Shalom, this is about Torah portion of Va Yigash. The penultimate portion in the book of Genesis 44:18-47:27, over here we get almost the climax of the Joseph story. When we last left, Joseph had put a goblet in the backpack of Benjamin. His little brother and then chased after Benjamin and the guys leaving Egypt again and claimed that Benjamin stole the pack. Well now they are really in a mess. They took Benjamin away from Jacob in Israel. They are tearful and fearful that Joseph is going to kill them. They do not know that he is his brother that they tried to kill before or leave in the pit. And so Judah now takes command and begs Joseph and he has three strategies. The first strategy is to beg Joseph that Benjamin was not guilty and that it would kill Jacob. If Benjamin was enslave. Number two, he prepared to battle Joseph and his armies if they refuse to leave, release Benjamin. And third to use his ultimate weapon, prayer that God would change things.
Well Joseph now decides that his brothers are sufficiently repentant over what they did to him and he reveals his own identity. Which of course scares them and now at his mercy of this very powerful man, whom they tried to kill, thought about killing, but he has forgiven them. And he tells them to go back to Egypt and tell Jacob what happened to bring Jacob and everyone down to Egypt. And he would take care of them. They have Jacob and then come down and have a very tearful reunion. And the family continues to work as shepherds in Egypt. And Jacob and Pharaoh will have a conversation about their life. And then as the family continues, they sell the store houses of grain to the Egyptians and by the end of famine. Pharaoh owns all the land of Egypt. Save the land of the priest. And Joseph gets see to his people and directs and they repay fair with 1/5th of the interest.
So we have here the revelation of Joseph to his brothers, the forgiveness to mention of it, his historical aspect of the people coming down to Idro. Which sets up of course the slavery, when the new dynasty takes over later, we are now somewhere around 1700BC, 1600BC, really not sure. As we prepare now for the end of this era and the beginning of the new era of slavery which begins in two more portions, when we begin the book of Exodus. It is portion of Va Yigash. The second to the last portion in the book of Genesis.
