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From:          Yeshivat Har Etzion Office <office@etzion.org.il>
To:            yhe-parsha@etzion.org.il
Date:          Thu, 13 Dec 2001 10:01:19 +0200
Subject:       PARSHA62 -10: Parashat Miketz

                   YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
      ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************                            
                            

                     PARASHAT MIKETZ
                            

                            
                  Of Bags and Brothers
                            

                  By Rav Chanoch Waxman

                            I
     

 At  the inn, on the way back from Egypt, one of  the brothers found a surprise in his sack: he still  had  his
money.

 And when one of them opened his sack to give feed to his  donkey at the lodging place, he saw his  money,
for  behold, it was in the mouth of the bag. And  he said  to  his brothers: "My money has been returned!
Behold  it  is  here in my bag!"  And  their  hearts failed them. (42:27-28)

The  brothers are confused and bewildered.  They  do  not understand how the money they paid for food has magically
made  its  way  back to the sack. In the  normal  way  of things,  the sack contains either grain or cash  -  never
both.

 While  the  brothers possess  no  clue  as  to  the mysterious  movement  of  their  money,  we  the  readers
possess  a bit more information. We know quite  well  how the  money  got  back  to  the bag.  Before  sending  the
brothers back to Canaan, Yosef had commanded his men  not only  to  "fill  their sacks with grain" and  "give  them
provisions  for  the journey," but also to  "return  each man's  money  to  his sack" (42:25). In  sum,  Yosef  has
ordered it.

 But this only shifts the confusion to another plane. Unlike  the  brothers,  we  understand  the  spatial  and
temporal placement of the money. We can trace the  causal path  that  leads  to its location. But  we  still  don't
really  understand. We might know the how,  but  not  the why.  We  might know the physics, but we don't  know  the
psychology.  Why  has Yosef ordered  that  the  money  be returned?  In  other words, what is his  motivation,  the
real cause of the money's location?

 Part  of  the challenge of reading Parashat  Miketz stems  from  the need to engage in a task that  sometimes
feels  like a Rorschach test. The Torah presents us  with Yosef,  a character engaged in a clearly deliberate  plan
of  action.  At  the same time, we are  given  almost  no explicit information regarding the inner side of  things,
the  reason for his behavior.  Inevitably, we attempt  to fill in the missing information, projecting into the text
what Yosef must be feeling and thinking.

 This  is not necessarily a bad thing. Part  of  the excitement of reading the narrative portions of the Bible
stems from this invitation to explore the inner world  of the  characters. Yet it is an invitation we  must  accept
with  caution, recognizing that we no longer  operate  in the relatively clear and crisp realm of texts and events.
We have shifted to another realm, a multi-faceted, multi-layered  and  murky  space,  a  world  of  shifting   and
sometimes conflicting impulses. With this in mind, let us turn  to  trying  to work through the layers  of  Yosef's
heart  and mind. Why indeed did he put the money  in  the bag?

                           II

 Let us revisit Yosef's command to his servants and, for  a  moment, adopt the perspective of those who filled
the sacks.

 And  Yosef  gave  orders to fill  their  sacks  with grain,  and to return each man's money to his  sack,
and to give them provisions for the journey; and  so it was performed. (42:25)

Undoubtedly,  the  executors of the task  considered  the return  of  the  money another example of their  master's
largesse. Despite his suspicion that the men from  Canaan are  spies,  their master has provided the men  with  the
food they wished to purchase. Moreover, he has also given them  additional provisions for the journey. Finally,  he
has  contrived to render all of this as a  gift.  He  has charged  them nothing. Their master is truly  a  merciful
man.

 Abarbanel maintains that this external perspective, the understanding of Yosef's men, constitutes the correct
reading  of  Yosef's motivation. He acts out of  concern, kindness and mercy. Although he must move ahead with  his
mysterious  plan and he must imprison Shimon (42:24),  he wishes  to show kindness whenever possible. In a time  of
famine, cash is crucial. Perhaps his brothers don't  have any  more money. Perhaps it may take time to procure more
cash.  Either way, it is Yosef's concern for his family's finances that motivates his return of their money.

 Various  aspects of the text may well support  this interpretation. Right before Yosef's command to fill  the
sacks,  the  Torah reports that Yosef cries (42:24). The crying  comes in response to Yosef's overhearing  of  his
brothers' stricken conscience, their confession of  guilt for  ignoring  their brother's (i.e.  his)  pleading  for
mercy,  and their attribution of their current plight  to the  events  of twenty years past (42:21-23). The  crying
signals  his  renewed  attachment to  his  brothers  (see 41:51). He cares and is pained by what he is about to do.
In  line with this caring theme, and desperate to  soften the  blow  of imprisoning Shimon, Yosef gives  them  back
their money.

