Preparing for the (Beginning of the) End By Daniel Coleman | December 17, 2020
Is there a parsha involving our Avot and Imahot that does not make reference to a (contentious) property or monetary transaction? Finances are central to Sefer Bereishit and the life of Yosef Hatzadik. In last week’s parsha he literally loses the coat off his back, is sold into slavery, and then ends up “forgotten” in a prison. Next week the tables are turned: Yosef controls the entire money supply of Egypt, acquiring all the property and enslaving all its people (except the priests, who were supported by a stipend from Pharoah). In between, in our parsha, Yosef introduces us to the concepts of insurance taking Shimon to guarantee Binyamin’s appearance in Egypt, and rebates (in the brothers’ sacks).