And Yosef Was In Mitzrayim

Sometimes, you read a sentence in the Torah and wonder why some events are written in a certain way. But, like anything in the Torah, there's a deep wisdom behind every word. This essay will uncover the thought process behind the actions of our forefather, Yaakov Avinu. 

With your permission, let's begin.

In Parashat Shemot 1:1-5 Torah says: "וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃ - These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: 

רְאוּבֵ֣ן שִׁמְע֔וֹן לֵוִ֖י וִיהוּדָֽה׃ - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבִנְיָמִֽן׃ - Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; דָּ֥ן וְנַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר׃ - Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 

וַֽיְהִ֗י כׇּל־נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף הָיָ֥ה בְמִצְרָֽיִם׃  - The total number of persons that were of Jacob’s issue came to seventy, Joseph was already in Mitzrayim." 

The Holy Book of Zohar gives an interesting commentary on which I want to concentrate. 

It says that Yaakov Avinu made sure that even young children were married so they would not marry Egyptian women. Continues The Book of  Zohar and gives another explanation: Yaakov Avinu wanted to be certain that precisely seventy people would emigrate to Egypt with him, paralleling the seventy angels overseeing the seventy nations. To achieve this, Yaakov Avinu ensured his offspring were married before he went to Egypt since an unmarried person is considered half a man. That’s why the Torah uses the word Nefesh - Soul, a man and woman comprise a complete soul, thus seventy souls.

But let me ask you a question—why? Why was it necessary to do all of that? Why not just emigrate as is?!

I believe this was Yaakov Avinu's train of thought. 

The Jewish nation was on its way to Egypt - galut or exile. What happens to the nation when it is away from its land and under the slavery of another nation? It means that the Jewish nation won't develop in pretty much anything. This would lead to the total opposite for other nations. Other nations will continue bettering their lives, but they will also develop militarily, economically, and in every other sector. By the time the Jewish nation was done with its exile and would be on its way out, other nations would have had tanks, missiles, and other advanced weaponry. And imagine for a second what they would have done to the nation after slavery on its way to its homeland. This could have been the end of it.

So, our Forefather Yaakov Avinu made these seventy couples or Souls parallel the seventy nations and dragged them all into exile - all 70 nations, as if saying, "If my children are not able to develop and grow, then everyone should not be able to do so until they all get their fair shot at it."

And so it was. 

When the State of Israel was established in 1948, everyone got their fair start. Since then, Israel and other countries have made discoveries and grown across many sectors. Today, Israel is leading in areas such as technology, medicine, military, agriculture, and many others. It sustains and defends its population while contributing greatly to the world. 

But there's another sentence that we need to look at: Joseph was already in Mitzrayim. This shows that the seventy couples represented the seventy nations, and Yosef represented the Jewish nation, which has suffered more than anyone since it was already in Egypt going through difficulties before anyone else. 

Our Sages have established a few numbers over the generations, but based on the above, I would like to visit them again.

Since the time of the Brit Ben HaBetarim - Covenant Between The Halves, Avraham Avinu was told that his children would go into exile for 400 years. Thirty years later, Yitzchak was born, so 400 years from Yitzchak's birth until the nation left Egypt, plus 30 years from the covenant until Yitzchak was born, makes it 430 years. 

So, let's run these numbers with another scenario -- which is only my opinion.

It has been 400 years since Yitzchak's birth and until the nation emerged from Egypt. The total time we have been in Egypt is 210, but based on the above that Yosef was in Egypt, the new calculation would be—we have been in Egypt for 232 years, and the old number of early redemption of 190 now becomes 168 years. 

This brings the redemption even closer, in my opinion, since Yosef adds another 22 years of national exile, for a total of 232 years in Egypt. 

This shows, I believe, the level of importance our forefather Yaakov holds in G-d's eyes. G-d follows his decisions and executes world history based on his reasoning.

And this, my friend, is what I call Impressive!!

Shmuel Katanov