Ephraim and Manasseh will belong to me like Reuben and Simeon” (Genesis 48:5).

Tribal Lands, Chapter 14; Ephraim 5

Judah's Preparation for Jacob's Arrival

MIDRASH

Judah's proactive role in preparing for Jacob's arrival in Egypt underscores the importance of spiritual and communal preparation. This Midrashic text from Bereshit Rabbah, a talmudic-era midrashic work on the book of Genesis, highlights Judah's efforts to establish places for Torah study and communal learning before Jacob's arrival.

Another matter, “he sent Judah before him.” Rabbi Ḥanina son of Rabbi Aḥa, and Rabbi Ḥanina, one said: To arrange a residence for him. And one said: To arrange an academy in which he would teach Torah matters and in which the tribes would study. Know that it is so; when Joseph departed from him, he knew at which chapter that he was teaching him he left him. When Joseph’s brothers came to him and said to him: “Joseph is still alive… his heart was faint [because he did not believe them]” (Genesis 45:26)…

Bereshit Rabbah 95:3

Jacob's Final Wish

MIDRASH

Jacob was deeply concerned about the sanctity of his burial place and the potential misuse of his grave by the Egyptians. Louis Ginzberg’s early 20th-century work, Legends of the Jews, weaves together various midrashic sources to narrate Jacob's insistence on being buried in the Land of Israel.

Jacob desired not to be buried in Egypt for several reasons. He knew that the soil of Egypt would once swarm with vermin, and it revolted him to think of his corpse exposed to such uncleanness. He feared, moreover, that his descendants might say, "Were Egypt not a holy land, our father Jacob had never permitted himself to be buried there," and they might encourage themselves with this argument to make choice of Egypt as a permanent dwelling-place. Also, if his grave were there, the Egyptians might resort to it when the ten plagues came upon them, and if he were induced to pray for them to God…

Legends of the Jews 2:1:359

The Flourishing of Jacob's Descendants

COMMENTARY

Jacob's descendants flourished and grew in Egypt, filling the world with their bounty. Rashi, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Torah, offers a profound commentary on Isaiah 27:6:1, reflecting on the historical and spiritual development of the Jewish people in Egypt.

Those who came, whom Jacob caused to take root Do you not know what I did at first? Those who came to Egypt which Jacob caused to take root, flourished and blossomed there until they filled the face of the world with fruitage.

Rashi on Isaiah 27:6:1

Jacob's Family in Egypt

COMMENTARY

Jacob's journey to Egypt was not just a personal migration but a significant family transition. Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar’s 18th-century commentary, Or HaChaim, emphasizes the importance of Jacob bringing his entire family to Egypt, highlighting the collective destiny of the Jewish people.

בניו ובני בניו אתו, his sons and grandchildren with him, etc. Since we have been told in the previous verse that Jacob arrived in Egypt with all his descendants, why did the Torah have to tell us that he took his children and grandchildren with him? Why did the Torah interrupt the report by the word אתו at the end of verse six and again mentioned אתו between listing male and female offspring respectively in verse seven? The report could have been considerably condensed without omitting any of the details…

Or HaChaim on Genesis 46:7:1-3

Spiritual Priorities in a New Land

MUSAR

When Jacob settled in Egypt, he prioritized establishing a Torah academy, emphasizing the importance of spiritual needs even in a new environment. Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz, in his 17th-century work Shenei Luchot HaBerit, underscores the necessity of prioritizing spiritual and educational needs when settling in a new place.

ואת יהודה שלח לפניו . Jacob's purpose was to establish a Torah academy in advance of the family's arrival in Goshen. Spiritual needs have to be attended to first. When building a home, one must first plan the study in which one learns Torah and says one's prayers. This room should also serve as a place for quiet contemplation and as a meeting place for scholars. Only after having attended to this does one plan the remainder of the house.

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Vayeshev, Miketz, Vayigash, Derekh Chayim, Vayigash 3

Divine Protection in Egypt

KABBALAH

Jacob's descent into Egypt was marked by divine protection and the accompaniment of God's angels. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, explores the deeper, mystical meanings behind this event.

Moreover, it stands to reason that, as the Holy One promised Jacob that He would go down with him into Egypt, He would take His ministering angels with Him, for where the Master is there must His servants also be, and especially when we consider that even when Jacob was saved from Laban, “the angels of God met him” (Gen. 32, 2).

Zohar, Shemot 8:52

The Honor of Joseph in Jacob's Burial

TALMUD

The burial of Jacob in Egypt highlights the honor and precedence given to Joseph, distinguishing him from his brothers and the Egyptians. The Talmudic tractate Sotah analyzes the verses in Genesis to explore the order of precedence during Jacob's burial procession.

§ The mishna teaches: Joseph merited to bury his father, resulting in a display of great honor to his father. The Gemara begins its discussion of the burial of Jacob by asking: What is different initially that it is written: “And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt” (Genesis 50:7), and afterward it says in the following verse: “And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house…

Sotah 13a:2

Joseph's Generosity in Egypt

COMMENTARY

Joseph ensured that his family was treated as citizens with possessions in Egypt, not as strangers. Ramban, a 13th-century Jewish scholar, provides a detailed commentary on Joseph's actions in Egypt, reflecting the historical context of the Israelites' early presence there.

AND JOSEPH SETTLED HIS FATHER AND HIS BRETHREN AND GAVE THEM A POSSESSION, etc. The meaning thereof is that he settled them in the choicest land and with the possession which he gave them since he did not want them to be as strangers in the land. Thus he bought them houses and gave them an inheritance of fields and vineyards. This he did with the permission of Pharaoh because they had said, “To sojourn in the land are we come, not to live, and when the famine will pass we will return to our land…

Ramban on Genesis 47:11:1

The Emotional Reunion of Joseph and Jacob

SECOND TEMPLE

The emotional reunion between Joseph and Jacob highlights the deep personal and familial bonds within the biblical narrative. The Book of Jubilees, an apocryphal retelling of the events of the books of Genesis and Exodus, provides additional details to the biblical story, including the poignant moment when Joseph weeps upon reuniting with his father Jacob in Egypt.

And Joseph went to meet his father Jacob, to the land of Goshen, and he fell on his father's neck and wept.

Book of Jubilees 45:2

Prosperity in Goshen

TANAKH

The Israelites' settlement in Egypt, particularly in Goshen, marked a period of significant growth and prosperity for the nascent nation. The book of Genesis recounts how Jacob and his family settled in Goshen, acquired property, and experienced a remarkable increase in population.

Thus Israel settled in the country of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly.

Genesis 47:27

Jacob blesses Pharaoh, Illustration by Owen Jones from "The History of Joseph and His Brethren", 1869

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