VAYIGASH_GENESIS XLIV:18-XLVII:27

The narration of the crucial events that occurred among the sons of Yaacov is the fundamental theme of the last chapters of the book Bereshit. The birth of a new people is drawn, which will arise from the offspring of the third patriarch. There are several key characters in this narrative. Still, for the moment, the figure of Yosef stands out because he demonstrated how it is possible to confront obstacles that seemed impossible to overcome. 

From the slave condition to which he was initially subjected in Egypt, Yosef climbs to the highest position in Pharaoh’s court. The outstanding characteristics of his character come to light, which the elder Yaacov had recognized since his youth when he bought him the Ketonet Pasim. This robe would distinguish him as the leader of the brothers. However, as we review the early years of Yosef’s life, we find a young man very focused on himself, and very much concerned about his physical appearance. 

It could even be argued that the narrative about his brothers’ negative behavior had the sole purpose of allowing Joseph to stand out above the other family members. How does this self-absorbed young man become a leader, a statesman capable of pointing out the path that the Egyptian nation must follow to overcome the crisis caused by famine? 

Yaacov Haber suggests that Yosef’s personality undergoes an existential metamorphosis in the Egyptian prison. Although he had rejected Potiphar’s wife’s amorous advances, Joseph had probably given some indication for the woman to dare seduce him. Once in prison, he surely went through a period of self-analysis, of introspection into the depths of his soul: why had he produced so much hatred in the hearts of his brothers? Why was he now in prison surrounded by criminals?

According to Haber, Yosef concludes that the reason for his misery is a flaw in his personality. He thinks only about his personal well-being and is unconcerned about others. He is inconsiderate of others and does not reflect on what the brothers’ reactions might be after listening to the content of his dreams. He only cares about his own glory.

Yosef goes through a profound transformation when he finds himself in prison with no hope of escape. For the first time, he listens to others. Cares for the “dreams” of others. Those who dream this time are the cupbearer and the baker of the Pharaoh. Instead of giving free rein to his imagination as before, Yosef becomes the interpreter of the dreams of others, a fact that leads him to interpret the dream of Pharaoh as well when the cupbearer remembers that a young Hebrew had correctly interpreted a dream of his while in prison.

When he deciphers Pharaoh’s dream as a divine warning about seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of scarcity, Yosef demonstrates his concern for the fate of the region’s inhabitants. He suggests to Pharaoh a storage plan for the food surpluses of the “fat cow” years, which can serve the people during the long period of famine. 

When he is finally reunited with Binyamin, his brother of father and mother, he embraces him while they both cry. Why did they cry? According to the Midrash, Binyamin wept for the destruction of the Shilo Temple, which centuries later would be located in the lands of Yosef. Yosef weeps for the double destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, which would be located in Yerushalayim. This city will be included in the portion that Binyamin will receive in the division of the land. 

Tears did not flow for his personal fate but for the brother’s fate. It should not be forgotten that the second Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam, the gratuitous hatred of a person who thinks only of himself and stops caring about the welfare of others. 

The day that Yosef noticed that Pharaoh’s cupbearer had a different appearance revealed great concern, and asked him: what is wrong with you, was a sign that he perceived the anguish of another person. Yosef’s transformation began, a fact that gave rise to a new stage in his life that allowed him to assume the leadership of a nation since Pharaoh left the fate of the Egyptian people in his hands.