Characters in the Torah: The Joseph Story

The story of Joseph and his brothers is arguably the first “short story” in Western literature. It is a good yarn, full of plot twists and reversals. At one point for example, the protagonist changes from prisoner in a dungeon to the second most powerful person in the land in an instant. It is complex and tightly woven. It is a gem.

The narrative is believable, with psychologically convincing characters. Transport yourself back to a polygamous time and imagine two wives, one beloved and one not so much. Imagine that the favored wife finally gives birth to a son after many years. The child is bright and attractive, and his father favors him over his ten older brothers. But he is also impossibly annoying – a tattle tale and a dreamer, apparently selected by both his father and destiny. It is not hard to imagine the annoyance of his brothers turning into a murderous hatred. And that is just the prologue.

The story is intricate, and deals with ultimate questions in complex and sophisticated ways. A good example is the interaction between fate and human action. Nearly two thousand years ago, the sage Rabbi Akiva took a stance on the question of predestination versus free will: “All is foreseen, and choice is granted.” He was stating a fundamental paradox, logically irreconcilable. I have long imagined that he was giving voice to the perspective of the Torah on this question. One of the times we reach for stories is when we need to illustrate a point that cannot be reduced to simple general rules. “The Joseph Story” is often read simplistically. Man plans, but the outcome will be that envisioned by God. We forget that this view is not stated in the narrative, but rather is spoken by Joseph to his brothers (Gen 44:5) in order to comfort and reassure them that he means them no harm: “And now don’t be upset that you sent me here….” In the telling, the story is much more complicated. It takes a convoluted series of events to place Joseph in the position of authority over his brothers that had been foreshadowed in his dreams. More significantly, it will take a decisive, courageous, and surprising act by one of the brothers, Judah, to bring about the reconciliation of brothers that will ultimately lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy to their great grandfather Abraham: “Know surely that your seed will be strangers in a land not theirs…” Is it all fated to happen? Or is this a human drama, influenced by outside events, but also by tangled emotions, and by actions both base and transcendent? R. Akiva would answer, “Yes.”