Comentario citado sobre Génesis 46:31

We must refer back to where Pharaoh had instructed Joseph in 45,17 - 18 to command his brothers to take their father and "come to me." These instructions could have either one of two meanings. 1) Joseph should speak to the brothers conveying instructions from Pharaoh. 2) Joseph should speak to them as if he were acting on his own authority. This latter interpretation is more likely to be the correct one. We base this on 45,19 where Joseph is told "you have been commanded, etc." If the instructions for the migration of Joseph's family had all originated with Pharaoh why would Joseph have to refer to permission he obtained from Pharaoh? One obtains permission after making a request for it. You will note that Joseph had spoken to the brothers about their migration in 46,31 when he was about to speak to Pharaoh about their arrival. The fact that he described the brothers as having "come to me" as opposed to having come to Pharaoh, seems evidence that they did not come in response to Pharaoh's invitation. In our verse, however, he did not describe the brothers as having "come to me," but simply as "having arrived." This implied that their arrival was at the behest of Pharaoh. He now wanted Pharaoh to make good on his promise. In response Pharaoh said in verse 6: "your father and your brothers have come to you." Pharaoh meant to correct any impression Joseph might have had that what he had said in 45,17 -18 should have been construed as an invitation from himself for the brothers to settle there. All Pharaoh had meant was that Joseph had his permission to extend an invitaion to them in Pharaoh's name to settle in the best part of Egypt.

ויעל לקראת אביו גושנה, he went up to meet his father, to the province of Goshen. Some commentators say that the Goshen mentioned here is the same as that mentioned in the Book of Joshua 10,41, [that Goshen is described as near Givon], and that seeing that the land of Israel is located at higher altitudes than all other countries according to our sages, the Torah describes Joseph as traveling “up,” i.e. uphill. [why would Yaakov’s journey then have been described as a descent, seeing that one look at the map would convince us that as his last stop was Beer Sheva, he too would have had to continue from there uphill. Ed.] We do not consider this explanation of the word ויעל as appropriate at all. The province of Goshen was situated within Egypt proper, though at a higher level than the Nile delta which was practically at sea level for many kilometers starting with the capital. As to the apparently contradictory line in 46,31 where Joseph, leaving his father, speaks about “going up to Pharaoh etc,” has to be understood in terms of his stepping into his chariot, just as getting out of a chariot is described as “descending” from it, so entering it again as described as “ascending” into it. It is also possible that the correct interpretation of these terms עליה and ירידה respectively, is that Joseph said: “I will go to Egypt, (capital) and ascend to the palace of Pharaoh, which was built on a hill, overlooking the surrounding area, and inform him, etc.” It is even possible, though unlikely, that the land of Egypt proper was on a higher plateau than the province of Goshen, which was closest to the Mediterranean sea, in which case the word ויעל in our verse would refer to Joseph ascending his chariot before beginning his journey.

“I will go up and tell the news to Pharaoh” [46:31]. Joseph said to his brothers. I will go to Pharaoh and will tell him that my brothers and father have come. When Pharaoh will ask you, what kind of artisans are you, you should say that you have flocks in the field and your parents were also shepherds. Tell him also that you have many flocks and therefore have no other work.