Vayigash
Genesis 44:18 - 48:27
Précis: We approach the end of the Joseph saga. Benjamin is being held by Joseph as the alleged thief of a gold cup. Judah comes near (vayigash) Joseph, and begs for his brother’s life, offering himself as a substitute. Joseph is overcome and reveals himself to his brothers, forgiving them for selling him into slavery, stating that it was all part of God’s plan. Joseph sends them back home to bring Jacob and their families down to Egypt in order to survive the upcoming famine. They comply, and Joseph arranges for them to reside in the land of Goshen, living off “the fat of the land” at Pharaoh’s insistence. During the remainder of the famine, Joseph purchases land and cattle for Pharaoh, making serfs of the Egyptian people in exchange for the grain stored during the seven years of plenty. The Israelites prosper and multiply.
Gen. 45:14-15 "Then he [Joseph] threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.”
Erica Brown (Weekly Jewish Wisdom 1/15/15) has written about the human need for touch and affection. She notes that there are three “famous” hugs in our Biblical tradition. The first (Gen. 33:4) involves Jacob and Esau: “Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.” While some rabbis question Esau’s motives, the plain meaning of the text reveals a true emotional embrace.
The second is found in this week’s reading, and is cited above, where we see the reunion of Joseph and his brothers. There can be little doubt of the sincerity of the embrace here.
A third famous hug is that between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, when Ruth rejects Naomi’s demand that Ruth return to her people; Ruth clings to her mother-in-law and insists on going with her, joining her people and worshipping her God (Ruth 1:14-18).
In each case, the hug was more than a physical activity showing acceptance of the other; it is also the Bible’s manner of demonstrating that a fractured relationship had been healed. Each hug is followed by a conversation of reconciliation, but the hug came first. Finally, each hug represents a new stage of a relationship. The past is not forgotten, but the relationship could now grow and flourish.
What are we to make of this? Perhaps that hugs are important signals of our acceptance and love; perhaps we need to hug before we can explain and communicate; and perhaps it is a reminder that humans need the physical as well as the spiritual. So my advice: give somebody a hug today!
