This is part 3 in a series.

Part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

When Jacob and his family returned to the lands of his father, Isaac and grandfather, Abraham, he had a huge family already. He purchased land from the Canaanites and openly worshiped Hashem.

His first ten sons were known for being strong willed and hard-working, but also tended towards rash action and violence. It served them well (tactically) in retrieving their sister from the forced affections of a Canaanite prince, but created new problems in their wake. They were brave soldiers, as well. They loved and respected their father, but did not always follow his guidance.

Instead, their passions ruled them.

The eleventh son, Joseph; the first-born of Jacob’s wife, Rachel, was very different in personality and aptitude. Favored by his parents for his love of learning in the academy of Shem & Eber, Joseph soon developed into a handsome young man with good character, manners, reasoning, and perception. His elder brothers thus were jealous of him, in varying degrees. Sometimes Joseph helped that jealousy along.

Joseph had begun having strange dreams. Despite his father’s warning to keep them to himself, he, parading in a brightly colored coat his mother made him, prodded his brothers with these dreams. One day he related a dream, which his brothers took to mean that he would lord over them as a master.

Not long thereafter, sent to find his brothers tending their flocks in the hills of Shomron, his increasingly angry brothers decided to be rid of Joseph and his “dreams”. They dug a deep pit, grabbed him, and put him in it.

The eldest brother, Reuben, knew this was terribly wrong, but afraid of his brothers’ wrath, did not stop them. Instead, he planned to return later and retrieve Joseph safe and sound. When he did so, Joseph was gone.

The other brothers had sold him to Ishmaelite traders. The Ishmaelites resold Joseph to Midianite traders heading to Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph was spotted by Potiphar, aide to Pharaoh, as being an unusual value. So Potiphar bought Joseph to be a servant in his household.

Joseph’s looks and breeding were noted by the roving eye of Potiphar’s wife. An opportunity came for her to act on her desires, but Joseph refused her advances and fled, leaving his cloak in the rush.

Potiphar’s wife, spurned by a mere slave and, furious, claimed attempted rape. Potiphar knew both of Joseph’s good character and his wife’s proclivities, but he determined to side with his wife’s “honor” even over a valued servant. Joseph was thrown into prison and awaited death.

While in prison, Joseph had more strange dreams. Increasingly, he, and others, found them to be instructive and prophetic. Joseph also had discovered he had the ability to interpret the dreams of others, in much the same way. Eventually, this reputation came to the notice of Pharaoh, himself. Pharaoh was greatly troubled and, having had no relief from his advisors, sought out Joseph.

Saved from death, retrieved from imprisonment, and now in the court of Pharaoh; Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. In so doing, Joseph predicted a coming drought and famine. He advised that during the times of plenty preceding it that vast quantities of grain be stored away to weather the times of want. In so doing, Pharaoh would preserve his people and his rule. It was a bold plan, and wildly unpopular. Nonetheless, upon the advice of Joseph, and his interpretation of dreams, the plan was executed exactly as advised.

The predicted drought came, and the crops withered to nothing. It lasted years. But, there were years of emergency food available to preserve their nation. And so they did. Pharoah was the salvation of Egypt, and Joseph was his greatest advisor. He titled Joseph, “Zaphenath-Paaneah”. Egypt was not merely saved, but became a food exporter to their starving neighbors, becoming all the more wealthy and powerful.

So far had Joseph come: From his father’s house, to a hole in the ground, to a slave auction, to the house of a nobleman, to prison awaiting death, to a national hero and grand vizier to Pharaoh.

One would think, given his power and wealth, that Joseph would have endeavored to return to the hills of Shomron; to the tents of his father. But, he did not. As a great and powerful man, Joseph had made Egypt his new home. He married an Egyptian girl, the daughter of his former master, Potiphar and had two sons by her, Ephraim and Menashe.

Meanwhile, Jacob mourned the loss of his beautiful son, Joseph. The brothers, had deeply regretted their brutal and rash act but, could not find, much less retrieve Joseph. When asked by Jacob where Joseph was, they concocted a story of their brother being killed by a wild animal. Over time, they must have concluded Joseph was indeed dead, or as good as dead. How could this ever be made right?

Years later, drought came to Canaan. The grasses were dry and sparse. The herds suffered. Jacob’s household, numbering in the many hundreds, faced very dire times. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt, to lease grazing land in the lush borderlands of Goshen, on the Nile Delta, until the rains returned and restored their own lands.

When they came to Egypt to negotiate the lease, the man they had to see was a vizier to Pharaoh. So “Egyptian” was this powerful man that the brothers had no idea that he was their “dead” brother. On the other hand, Joseph knew exactly who they were. Joseph determined to test his brothers and give them a taste of what they had put him through. He set them up as thieves. Held his little brother as a “guarantee”.  Joseph generally put them through the gauntlet, before finally revealing who he really was.

The Israelites came to sojourn in Egypt, initially as guests of Pharaoh, through his vizier, Joseph. The incredible prosperity of the land was seductive. Despite living on the edge of the kingdom, and largely preserving the teachings of their forefathers, the connection with their land made it harder to maintain a closeness to G-d. The pagan culture of Egypt was everywhere. Still… they stayed… in this foreign land of wealth, of prestige, of power.  They assimilated.

They stayed.  And stayed.

Until… one day, “ a new king who did not know of Joseph arose on Egypt.”

Now, they COULD not return to their Promised Land.

They could not leave AT ALL.