We know the basic story: famine in Canaan, Joseph's rise to power, the invitation to relocate. But the details…oh, the details! They’re richer and more fascinating than you might imagine.
The Torah tells us that Jacob went down to Egypt with his whole family. But how many people are we talking about, exactly? The text says seventy souls. But according to the biblical count, there were only sixty-nine! So, what gives?
That's where the legends fill in the gaps. The Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation of rabbinic stories gathered by Louis Ginzberg, sheds light on this very question.
It tells us that as Jacob's caravan approached the border between the cities, a very special birth took place: Jochebed, who would later become the mother of Moses. Isn’t that an amazing image? Right there, at the threshold of a new life in exile, the woman who would mother the great liberator was born. So, sixty-nine people plus Jochebed equals seventy. Problem solved.
But the story gets even more interesting. The legends go on to tell us something remarkable about the men in Jacob's family: they were all married. Every single one. Even the very young ones!
Pallu, we’re told, was just two years old when he went to Egypt, and Hezron a mere one year old. Yet, according to this tradition, they had wives with them. Wives chosen for them, naturally, by their parents.
Now, this might seem strange to us. I mean, a one-year-old married? But it speaks to a cultural value, a belief in early marriage and procreation. The text emphasizes that Jacob's sons and grandsons married young; some even became fathers at the tender age of seven!
Why? What's the point of this detail? It's about continuity, isn't it? It's about ensuring the survival and growth of the family, of the people of Israel, even in the face of adversity. They were planting seeds for the future, even as they entered a land that would become a place of hardship and oppression.
So, next time you read the story of Jacob's arrival in Egypt, remember Jochebed's birth on the border and the child-brides. It's a reminder that even in the driest of historical accounts, there are layers of meaning, of hope, and of the unwavering commitment to life and legacy. The tradition shows us that even in the face of exile and uncertainty, the Jewish people found ways to build a future. And isn't that a beautiful and powerful message for us today?