 Finally, we may note another important marker in the story.  The  story  of the money (42:18-28)  begins  with
Yosef's  freeing his brothers from three days in  prison. Yosef presents a proposal to his brothers:

 Do  this and you shall live, for I fear God. If  you are  honest men, let one of you brothers be held  in
detention, and the rest of you may go and take  food to  your  starving  households.  And  your  youngest
brother  bring to me. and you will not die.  (42:18-19)

The  Egyptian  viceroy declares that  he  fears  God.  In consequence,  he  proposes  a  test  and  compromise.  He
suggests a way to provide life and avoid death.

 The  fear of God is a familiar concept in Avraham's family. Upon being confronted by Avimelekh and asked  why
he  claimed that Sarah was his sister, Avraham responded, "I  thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place
and  they  will  kill me for my wife" (20:11).  In  turn, Avimelekh, wishing to prove Avraham wrong, invites him to
stay  in  his land and gives him lavish gifts (20:15-16). In  the tradition of Avraham, a lack of fear of God means
a lack of hospitality, abuse of a powerless guest and the possibility  of  death. Fear of God means  the  opposite:
acts of kindness, the granting of gifts and life.

 When the "Egyptian viceroy" tells the brothers that he  fears  God, he presents a front. He must  explain  to
them  why  he  has freed them from prison  and  what  has become  of  his  accusations. At the same  time,  perhaps
something  else is going on. Behind the mask, the  vizier identifies  with the tradition of Avraham, and  with  his
brothers  standing in front of him, weak,  powerless  and facing the specter of death. He must help them. The least
he can do is give them back their money.

                           III

 Shifting over to the brothe interpretation  of  the return of their money puts a radically different spin  on
Yosef's actions. After reporting the brothers' shock, the Torah  tell  us, "They trembled and said one to  another:
What  is this that God has done to us?" (42:28). They  do not view the finding of some spare cash in the bag of one
of  the  brothers  as a good turn of luck.  Consequently, when they return home and report to Ya'akov, they in fact
omit  any mention of the find (42:29-34). But they cannot keep  things  secret  for long. Immediately  after  their
report, they unpack their bags.

And  it  was as they emptied their sacks and behold, every  man's  bundle of money was in his  sack,  and
when  both they and their father saw the bundles  of money, they were afraid. (42:35)

Once  again,  the brothers tremble with  fear.  For  some reason  or  another the money spooks them.  Its  presence
portends something bad. But what are they afraid  of?  Is it  just  a  general  anxiety,  a  natural  fear  of  the
unexpected? 

 In  fact,  the  brothers are possessed  by  a  very particular fear. Later on, upon returning to Egypt,  they
are  whisked  to  the  house of Yosef.  They  immediately conclude  that it is "because of the money that  we  have
been  brought here" (43:18). It is all a plot to find  "a pretext  against us, fall upon us and take us for slaves"
(43:18).  From  the  brothers' perspective,  the  viceroy engages  in  a  vicious game. First he  accused  them  of
spying and imprisoned them unjustly for three days (42:9- 17).  Unable  to justify his accusations, he has  feigned
"fear  of  God" and set them free, offering  a  seemingly reasonable  compromise. But all of this is  just  on  the
surface.  In  fact,  he has guaranteed  their  return  by keeping one brother imprisoned and simultaneously planted
evidence  of theft. He intends to accuse them of  robbery upon their return and turn all of them into slaves.

 While this may seem slightly paranoid, the brothers have   good   reason  to  be  concerned  about   slavery.
Throughout  their  ordeal,  they  continuously  attribute their  difficulties not to the evil of the Egyptian,  but
rather to God and their actions of twenty years past.  As pointed  out  previously, upon finding the money  in  the
sack,  the brothers promptly ask, "What is this that  God has  done to us?" (42:28). They are concerned with divine
motivation, rather than human machinations.

 As  mentioned above, upon being offered the deal  by Yosef  that  subtly  involves leaving  a  brother  behind
(42:19), the brothers quickly hark back in time.

