Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/326

Rh The Book of Genesis

308

many little tasks which had fallen to his lot as a slave. Those had been his trial and preparation for this great work, and he had completely proved his fitness and worth. Not only had he risen to high position, but he had also married the daughter of one of Egypt's greatest lords, and two sons had been born to them, Ephraim and Manasseh. Yet despite all this honor and success and family blessAlways there was in ing, Joseph was not perfectly happy. His his heart the longing for his dear ones at home. thoughts constantly reverted to his aged father, and he wondered whether the old man were still alive, and how he had the

withstood the shock of the loss of his

brothers, too,

passion.

he thought

now

his

He realized that they had He understood the meanness

Of

beloved son.

lovingly and with

com-

not been altogether to

of his former conduct, and how greatly he must have irritated them, to make them do what they had done. And his heart was filled with longHe was especially eager to see ing to see them once more. his youngest brother, Benjamin, the child of his own dead mother, who had been but a mere prattling babe when he had been sold into slavery, and whom, it seemed to him, he

blame.

now

loved

like

one of his

w^ould extend His

more

in

favor,

peace and love



the one thing necessary to

The

rabbis

tell

that this

He knew

own

darling sons.

If

only

God

and bring them all together once that was his one prayer and hope,

make

his happiness complete.

was not

a vain hope on the part

had extended even to Canaan, and that sooner or later, his brothers must come down to Egypt to buy grain, just as other peoples were of Joseph.

doing.

that the famine

So Joseph stationed guards on

all

the roads leading

to Egypt, with instructions to report to him the names of

At last, one day in the second year of famine, the word came his brothers had come down

all

travelers.



the to

Immediately the longing for peace and family reunion seized upon him with redoubled force. But with it Egypt. \n