Cyberdov

Inspired by the ADDeRabbi - read the whole thing here.

One of the nagging quetions about the Yosef story is, why did he not contact his father for so many years, once he was able to? While I am not sure I can answer satisfactorily, viewing the story with a new perspective may help understand this.

For two generations, the Abrahamic family passed on the covenant by a father choosing one son (Isaac, Jacob) and rejecting the other (Ishmael, Esau). So, when Jacob chose Joseph, the others may have assumed they were rejected. Jacob, for his part, expected that his role in the covenant was done, he could retire from the covenant business - Bikesh Yaakov Leshev beshalva, kafatz alav rogzo shel yosef! And when Jacob believed that Joseph was dead, they expected him to choose another son - but he did not do so. This also helps to explain another puzzle - how Judah could have married a Canaanite woman, this was the number one taboo in the Abrahamic covenant! However if Judah believed that he had been excluded from the passing on of the covenant.

Joseph, for his part, may have taken his exile as a sign that he was not the chosen son either. This helps to explain why he did not attempt to contact his father.

In any case, they all ultimately either discovered or created the new paradigm. No longer was the covenant to be passed on by choosing one and rejecting the other. Now, one might be chosen to lead - but the others were to be included as well. When the brothers demonstrated their understanding of the importance of taking responsibility for their brother Benjamin, they were ready to continue to carry on the covenantal community in accordance with this new model.

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