A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war, they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.” So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the Israelites. Exodus 1:8-12
Sages through the centuries have sought to explain the seemingly sudden change in attitude of the Pharaoh and to learn from these insights, lessons applicable to their own historical moment.
Rashi, the pre-eminent biblical commentator cites a passage from the Talmud (Sotah 11a) which reflects the differing interpretations by Rav and Shmuel (1) (two Amoraim or Talmudical teachers) of these words. Rav said that this was really a new monarch; Shmuel said that it was the same monarch, but that he enacted new edicts and comported himself as though he did not know who Joseph was and how Joseph had benefitted Egypt.
The views of Rav and Shmuel have been expanded upon by later scholars. Shadal, Umberto Cassuto, and Adin Steinsaltz all assert that the change of heart results from the emergence of a new dynasty in Egypt, not positively tied to, or welcoming of the Asiatic immigrants to the country. The Pharaoh of the exodus narrative is the fifth ruler in this new dynasty. Steinsaltz writes:
Even though there was certainly a recording of this in the royal chronicles (2), and likely that this king was aware of Joseph, his roots, and the revolutionary changes he brought about in Egypt. Nevertheless, he remained indifferent to Joseph’s legacy and unconcerned with the fate of his people.
In a comment on a teaching in Pirke Avot, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks suggests that there are three types of forgetfulness. Natural forgetfulness which is inevitable as it is generally impossible for us to retain everything we have learned through our lives. Second is Problematic Forgetfulness which arises from a laxity in reviewing one’s studies, from a lack of commitment to ensuring that we have both full knowledge and proper understanding. Finally, there is Deliberate Forgetfulness, the repudiation of what we know to be true and this, Sacks asserts endangers the soul of the individual.
The Pharoah’s forgetfulness, whether willful or unintentional, sets in motion events that will create great hardships for both the Israelites and the Egyptians. From this our sages gleaned the importance knowing the past so that it may inform successful decision-making in the present.
Shabbat Shalom –
Rabbi David M. Eligberg
1) Rav and Shmuel were the two foremost sages of the early third century CE in Babylon, belonging to the first generation of Amoraim, scholars who lived after the promulgation of the Mishnah around 200CE. Both Rav and Shmuel were born in Babylon but studied in the land of Israel under Rabbi Yehudah the Prince, compiler of the Mishnah.
2) It was not uncommon for new Pharaohs, especially after dynastic change to destroy the history of accomplishment of previous ruling houses including defacing public buildings and stela on which these were depicted.
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