Sometimes, it's woven into the very fabric of our stories.
Take the story of Jacob and Joseph, father and son. At first, they're distinct individuals in the Book of Genesis. But a closer look, guided by the insightful Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), reveals a fascinating parallel. Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on Genesis, asks a curious question about the verse "This is the legacy [toledot] of Jacob, Joseph." Why Joseph? Shouldn't it say, "This is the legacy of Jacob, Reuben," listing Jacob’s oldest son first?
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman offers a striking answer: "It is because everything that befell this one befell that one." In other words, the Torah is highlighting a profound connection, a mirroring of destinies between Jacob and Joseph. What does that mean?
The Midrash, specifically Bereshit Rabbah 84, unpacks this idea with a series of striking parallels. Just as Jacob was considered a firstborn (having bought the birthright from Esau), so too was Joseph a firstborn to his mother Rachel. Just as Jacob's mother was initially barren, so was Rachel. Both mothers bore two sons. Just as Rachel had a difficult birth, so did Leah.
But the similarities don't stop there. The brothers of both men harbored resentment, even to the point of plotting murder. Both Jacob and Joseph worked as shepherds. Both were hated. According to (Genesis 31:39), Jacob was robbed twice by Laban, having to compensate for sheep stolen from his care. Joseph, too, was robbed twice: first kidnapped by his brothers, then stolen from them and sold into slavery (as noted by Maharzu).
The parallels extend beyond hardship. Both were blessed with wealth. Both ventured outside the Land of Israel. Both married foreign women and had children abroad. Both were accompanied by angels (as we'll find in section 14 of Bereshit Rabbah). Both rose to prominence through dreams; Jacob receiving blessings in a dream (Genesis 28:12-15) and Joseph rising to power by interpreting Pharaoh's dream (Etz Yosef). Both were blessed in the house of their father-in-law.
Even their ultimate destinies echoed each other. Both descended to Egypt. Both played a crucial role in ending famine; Joseph, by correctly interpreting Pharaoh’s dream to indicate only seven years of famine, and Jacob, because when he arrived in Egypt, the famine ended after only two years (Bereshit Rabba 89:9)!
Both administered oaths; Jacob asking Joseph to swear to bury him in the Land of Israel, and Joseph later administering a similar oath to the children of Israel. Both issued commands; Jacob commanding his sons to bury him in the Land of Israel (Genesis 49:29), and Joseph commanding his servants to embalm Jacob (Genesis 50:2). Both died in Egypt, were embalmed, and ultimately, had their bones taken back to the Land of Israel for burial.
The Zohar tells us of the deep interconnectedness of souls, and the Midrash here seems to hint at something similar – a resonance, a pattern woven into the lives of father and son. What are we to make of all this? Is it simply a literary device, a way to emphasize certain themes? Or does it point to something deeper about the cyclical nature of life, the way patterns repeat across generations?
Perhaps the story of Jacob and Joseph invites us to look for these echoes in our own lives. To recognize the patterns, the challenges, and the blessings that connect us to those who came before. And maybe, just maybe, by understanding these connections, we can better navigate our own journeys.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: “This is the legacy [toledot] of Jacob, Joseph” – the verse need not have said so, but rather, “this is the legacy of Jacob, Reuben.”14Generally, when the verse introduces the legacy [toledot] of an individual, what follows is a list of his sons, and, often, their sons (see, e.g., Genesis 10:1). That being the case, the verse should have listed Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son, first, and then the rest of the sons. Rather, why does the verse state “Joseph”? It is because everything that befell this one befell that one.15Whatever befell Jacob befell Joseph. Just as this one was born circumcised, so too, that one was born circumcised.16See Bereshit Rabba 63:7; Midrash Tehillim 9:7. Just as this one’s mother was barren, so too, that one’s mother was barren. Just as this one’s mother bore two [sons], so too, that one’s mother bore two. Just as this one was firstborn, so too, that one was firstborn.17Jacob bought the birthright from Esau and was therefore considered the firstborn. Joseph was firstborn to his mother, and Jacob awarded him the double portion usually allotted to the firstborn by declaring that his sons Manasseh and Ephraim would be considered independent tribes (Etz Yosef). Just as this one’s mother encountered difficulty with birth, so too, that one’s mother encountered difficulty when she gave birth. Just as this one’s brother hated him, so too, that one’s brothers hated him. Just as this one’s brother sought to kill him, so too, that one’s brothers sought to kill him. Just as this one was a shepherd, so too, that one was a shepherd. This one was hated, and that one was hated. This one was robbed twice, and that one was robbed twice.18Jacob referred twice to sheep stolen from his care for which he would then have to compensate Laban (Genesis 31:39). Joseph himself was kidnapped by his brothers and then stolen from them and sold into slavery (see Genesis 37:28; Maharzu). This one was blessed with wealth, and that one was blessed with wealth. This one went outside of the Land [of Israel], and that one went outside the Land [of Israel]. This one married a woman from outside the Land [of Israel], and that one married a woman from outside the Land [of Israel]. This one bore children outside the Land [of Israel], and that one bore children outside of the Land [of Israel]. This one was accompanied by angels, and that one was accompanied by angels.19See section 14. This one rose to greatness by means of a dream, and that one rose to greatness by means of a dream.20God blessed Jacob in a dream (Genesis 28:12–15). Joseph rose to power by interpreting Pharoah’s dream (Etz Yosef). This one was blessed in the house of his father-in-law, and that one was blessed in the house of his father-in-law. This one descended to Egypt, and that one descended to Egypt. This one ended the famine, and that one ended the famine.21Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream as indicating only seven years of famine rather than fourteen or twenty-eight, and due to his interpretation, the famine was in fact meant to last only seven years. But when Jacob came to Egypt, the famine ended abruptly after only two years (see Bereshit Rabba 89:9). This one administered an oath, and that one administered an oath.22Jacob asked Joseph to take an oath to bury him in the Land of Israel, and Joseph administered a similar oath to the children of Israel. This one commanded, and that one commanded.23Jacob commanded his sons to bury him in the Land of Israel (Genesis 49:29). Joseph commanded his servants to embalm Jacob (Genesis 50:2). This one died in Egypt, and that one died in Egypt. This one was embalmed, and that one was embalmed. This one’s bones were taken up [to the Land of Israel], and that one’s bones were taken up [to the Land of Israel].
