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Tzafnat Pane'ach: Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said, "If this is an Egyptian word, we do not know its meaning On the other hand, if this is a Hebrew translation of Joseph's Egyptian name, then we don't know what Joseph's Egyptian name was....
But according to the opinion of earlier scholars who say that it means "explainer of secrets" and is a Hebrew expression, it is possible that Pharaoh called him this honorable name in accordance with the language of Joseph's country after he asked him, or the king may have known the language of Canaan, which was adjacent to Egypt [cf. Pharaoh's daughter who named Moses the ostensible 'Hebrew' name: Moshe]. Ramban
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The Joseph saga continues this week with part two. Parashat Miketz begins with Pharaoh's famous two-part dream of the 7 cows and the 7 ears of grain (probably a kind of Egyptian wheat called emmer). Many translations (based on the King James Version) translate these sheaves as 'corn.' In Old English, corn meant any small grain: hence, peppercorn. (The children's ditty: Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care is a similar example). Of course, today, what we call corn (ie. the yellow stuff that grows on cobs- or maize) was originally from South America, and was unknown in ancient Egypt. (Children's books that illustrate these grains incorrectly drive me crazy).
Because of his correct interpretation, Joseph is promoted from being the head of the jail to become viceroy (or vizier) of Egypt. Arthur Waskow shares a brilliant insight in his book 'Godwrestling' that Joseph basically imprisons all of Egypt- as all of Egypt sell their land for food and end up as share-croppers enslaved to Pharaoh. But what goes around comes around. The Rabbis have an expression: "Ma'aseh Avot, siman l'banim. The deeds of the fathers are future portents for the children." In other words, we see in Joseph's life, a microcosm of the future of the Jewish people: Joseph is enslaved in Egypt, and is the cause of the Jewish people's descent into and subsequent slavery in Egypt.
Joseph is a symbol of slavery in Egypt, and of the Jewish experience in galut (diaspora). There are many Egyptian motifs and loan words in these stories: papyrus, magicians, linen, chariots. When Joseph is paraded through the streets, the people shout: Abrek!; we don't even know what it means. (Like Joseph's title 'pane'ach,' it is another 'unique' word in Torah (these one-time-only words have a technical name: hapax legomenon). But more than these examples, Joseph himself becomes thoroughly Egyptian. Joseph is the first Biblical character to have an 'Egyptian name' in addition to his Hebrew name. (The heroine Esther also had a Hebrew name: Hadassah, but that's a different holiday!) As Rabbi Plaut writes in The Torah: A Modern Commentary:
Joseph was the first Hebrew who lived, so to speak, in Diaspora. He became thoroughly assimilated, adopted the customs of his environment, changed his name, wore Egyptian clothes, swore by Pharaoh's name (Gen 42:15) and married an Egyptian wife.
Pharaoh gives Joseph an Egyptian name and like the change of dress, the new name signifies a change in identity (remember Jacob- Israel). His name: Tzafnat Paneach may mean 'God Speaks, he lives' in Egyptian. Ramban points out the problem with the unusual name. Has the Torah provided us with the Egyptian name (since we assume that Pharaoh did not know Hebrew) ? If so, what is its meaning- since we do not know ancient Egyptian? On the other hand, if the Torah has rendered Joseph's Egyptian name into Hebrew, then we really don't know what his [Egyptian] name [given by Pharaoh] was. The Rabbis follow the Aramaic translation that understands his name to mean "Interpreter of hidden things". The word Tzafnat is interpreted to come from the root of 'hidden' (like Tzafun, the hidden piece of Matzah we eat at the Seder). Rashi points out that pane'ach is a unique word in the Torah, and Ibn Ezra notes that is one of the unusual 4-letter roots (most Hebrew roots have 3 letters). In modern Hebrew, the root pane'ach means to 'decipher.'
Joseph then marries Asnat, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Is this the same Potiphar who threw him in jail on the basis of his wife's accusations? (Rashi thinks so.) "When [Potiphar] heard the story... he was furious. Joseph's master had him put in prison, where the king's prisoners were confined..." (Gen. 39:19, 20). Furious with Joseph, or furious with his wife's antics? Many believe that the text is hinting that Potiphar may have suspected that his wife in fact fabricated her story. The Midrash has Potiphar whisper to Joseph: 'I know that you are innocent,' he assured him, 'but [I must do this] lest a stigma fall upon my children.' Joseph's punishment seems rather lenient, for if indeed Joseph was guilty, he would have been executed. Some see Potiphar now giving his daughter in marriage as an acknowledgement of Joseph's innocence. A further midrash even identifies Asnat as the daughter of Dinah, who was adopted by the childless Potiphar (some suggest he was a eunuch- which makes the episode with Potiphar's wife and Joseph more understandable). See Anita Diament's The Red Tent a wonderful modern midrashic retelling of the story of Dinah.
Last week we mentioned that Joseph (although a major biblical character) is not given the status of one of the Jewish people's 'forefathers'. Although the Rabbis give him the title: Joseph the Righteous, he is not considered one of the Patriarchs. But I don't think he missed the boat because he had a non-Jewish name, or worked in the real world instead of a Yeshivah. The biblical narrative provides a clue about what was missing from Joseph's spiritual life. Joseph never talks to God directly, nor does God ever address him (even in a dream). Yes, he 'talks the talk' alright, peppering his speech with "God will interpret Pharaoh's dream" or "What God is about to do God has shown to Pharaoh." But there is no evidence that Joseph really has a relationship with God. Joseph ends up living not only in the physical diaspora, but living in a spiritual diaspora as well.
Lessons for Today
Of all the biblical heroes, I think Joseph is the easiest to relate to. We too, for the most part, have English names, dress like our non-Jewish neighbours, and many Jews today have a non-Jewish partner. This parasha always coincides with the celebration of Chanukah, which on one level is about balancing the tension between our Jewish inner life and the outside secular world we live in. Chanukah is often portrayed simplistically as Hellenism vs. Maccabees, but in truth, the conflict was much more complex. The different Jewish groups in the period prior to the Hasmonean revolt all struggled with their exposure to Greek culture. Like Joseph, we all have to make choices about how to live a Jewish life in a non-Jewish environment.
Joseph embraced the outside world, but retained his identity. He gave his kids Hebrew, not Egyptian names. Before he died, he made his brothers promise that his body would in fact be returned to the land of Israel, and he was buried with the patriarchs. Even with his success in the non-Jewish world, Joseph still lived in a kind of secular prison.
The message of Chanukah is that in the spiritual darkness we light a flame. This Chanukah, as we light our chanukiyah this year, may we reflect on how to keep the spirit of God in our lives and the flame of Judaism burning in our hearts, our homes and our communities.
Happy Chanukah, and Shabbat Shalom.
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