Last week, we left Joseph in prison, forgotten. Two years later he is remembered - the cupbearer remembers him when none of Pharaoh's wise men can interpret two dreams that Pharaoh had, the dreams of the seven shriveled cows eating the seven healthy cows, and of seven dry ears of corn eating seven healthy ears.
Joseph interprets the dreams as signifying seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, and recommends stocking up on surplus grain during the full years to have in the years of famine. Pharaoh puts him in charge of the project, giving him power over the economic life of Egypt.
The second half of the parsha deals with what happens when Joseph's brothers come to buy grain during the great famine.
I believe that the Joseph who comes out of prison to become powerful is not the same Joseph who went in. Joseph at 17 was conceited and spoiled, and though he was sold into slavery in Egypt he soon rose to positions of responsibility both in Potiphar's household and in the prison. He still was a beautiful young man who was sure of his own superiority. After he interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and baker and his interpretations proved true, he expected the cupbearer to plead for him and secure his release.
But the cupbearer forgot him.
This was a new experience for Joseph, and for the first time in his life he was not special. Those two years were probably the longest of his life, and I believe this is when he really suffered as he had never done before, not even when his mother died.
Only after this period of suffering was he fit for the power that now became his. There were traces of the old Joseph still - he accepted his new position without demur, perhaps without surprise. And when his brothers predictably show up in Egypt, he is quite willing to exact a price from them for their past cruelty. But the Joseph who faces his brothers is not the same cocky boy they sold into slavery.
And the brothers who go back to Jacob are not the same brothers who blithely told their father that his favorite was dead. They have seen his suffering over the years, and have matured themselves enough to regret their evil acts. They may even have hoped to learn what became of Joseph while they were in Egypt. And Judah, after his experience losing two sons, is in a clear position to understand Jacob's pain. His experience with Tamar has also taught him to acknowledge his own mistakes and to look beyond mere appearances.
Jacob, however, has not changed. He is still able to respond to events only as they affect him personally:
Their father Jacob said to them, "It is always me that you bereave: Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you would take away Benjamin.These things always happen to me! - Genesis 42:36
Jacob is either a querulous, doddering old man, or he is still competent and completely selfish. Peace will come to this family only if his sons learn to understand and pity him, and it seems that to some degree they have.
Eventually Jacob is forced to allow Benjamin to travel to Egypt to prevent all of them from starving. If Joseph was 30 at the beginning of this parsha, he is probably about 40 by his brothers' second visit to Egypt. Benjamin may be as much as 10 years his junior, which would make him about 30, and several of his sons are named in the list of those who came to Egypt with Jacob; yet he is called a boy throughout this parsha. He is perhaps still treated like a boy by his father, which seems to be accepted by his brothers. We don't know how Benjamin feels about it.
Joseph is moved deeply by seeing Benjamin, but continues his tricks to trap Benjamin and punish the others, leading to the denouement. The parsha ends with Judah stepping forward to plead for Benjamin - and we have to wait til next week to find out if he succeeds.
Shabbat shalom and chag sameach!