 And  they said one man to his brother: "Alas, we are guilty  concerning  our brother,  that  we  saw  the
anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us  and  we did not heed him, therefore this distress has  come
upon us." (42:21)

While  the brothers prefer to talk about Yosef's pleading for  mercy  and  their cruelty, Reuven, who  had  opposed
acting  against  Yosef, refers to a far  darker  act.  In responding to his brothers, Reuven claims, "Now his blood
his  sought"  (42:22). In his eyes, they are  responsible for Yosef's death and guilty of "murder."

 Of  course, the brothers, and we the readers,  well know  they have perpetrated the crimes of kidnapping  and
enslaving  (37:23-28). In fact, some chance  exists  that they  even  know that the caravan of merchants  to  which
they sold Yosef was headed for Egypt. No wonder they  are concerned about being unjustly kidnapped and turned  into
Egyptian   slaves.   They  are  concerned   with   divine retribution    for    their   sin,    measure-for-measure
punishment.

 Perhaps this second perspective, the brothers' read of  the  situation, constitutes the key to  understanding
Yosef's motivation throughout the story. Back in the old days,  Yosef reported on his brothers to his  father.  He
revealed  things the brothers would rather have concealed and they hated him for it (37:2, 8, Rashi 37:8). No doubt
Yosef considered his spying justified and proper. But now the shoe is on the other foot. The brothers stand accused
of spying (42:9-14).

 Back  in the old days, the brothers imprisoned Yosef in  a  pit  (37:24) and eventually caused  him  to  spend
somewhere  between two and thirteen years in an  Egyptian jail  (37:2, 41:1, 46, see 39:1-20). Now, here in  Egypt,
they  are  given a taste of prison. They all spend  three days  in  jail,  while  Shimon, as group  representative,
receives  a longer sentence (42:17, 19, 24). Finally,  by putting  the  money back in the sacks, Yosef  forces  the
brothers  to contemplate the fate they imposed upon  him. It   is   now  they  who  face  the  prospect  of  unjust
enslavement.  

 Assuming  that Yosef, in putting the money  in  the bags,  acts out of the desire to force upon his  brothers
this  matrix  of suffering, fear and contemplation,  only gets us part of the way. We still must interpret. Is this
just  vengeance? Maybe. Or perhaps this is a strange kind of  reverse empathy, in which he wishes to make them feel
what he has felt, the crushing despair, anguish and anger of the unjustly accused and imprisoned. They now feel his
pain. Or maybe, Yosef feels it is his job to punish them, to  help them achieve atonement by structuring some  kind
of   measure-for-measure   punishment.   In   a   bizarre psychological  and theological twist,  he  provides  them
with  some suffering, in order to propitiate divine anger and thereby "help them" (Abarbanel).

                           IV

 The  various  intuitions and insights into  Yosef's inner  world can be thought of as separate and  distinct.
Alternatively,  we can view these various motivations  as co-existing within the inner space of Yosef's  heart  and
mind. None seems sufficient without at least some part of another.  Either  way, even all this is  insufficient  to
fully explain Yosef's placement of money in his brothers' bags.

 Yosef returns his brothers their money not once, but twice  in  Parashat Miketz. Near the end of the  parasha,
Yosef orders his head servant to place Yosef's silver cup in   Binyamin's  sack  (44:2).  He  intends  to   ensnare
Binyamin.  In addition, he once again orders the  placing of  the  money paid for grain into the sacks of  Binyamin
and  his brothers. We should expect the motivation of the two cases to be similar, if not identical.  

 In  this  light, the second planting of money seems almost  inexplicable. The planting of the  cup  alone  is
already  sufficient cause for the enslavement of Binyamin and   sufficient  reason  for  the  brothers   to   offer
themselves  as slaves (44:9-10). Moreover, the  money  in the  bags plays no role in the actual accusations against
Binyamin  and  the  brothers' offer of group  enslavement (44:12-17).  

 Moving  away  from a measure-for-measure  theory  of motivation  and  back to a pure kindness  theory  doesn't
help  explain this action. Even if Yosef wishes  to  make sure that the brothers are still financially solvent upon
returning  to  Canaan, why place  money  in  the  bag  of Binyamin  (44:2)? He seems to intend keeping Binyamin  in
Egypt. Once again, what is Yosef thinking?      

 Perhaps the answer to the riddle of the money,  both the  second  time around and even the first time  around,
lies  in a third perspective present in the parasha.  Let us  take  a  look  not  at  the  perspective  of  Yosef's
servants,  nor  at the perspective of the  brothers,  but rather at the point of view of Ya'akov.  

