Yosef Purchases Lands from the Egyptians

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  1. Yosef's Teshuva

    Rabbi Amnon Bazak

    The second half of the book of Genesis describes the Teshuva process of Yaakov’s sons. The first to repent is Reuven; who had tried to prevent the selling of Yosef; and by this atone for his act with Bilhah. Next; Yehuda atones for his actions in the Tamar incident; and goes so far as to offer himself in exchange for Benjamin. Finally; all of the brothers atone for the sin of selling Yosef by proclaiming “we are guilty.” Yosef also undergoes a process of Teshuva; by purchasing land from the Egyptians; and by concealing his brothers’ sin from his father.

  2. The Priests of Egypt and the Kohanim of Israel

    Prof. Jonathan Grossman

    This article discusses Yosef's policy in preparation for the settlement of his family in Goshen, and the distinction between the priests of Egypt and the kohanim of Israel

  3. Template of the Diaspora

    Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot

     The Torah devotes some fourteen verses in chapter 47 to a description of Yosef's economic stewardship of Egypt during the years of famine: he purchases tracts of land - and eventually also the people — as servants to Pharaoh, he oversees a resettlement project, etc. We could read the Torah (and in particular, the end of Sefer Bereishit) quite well without this section about Yosef; it is not regarded as a dominant element in our traditional collective perception of Sefer Bereishit and the history of Israel. What is the Torah's point in telling us this story in such painstaking detail?

    Through a more thorough examination of the passage in question, against the background of its location and the adjacent sections, may lead us to a different conclusion as to the purpose of the documentation of Yosef's activities in Egypt.

    The famine in Egypt, thanks to Yosef's astute analysis and planning, is actually a source of blessing for Ya'akov's family; in the wake of this period the family indeed turns into a national group: "God planned it for the good, in order to bring it about this day that the lives of many people should be saved."  Yosef's actions are a central factor in this process, and thus his leadership becomes the basis for the physical creation of Am Yisrael.

  4. Sheep that Egyptians Exchanged for Grain

    Rabbi David Silverberg