Parsha_Push Parshat Vayechi

One of the questions that accompanies readers of literature in general and Bible students in particular is how much of the information available to readers is also available to the literary characters themselves. This question echoes in various Biblical stories and affects the understanding of the narratives (for example, did Uriah the Hittite know what happened between David and Bathsheba?), and it is especially relevant in the Book of Genesis. Torah students know, as does Rebecca, that “two nations are in her womb,” but did Isaac know this as well? Along with Abraham, readers know that “your offspring will be strangers in a land not their own,” but did Joseph and his brothers know this? What about Isaac and Jacob? At what point in the story did the characters discover what we were cognizant of throughout (not to mention things that become clear to us in hindsight)?

Towards the end of Genesis, Joseph’s brothers approach him in Jacob’s name to ask for forgiveness. Commentators disagree on whether Jacob knew about the sale of Joseph and whether he indeed commanded that Joseph forgive his brothers. It is possible that these two questions are not necessarily connected. Perhaps Jacob wanted Joseph to forgive his brothers, even without knowing exactly what they did to him. And so it is phrased: “Thus shall you say to Joseph: Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they dealt you evil (רעה גמלוך).” The phrasing itself doesn’t include exactly what evil the brothers did to Joseph, and it’s possible that even if Jacob knew something happened, and that the brothers were guilty, until the end he didn’t know exactly what they had done.

The phrasing is ambiguous regarding the brothers’ actions but it also contains ambiguity regarding their responsibility. If we assume that Jacob indeed commanded Joseph to forgive the brothers (and perhaps he specifically commanded the brothers to tell Joseph what they had done to give them an opportunity to seek forgiveness and take responsibility for their actions), the choice of words might be intentional. Usually in the Bible, the verb “לגמול” is “to repay”. One can repay good or repay evil, but it’s usually in relation to an action that another person did previously. It’s possible that the phrasing “for they dealt you (repaid you) evil” hints that Joseph also had a part in the events. However, this doesn’t justify the brothers’ evil action, and accordingly they don’t state these exact words, but simply request: “And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of your father’s God.”

The story that concludes the Book of Genesis teaches us that each side needs to recognize their own responsibility in the events. When others do evil to us, we need to consider that it may also be a repayment for our own actions. Nevertheless, there is a choice. Do we continue repaying evil with more evil, or do we take responsibility and improve our own behavior while simultaneously accepting others’ corrected behavior? Working in order to turn things for the better lies in each person’s hands.