Length of exile in Egypt

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1. The Covenant Between the Parts

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   Why did God decree that the descendants of Avraham will be exiled to Egypt? Shmuel believes Avraham's sin was a lack of emunah, while Rabbi Abahu and Rabbi Yohanan said the punishment was given due to another sin. This controversy mirrors their criticism of Avraham in the War of the Kings, and the nature and purpose of the Covenant between the Pieces.

2. "They were fruitful and increased greatly and multiplied and became mighty"

   Rabbi Yaakov Medan

   How long was the exile in Egypt? 420 years, or 210 years? How many generations passed between the descent to Egypt and the redemption? How is it possible that 70 people descended to Egypt, and 600,000 emerged?

3. The Length of the Sojourn in Egypt

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   How many years was Am Yisrael's slavery in Egypt? The Torah's stated period of four hundred and thirty years is difficult to corroborate, for elsewhere the Torah indicates that the period of enslavement could not possibly have extended for so long.  The commentaries strive to reconcile this number with the rest of the chronology that the Torah provides concerning this event. However, if we begin the count with Avraham's initial journey from his birthplace of Ur, we can realize that the story of the descent to Egypt and the enslavement is thus recast as part of a much larger matrix, one that is characterized by the unsettled state of wandering and homelessness. His life of trust, of trial and of eventual triumph is thus reflected in the lives of his descendents, who eventually emerge from the crucible of Egypt as a nation.

4. Yosef – From Exile to Redemption

   Rabbanit Sharon Rimon

   The parasha begins with a description of Yaakov's preparations, knowing that he is about to die. He commands Yosef to bury him in Eretz Kena'an; he declares that Efrayim and Menasheh will have special status as sons deserving of an inheritance; he blesses all of his children, and commands all of them to bury him in Me'arat ha-makhpela. The text then describes his death, the mourning that follows, and the funeral procession.

   Following Yaakov's death there is a conversation between Yosef and his brothers, straightening out the affairs between them. The parasha then ends with Yosef's parting words to his brothers, and then his death.

   If we compare the two descriptions of death – that of Yaakov and that of Yosef – we find a considerable degree of similarity. Admittedly, the description in Yaakov's case is far more detailed, but the same central elements appear in both

   Both Yaakov and Yosef know that there will be a redemption from Egypt, and both command their descendants to bury them in Eretz Kena'an. However, there are two important differences between them:

   a. Yaakov does not tell all of his sons that there will be a redemption; he tells only Yosef. Yosef, on the other hand, tells all of his brothers.

   b. Yaakov's body is brought to Eretz Kena'an for burial, while Yosef's body remains, for the meantime, in a casket in Egypt.

   Why is Yosef's body left, for the meantime, in Egypt? Why does he not command his sons to bury him right away, as his father did, instead commanding them to take up his bones only when they are redeemed from Egypt? And why is it specifically Yosef who tells the brothers about the future redemption, rather than Yaakov?

   Sefer Bereishit does not end with the descent to Egypt and the settling there that represents the beginning of the exile. Rather, it ends with the story of two burials, which express the hope for redemption.

   The burial of Yaakov in the land of Israel, and the oath to bury Yosef in the land in the future, together represent a heavy anchor that draws them back to the land, with the promise that redemption will arrive and take them back.