We all know the verse: "And they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Gen. 15:18). But how does that square with other timelines we find in the Torah? It’s a question that's occupied Jewish thinkers for centuries. to one fascinating attempt to reconcile these timelines, found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 48.

Rabbi Elazar, son of 'Azariah, takes us on a fascinating journey through the generations to try and understand this apparent discrepancy. He starts with a bold statement: the Israelites were only in Egypt for 210 years! How does he arrive at this figure? First, he looks at Joseph. When Joseph first arrived in Egypt, he was seventeen years old. By the time he stood before Pharaoh, he was thirty, as it's written, "And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt" (Gen. 41:46). Then, you have the seven years of plenty followed by two years of famine. That’s another nine years (7+2), bringing us to a total of 39 years accounted for in Joseph's life.

Next, he considers Levi, Jacob’s son. Levi was six years older than Joseph, making him forty-five when he journeyed down to Egypt. He lived in Egypt for ninety-two years, as it says, "And the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years" (Ex. 6:16). So, Levi lived to be 137 years old. Adding those 92 years to the previous 45 years of his life gets us to a total of 137 years accounted for so far.

Here's where it gets even more interesting. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Levi's wife gave birth to Jochebed, who would later become Moses' mother, as soon as they arrived in Egypt. As it says, "And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed" (Num. 26:59). Jochebed was 130 years old when she gave birth to Moses. And Moses himself was eighty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, as it says, "And Moses was fourscore years old when he stood before Pharaoh" (Ex. 7:7).

If we add up all those years, we get 39 (Joseph) + 92 (Levi) + 130 (Jochebed) + 80 (Moses) = 341 years. It seems like we've gone WAY over 210 years.

But the text does explicitly say: Behold, (the total is) 210 years in all. Where did we go wrong?

It is likely that some of these life spans are being used in a symbolic, rather than literal, way. We can also see that the text is trying to reconcile the 400 years mentioned in Genesis with the other information available in the Torah.

Ultimately, what Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer offers us isn’t necessarily a straightforward historical calculation, but rather a drash, an interpretation, that invites us to grapple with these timelines. It shows us how the rabbis of old wrestled with the text, seeking to find harmony and meaning within apparent contradictions. It reminds us that sometimes, the questions are just as important as the answers, and that the act of searching itself can be a deeply meaningful spiritual practice. What do you make of this attempt to reconcile the numbers?