 As  mentioned  previously, upon  returning  back  to Canaan after their first trip, the brothers deliver their
report.  They  tell  the tale of spying  accusations  and report  the deal offered by "the man," requiring them  to
bring  Binyamin  in order to prove their honesty  (42:30-34).  Then they empty their bags, apparently in Ya'akov's
sight,  revealing  the  money  lying  beneath.  Like  the brothers,  Ya'akov is afraid (42:35).  While  the  guilt-
stricken    brothers   fear   divine   retribution    and enslavement,    Ya'akov   fears   something    altogether
different.  Upon seeing the money, Ya'akov critiques  his sons and expresses his fear.

You  have bereaved me many times: Yosef is no  more and Shimon is no more and now you will take Binyamin
away; all these things have come upon me. (42:36)

 Ya'akov fears losing Binyamin, the only remnant  of his  beloved  Rachel  and favorite Yosef.  A  few  verses
later, Ya'akov reformulates this in even sharper fashion. After  Reuven's  offer of his sons as  hostages  for  the
safety of Binyamin, Ya'akov emphatically states, "My  son will  not  go  down you, for his brother is dead  and  he
alone  is  left" (42:38). Ya'akov talks as if he  has  no other sons. Binyamin is "my son," the only one left,  and
apparently  the  only real son, defined as  such  by  the death of Yosef.

 Binyamin  now  plays the role previously  played  by Yosef.  Just as Yosef had always remained by his father's
side  (37:12-13),  now Binyamin is his father's  constant companion. While the other brothers went to Egypt to  buy
food,  Binyamin,  termed by the  Torah  "the  brother  of Yosef," stayed home with his father (42:4). But what does
this  have  to do with the money? Why does Ya'akov  voice his  refusal,  his  fear and his  focus  on  Binyamin  in
response to the cash?  

 At  first  glance,  the answer  seems  simple.  The presence of the money in the sacks is strange; it strikes
the  finders  as portending something bad.  In  response, Ya'akov  gives  voice to a fear that has accompanied  him
ever  since  Yosef's  disappearance and  presumed  death. Perhaps  something  will happen to Binyamin,  perhaps  an
"accident will befall him on the way" (42:38). 

 Alternatively, on some level Ya'akov's fear revolves around  something more specific than an ill-defined  fear
of   disaster.  He  in  fact  makes  no  mention  of  the possibility  of  accident when  first  refusing  to  send
Binyamin.   Instead,  he  refers  to  "taking"   Binyamin (42:36). Commenting on this verse, Rashi (42:36) states:

 ...this teaches that he suspected that perhaps  they would kill him or sell him as they did to Yosef.

According  to Rashi, Ya'akov not only suspects  that the brothers had killed or sold Yosef, but also that they now
plot to do the same to Binyamin.

 While  this may seem a bit extreme, the context  of the  brothers' report does support part of Rashi's claim.
The  brothers have returned from their mission  partially successful. They have returned with sacks of  grain.  The
downside  is that in order to dispel the spying  charges, the Egyptian viceroy has demanded to see Binyamin. On the
logical plane, he has given goods (the grain) and demands "seeing"  Binyamin  as  payment. This  is  precisely  the
meaning  of the money still being in the bag.  The  grain has   not   been  purchased  by  legal  tender.  Binyamin
constitutes the real price that must be paid.

 Seeing the money strikes Ya'akov like a hammer blow. He  is confronted with a trade, not just Binyamin for the
release  of Shimon, but Binyamin for the grain,  Binyamin for  survival  itself.  It is this  implicit  placing  of
Binyamin  on  the  trading block that triggers  Ya'akov's fears.

 This theme, drawn from Ya'akov's perspective,  from his  conscious or subconscious fears, appears  implicitly
again  a bit later on. When the brothers leave for Egypt, Ya'akov orders them to "take in their hands," along  with
an  offering, two distinct objects: the money  and  their brother. And so they do.

And  they  took  double money in  their  hand,  and Binyamin; and they rose up, and went down  to  Egypt
and stood before Yosef. (43:15)

But  which is the real price they must pay, the money  or their brother?

 Finally, the issue of the sale of Binyamin surfaces one  last time at the very end of the parasha. While  the
brothers  are perfectly willing to endure group  slavery, Yosef has something else in mind. He wants only Binyamin.
The  rest  of  the brothers can go home, with  all  their grain,   with  Shimon  and  with  all  their  money.   He
implicitly  offers them the chance to sell Binyamin,  the other  child  of Rachel, into Egyptian slavery,  just  as
they  once had sold him into Egyptian slavery. He  offers them a test, a chance either to repeat or to repent.

