From the Chayenu on Torah portion Vayigash: “The last section of the parashah describes how Joseph prepared Egypt and its populace for the eventual enslavement of the Jewish people. This servitude had been foretold to Abraham in the ‘Covenant between the Halves,’ in which G-d informed Abraham that “your descendants will be foreigners in land that is not theirs, and the people will enslave them and oppress them.’ In order to alleviate their future suffering as much as possible, Joseph took advantage of the fact that only his storehouses of grain had survived the years of famine to amass first all the capital in Egypt and then to ‘purchase’ its citizenry as slaves. He then had the Eygptians circumcised and resettled them throughout Egypt. By so doing, Joseph ensured that future generations of Egyptians could never taunt their Jewish contemporaries for being refugees, slaves, or circumcised, since they themselves were the same (or children of the same). Once these goals had been achieved, there was no more technical need for the famine to continue…”
I wonder if the Egyptians resented Joseph and the Jews for enslaving them, for circumcising them, and for resettling them?
I wonder if Joseph realized that enslaving, circumcising and displacing the Egyptians might have negative consequences for Jews? It’s not like you can just do anything to the goyim and they won’t react with anger.
