In Parshat Vayigash, Jacob and his descendants – a total of seventy people – go down to Egypt to sojourn there at the invitation of Pharaoh. There are at least three ways to understand the reason for their journey to Egypt. A first and mundane reason is to ensure survival, so that Jacob and his descendants would not perish from the famine in Canaan. As Joseph tells his brothers, "Do not be grieved and do not be angry with yourselves for having sold me, for God sent me here to preserve life." Genesis 45:5.
Second, and more profoundly, familial love brings Jacob and Joseph together. Joseph’s first question, after revealing his true identity to his brothers, is, "I am Joseph, is my father still living?" Genesis 45:3. Joseph then urges his brothers to hurry and not delay in bringing Jacob to him: "Hurry and go to my father …" and "… hurry and bring my father here." Genesis 45:9, 45:13. Similarly, Jacob’s words upon hearing that Joseph was still alive expressed his only desire, to "go and see him before I die." Genesis 45:28.
Third, on a spiritual level, this journey sets the scene for all subsequent events in the Torah (slavery in Egypt, departure from Egypt, wandering through the desert, receiving the Torah, and ultimately return to the land of Israel) and the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, to give the land of Israel to his descendants if they obey God’s commandments. Slavery in Egypt is part of God’s plan, and redemption from slavery – zecher l’tziyat mitzrayim – is a cornerstone of Jewish theology.
In Lekh Lekha, God tells Abraham, "Know that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and they shall enslave and afflict them for four hundred years. And I will judge the nation that they serve, and afterwards they will come out with great substance." Genesis 15:13-15:14. God does not mention Egypt to Abraham, but foretells of slavery. Later, in Parshat Vayera, God tells Abraham that God will make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands on the seashore. Genesis 22:17.
In Parshat Toldot, God first warns Isaac not to go to Egypt to escape famine, but to go where God tells him; God then tells him of the covenant with Abraham. Genesis 26:2-6. God does not mention slavery to Isaac, but refers to Egypt.
As Jacob is on his way to Egypt, in Parshat Vayigash, God tells him: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear going down to Egypt because I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you into Egypt and I will also bring you up again …" Genesis 46:3-4. God does not mention slavery to Jacob, perhaps so as not to frighten him on the eve of his journey, but instead focuses on the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, making his descendants numerous and bringing them out of slavery.
Shabbat Shalom.