Parshas Vayigash 5777

Who Told Jacob that Joseph was Alive?

The Torah writes (Genesis 45:26-27):

And they told him, “Joseph is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them. But when they recounted all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

Targum Jonathan (46:17) has one opinion:

and Serach their sister, who was carried away while alive into the Garden (of Eden), because she had announced to Jakob that Joseph still lived.

However, Targum Jonathan (49:21) cites another opinion as well:

Naphatali is a swift messenger, like a hind that runneth on the tops of the mountains, bringing good tidings: he it was who announced that Joseph was living;

Daas Zekeinim (45:26) cites another opinion:

And if you ask who permitted them the ban [of not telling Jacob about Joseph] in which G-d was joined, and how did they tell their father? The answer must be that Benjamin told him initially for he did not participate in the sale

Another opinion (Avos deRabbi Nosson 30):

And some say that the Holy Spirit that left Jacob before rested on him at that time [and told him]

Why Didn't Joseph Tell His Father Before?

The Daas Zekeinim (42:1) gives two answers:

Furthermore, why did Joseph not communicate with his father during all these years which would have spared his father a great deal of grief? The answer is that they all had sworn a sacred oath not to reveal to their father that he was in Egypt. They had made G’d a partner to their oath, so that He too could not reveal their secret to him. All this can be proved from Scripture, when before revealing himself to his brothers (Genesis 45:1) he commanded that all the people around him remove themselves before he would have that conversation with his brothers. He did not want that anyone would ever hear about that oath which had now expired.

and:

Other commentators offer a different reason for why Joseph had not communicated with his father for 22 years. As long as he had been a slave (13 years) he did not want to increase his father’s grief by informing him of his sorry condition. If he were to end a message that in the meantime he had become a king, his father would not believe him; he was right as his father did not even believe this when all his sons told that they had seen it with their own eyes. (Genesis 45:26) In addition, he was afraid that if his father were to leak his new found knowledge to someone, the brothers would each flee in all directions out of fear of his vengeance. As a result, his father would experience additional grief. This is why he waited until the time would be ripe for him to reveal himself, so that he would first reveal himself to his brothers before informing his father of his survival and the good fortune which had befallen him.

Parshas Vayigash 5776

Who Told Jacob That Joseph Was Alive?

The Torah writes (Genesis 45:26):

And they told him, saying: ‘Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ And his heart fainted, for he believed them not.

Targum Jonathan (Genesis 46:17) learns this was Serah:

And Serah their sister was mentioned for good because she told Jacob that Joseph was still alive

However, Targum Jonathan later on (Genesis 49:21) says this was Naphtali:

Naphtali is a quick deer ... bringing good news for he brought the news that Joseph was still alive ... and he then ran back and returned to Egypt ...

(It is possible that these two opinions do not argue, for Naphtali brought the news back to Jacob's house, but Serah was the one that actually told Jacob)

Who Was the Father of Serah?

The Torah writes (Genesis 46:17):

And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel.

Simple reading of the verse states the Asher was her father

Vayikra Rabbah (14:9) seems to imply also that Serah was Asher's biological daughter

Onkelos (Numbers 26:46, as cited by the Ramban but not in our versions) says:

And the name of the daughter of Asher's wife was Serah

The Daas Zekeinim (Numbers 26:46) explains further:

...Asher apparently had raised her after her mother had died when she was a baby. This is why the Torah describes her as being Asher’s daughter. This would also account for the letter ו at the beginning of this verse, as if to hint that she did not become his daughter already at her birth...

The Ramban (Numbers 26:46) explains:

... for she stood to inherit the land and therefore she is mentioned in the verse here just like the daughters of Tzelofhad ... for she was the daughter of Asher from another man who did not have a son and his inheritance went to the daughter and that is why is says earlier (Genesis 46:17) "and Serah their sister" for she was the sister of his sons but not his daughter...

However, Daas Zekeinim (Numbers 26:46) does not like this explanation:

...The difficulty with this interpretation is that if she had been born to one of the other tribes why did the Torah not mention this? If she was not born to any of the members of the 12 tribes, why is she listed as such in the count of the people Yaakov brought with him to Egypt? Perhaps she was indeed the biological daughter of Asher, and because already before the family descended to Egypt she had acquired a reputation of being especially pious, the Torah decided to mention her name...

(see also Sefer Mayim Rabim for further discussion including an answer from Chasam Sofer to these questions)

Sefer haYashar learns that Serah from a descendent of Shem (which would not agree with Ramban's explanation):

... and it was after the death of Adon [Asher's wife], that Asher went to the other side of the river and took for a wife Hadurah the daughter of Abimael, the son of Eber, the son of Shem. And the young woman was of a comely appearance, and a woman of sense, and she had been the wife of Malkiel the son of Elam, the son of Shem. And Hadurah bare a daughter unto Malkiel, and he called her name Serach, and Malkiel died after this, and Hadurah went and remained in her father's house. And after the death of the wife of Asher he went and took Hadurah for a wife, and brought her to the land of Canaan, and Serach her daughter he also brought with them, and she was three years old, and the damsel was brought up in Jacob's house

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