Joseph in Egypt: How Separation Preserved Jewish Survival in Exile

This week we begin reading about the long exile of the Children of Israel in Egypt. A single Jewish family of only seventy souls gradually became a vast and powerful nation, multiplying in a way that was clearly unnatural and deeply unsettling to the Egyptians. The Torah lists those seventy individuals and concludes with the words, “And Yosef was in Egypt.”

This closing phrase, which Rashi explains also alludes to Yosef’s stability and inner strength in every circumstance, is not intended to praise Yosef personally. That is not the Torah’s purpose here. Rather, it reveals something far deeper: who paved the way for Jewish survival in this exile and in all future exiles, and what the conditions are for surviving among the nations, in foreign lands, and under difficult circumstances.

Yosef did not rely solely on personal example, but he actively worked to create the conditions that would ensure the national and spiritual survival of the Jewish people.

Yosef’s Strategic Planning in Egypt

Let us return to the earliest moments of Yaakov and his sons arriving in Egypt, as described in Parashat Vayigash.

Yosef invests tremendous effort and careful planning into settling his father and brothers in the land of Goshen. He instructs them to present themselves as shepherds as the basis for this request, and even tells them to downplay their other abilities when speaking to Pharaoh.

Why was settling in the land of Goshen so important? One might assume the goal was total separation from the Egyptians. Rashi, however, explains that the reason was practical: Goshen was grazing land, suitable for shepherds. Still, the question remains. Why was preserving the occupation of shepherding so critical? Why not transition to agriculture, especially since they would eventually farm the Land of Israel?

The Walls of the Ghetto

It appears that the deeper purpose was precisely to reinforce separation from Egyptian society. “Every shepherd is an abomination to Egypt,” and this profession ensured ongoing distance from the Egyptians. Geographic separation through living in a distinct region, combined with social distance that even reached the level of disdain, was not a problem to be solved but a deliberate strategy for national survival.

Interestingly, Ramchal later explains in Mesillat Yesharim that many of Israel’s great figures throughout the generations chose shepherding as a means of solitude and detachment from societal influence.

Yosef went even further. Through legitimate means, he acquired all the land of Egypt on Pharaoh’s behalf and transferred the population from city to city. On the surface, this was fair and just, as it reflected their loss of ownership over land and homes. Yet Rashi reveals an additional motive: this population reshuffling allowed the Children of Israel to settle where they were placed without resentment or discomfort from the locals.

All of Yosef’s efforts were focused on building protective walls, geographic, cultural, and social, that would prevent assimilation and foreign influence.

How the Enslavement Began

After lengthy deliberations, Pharaoh declares, “Let us deal wisely with them.” A massive national building project is launched, and every Egyptian patriot is called to participate. Pharaoh himself joins the labor, presenting a powerful example and inspiring national unity.

The Jewish people feel they cannot stand aside. Some say, “We will look like parasites.” Others argue, “We owe Egypt gratitude.” It is time, they say, to leave the ghetto. One cannot live as a state within a state. The call goes out to dismantle Jewish autonomy.

Nearly everyone responds, with characteristic Jewish enthusiasm, sincere goodwill, and appreciation for the country that hosted them. Only the tribe of Levi remains apart. They do not volunteer or enlist. Perhaps they even voice a different perspective: Who saved Egypt from famine if not Yosef? Who truly ended the famine if not Yaakov? Why the feelings of inferiority? And what will be the cost of this closeness?

The Price of Assimilation

The outcome is well known. The desire to please and the surge of patriotism led to Egypt’s great betrayal. They forgot both Yosef and Yaakov. Once the walls of separation were breached, the result was spiritual equivalence: “These worship idols, and those worship idols.”

What remained of Jewish distinctiveness were only external signs: Jewish names, language, and dress. Because they did not change their names, language, or clothing, they were not fully assimilated, and the covenant of the forefathers still protected them.

Throughout history, calls for integration and dismantling boundaries return again and again in different forms. The supposed ability of enlightened societies to tolerate difference and respect rights collapses precisely at this point. Moral lectures that appeal to weak hearts and shaky identities repeatedly lead the Jewish people to dismantle their protective barriers, followed once again by suffering and catastrophe.

Only eighty years ago this pattern repeated itself. Centuries of deep assimilation into enlightened German culture, even to the point of intermarriage, ended in the horrific crescendo of the Holocaust.

A Timeless Lesson

Today’s version of this pressure is aimed directly at the modern “tribe of Levi,” seeking through persuasion or coercion to draw it out from behind its walls. With God’s help, this attempt will fail. We possess the hard earned wisdom of history and spiritual leaders who understand how to preserve those walls.

They are not walls of hatred, but walls of survival.