 If so, we have arrived at an additional explanation for  Yosef's placing of the money in his brothers'  bags.
By  conjoining the giving of the money and the grain with the demand for Binyamin, Yosef recreates for his brothers
a  piece of their joint personal history. While this  re-creation theme is more blatantly present the second  time
around,  it  is  already present the first  time  around. Piece by piece, Yosef recreates the past, subtly building
to  a fateful moment. He tests his brothers, probes them, arouses  their  conscience, seeks  their  repentance  and
works for reconciliation.

 In sum, we can add a third motif to the inner world of  Yosef and the package of motivations for placing  the
money  in the bag. Yosef is animated not just by  sincere caring and kindness, not just by the creation of measure-
for-measure suffering for his brothers, and not  just  by any  possible mix of the two. In addition, he is animated
by a genuine desire for reconciliation with his brothers. Consequently, he creates for them an echo of twenty years
past, an opportunity to know their hearts, a test through which  to  elicit  their repentance and truly  reconcile.
These are the causes of the money being in the bag.

                            V

 Before closing, I would like to make a final  point about motivation. Most discussions of Yosef's motivations
in  Parashat Miketz concentrate on different issues  than those  discussed  above. For example,  in  exploring  the
issue of Yosef's motivation, Ramban points to the dreams. Building  upon  Yosef's remembering of  his  dreams  upon
seeing  his  brothers (42:9), Ramban  argues  that  Yosef works  throughout the story to have all eleven  brothers,
rather  than just ten, bow down to him. This  is  why  he must  arrange to bring Binyamin to Egypt. By implication,
the  next step would have been to realize the next dream, the  dream  of  the  sun,  moon and  stars,  symbolic  of
brothers and parents (37:9-10). On this account,  Yosef's motivation  might  be thought of as metaphysical:  he  is
chained  to his dreams and his interpretation  of  future history.

 In  recent years a competing theory has  surged  in popularity.  On this account, Yosef views himself  as  an
expelled  brother,  akin  to Yishmael  or  Esav.  Yosef's immediate recollection of the dreams in response  to  his
brothers'   bowing   down   to  him   indicates   Yosef's recognition  that the dreams have come as  true  as  they
ever  will. He had misinterpreted the dreams as  a  brash youth.  He  was never destined to be King of Israel.  He,
and  by implication the sons of Rachel, were destined for Egypt, for a destiny of an altogether different kind than
the   blessings  of  Avraham.  Consequently,   he   works throughout  the story to bring Binyamin to  him.  He  too
must  be  sent  away.  Once again, Yosef  is  chained  to metaphysics, his interpretation of future history and his
vision of destiny.

 On either account, the story of Yosef's actions  in Parashiot Miketz and Vayigash constitutes a tale  of  the
tension between Yosef's commitment to history and destiny on  the  one  hand, and his humanity, his mercy  for  his
brothers, and his desire for reconciliation on the other. In this line of thought, Yosef's eventual self-revelation
to his brothers constitutes almost a failure on his part, a point in time where he can no longer stick to his plan,
where his humanity overwhelms his vision of destiny.

 The   reading  of  Parashat  Miketz  offered   above comprises  a  radical  alternative  account  of   Yosef's
attitude  to  dreams, history, metaphysics  and  destiny. Quite  possibly, they never concern him. Remembering  the
dreams  is  not Yosef's first reaction upon  finding  his brothers  before him. Rather, we are told not  once,  but
twice that Yosef "recognized his brothers" (42:7-8). They are his brothers, with all that the fact implies. Then he
remembers  the  dreams, literally, "the  dreams  that  he dreamed  to them" (42:9). He remembers his commitment  to
his  destiny, his own arrogance, his insensitivity to his brothers'  feelings and all the tortured  path  of  their
twisted relationship. It is this new "interpretation"  of dreams and dreaming, that sometimes commitment to destiny
as  opposed  to humanity can be an error, that  leads  to Yosef's actions in Parashat Miketz. Throughout the story,
in  a  reversal  of  the Yosef of Parashat  Vayeshev,  he operates  on  the  human and moral planes  alone.  He  is
concerned  for  his brothers and for their  relationship, not for his dreams, nor his destiny.

YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433

Copyright (c) 2001 Yeshivat Har Etzion. 
All rights reserved.

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