![]() ![]() Joseph’s Jewish identity was so well hidden, one senses it may even have been hidden from himself. So complete was Joseph’s transformation, that he would soon stand face-to-face with his own brothers, speaking to them in his adopted Egyptian language, and they would have no idea that it was their own flesh and blood with whom they were speaking. ![]() What would take future Jewish communities generations to do, Joseph accomplishes in just a few short verses. When his first child is born, he names him Menashe, meaning “God has made me forget the hardship and my parental home.” The second he names Ephraim, meaning “God has made me fertile in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:51-52) In other words, there is a correlation between Joseph’s newfound physical and familial prosperity, his ability to adapt to Egyptian society, and his willingness to shed the vestiges and memories of his roots. ![]() The transformation is not merely physical - about externalities – but one of substance as well. He is given Pharaoh’s ring, a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneach, and a local wife, Osnat, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Having interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph is cleaned up, dressed in robes of fine linen, and has a gold chain draped around his neck. Joseph’s transformation from Hebrew prisoner to fully assimilated Egyptian was both quick and spectacularly successful. Joseph never had to ask himself where to place his menorah in the palace of Pharaoh, but if he had, my hunch is that its location would have been as inconspicuous as possible. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |