Vayigash (Genesis 44:18−47:27)
This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayigash – וַיִּגַּשׁ (Genesis 44:18−47:27)
“Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come forward to me.’ And when they came forward, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt.’”
For twenty years Joseph is in Egypt, Pharaoh (the good and kind one) changed his name, he dressed like an Egyptian, he worshiped the Egyptian Gods, and he blessed God for making him forget his father and his family.
And yet in one moment of seeing his brothers coming near him, he is Joseph again.
Such a powerful statement about our own identity. We try to change; we try to adopt new ways of life and beliefs. But at the end, can we really change who we are? Can we really escape our family roots?