In
this week’s Torah portion , the drama between Joseph and his brothers reaches
its climax, with Joseph revealing himself to his brothers after Judah begs to
serve Joseph as a slave in order to send Benjamin back to his father. After
Joseph makes himself known to his brothers, he gives theological meaning to the
events that have led up to this moment. He explains his brother’s sale of him
to Egypt saying, in 45:8, “So, it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
The commentator Abravanel asks:
How does Joseph come to say: “So it was not you who sent me
here but God”? Surely they deliberately and knowingly sold him to harm him. The
fact that by a fluke the sale turned out well, did not mitigate their offence.
A person is not judged by the accidental results of his deeds but by his
intent. The accidental results are irrelevant to the moral dimension.
We will read some other commentaries, from Maimonides and
Rashi, and see if we can come to our own understanding here of the play between
free will and God’s Providence.
I look forward to sharing this next parasha in the Joseph
novella with you!
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