Pemikiran Yahudi Keluaran 8:22: Akeidat Yitzchak & Guide for the Perplexed

From here on in, Jacob travelled with peace of mind. As befitting the honor of a ruling monarch, he sent the outstanding one of his sons as an ambassador to Joseph in the meantime. (3) As soon as they met, they fell on each other's neck and wept. This was to show that Jacob had indeed recognized Joseph, his royal attire notwithstanding. Having fully savored this remarkable reunion, Jacob indicated that he was now prepared to die. On the other hand, he may simply have repeated what he had told Joseph's brothers on hearing the wonderful news of the impending reunion. (4) If we do not follow Rashi who explains that the Egyptians despised shepherds, but follow the view that to-evah, abomination, is a term for a deity (compare Exodus 8,22, "How can we slaughter an Egyptian deity before their very eyes and not be stoned to death by them?" as well as other examples for the meaning of this word), then guardians of their deities would be considered as following a most respectable vocation indeed. Such people would easily qualify for residence in the best part of the country, land suitable for the sheep to be tended. Joseph wanted the king to make that decision; therefore, he instructed the brothers to answer in such a manner that it would lead to such a decision. He did not wish to use his own authority to settle them in Goshen so as not to be accused of nepotism. (5) The unusual inquiry by Pharaoh after Jacob's age, may have been prompted by Jacob looking extremely aged, something which could have been caused by his having lived in different countries under varying and extreme climatic conditions. He thus appeared much older than his ancestors who had lived to a much older age than that which he had attained thus far. (6+7) The report of the total bankruptcy of the Egyptian population and their offer to sell their bodies, in the middle of the story, was to underline how G-d’s Providence was at work. A whole population could be sold into slavery, lose their land, all that at the mere suggestion of a foreign born ruler. All that, and not a single voice was raised in protest. More likely however, the course of events was different. With the descent of caravans from the surrounding nations, all anxious to buy grain in Egypt, the price of food had risen dramatically. The Egyptians themselves spent all their money during that period buying up food and fodder, driving up prices to astronomical levels, hoping to make a killing from the foreigners. After less than two years, those foreigners had run out of money and stopped sending caravans. The Egyptians who had sold all that they had stashed away at exorbitant prices, now turned to Pharaoh for food. The latter referred them to Joseph. Joseph was now in an unassailable position to treat the prices charged by the population to outsiders as market prices. At those prices, Pharaoh's treasury, through Joseph, soon collected all the Egyptians' money in return for food rations. (8) Thus, in short order, both the Egyptians' hoard and their money had become depleted. Joseph's offer to accept their cattle in payment seemed very generous, since it relieved them of the need to buy fodder also. The cattle now became a liability to the state. When there was no more cattle to be traded, the next step, naturally, was to offer their own labor services to Pharaoh. The end of the year referred to in 47,18 is the end of the third year, it being the first of the remaining five years during which they had to buy food from state granaries administered by Joseph. The Egyptians' statement that they would not hide their cattle from Joseph, was meant as an acknowledgement of Joseph's sympathetic attitude towards them until then. They added that though they could have expected to be fed by him without payment, in view of Joseph's past generosity, they were even prepared to become slaves in order to earn their keep. Joseph had been astute enough to have this suggestion originate with the population, and not to impose such legislation from above, arousing resentment. After that it is likely that G-d allowed Jacob's blessing to take hold and the Nile once more overflowed its banks. (9) The whole episode is reported to remind us that from the moment the Jews became a nation, they were used to see the caste of priests provided for at the national expense, and that the population had to pay twenty percent of their produce to the state, without even owning the land they farmed. In the future, when the Torah would ask Jewish farmers to contribute ten percent of their harvest for the maintenance of the religious elite, there could be no grounds to grumble. As distinct from Egypt, the Priests and Levites of Israel were not even landowners, whereas in Egypt the Priests though landowners were looked after by other farmers who had to toil also for them. The Almighty, in His wisdom, arranged for this historic precedent to prepare the ground for the acceptance of Torah by the Jewish people in the future. In addition, we have the promise of the prophet Maleachi 3,10 that compliance with the regulations about tithing legislated by the Torah will actually enrich them further.

Scripture tells us, according to the Version of Onkelos, that the Egyptians worshipped Aries, and therefore abstained from killing sheep, and held shepherds in contempt. Comp. “Behold we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians,” etc. (Exod. 8:26); “For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians” (Gen. 46:34). Some sects among the Sabeans worshipped demons, and imagined that these assumed the form of goats, and called them therefore “goats” [se‘irim]. This worship was widespread. Comp. “And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto demons, after whom they have gone a whoring” (Lev. 17:7). For this reason those sects abstained from eating goats’ flesh. Most idolaters objected to killing cattle, holding this species of animals in great estimation. Therefore the people of Hodu [Indians] up to this day do not slaughter cattle even in those countries where other animals are slaughtered. In order to eradicate these false principles, the Law commands us to offer sacrifices only of these three kinds: “Ye shall bring your offering of the cattle [viz.], of the herd and of the flock” (Lev. 1:2). Thus the very act which is considered by the heathen as the greatest crime, is the means of approaching God, and obtaining His pardon for our sins. In this manner, evil principles, the diseases of the human soul, are cured by other principles which are diametrically opposite.