Q: Why is Joseph not regarded as one of our forefathers?

Chapter 44

44:18-34] Judah argues with Joseph

Judah approached Joseph. He spoke from the innermost depths of his soul, appealing to Joseph to hold him instead of Benjamin. There are a couple of things to note in his appeal to Joseph:

• Judah offers himself as a slave – not realising that he was speaking to the very person whom he had once sold into slavery.
• The brothers shrank away, sensing a confrontation between two philosophies.
• Judah approached (וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ) Joseph — meaning that he penetrated Joseph’s innermost depths.

#exc n44:18] בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י—In my lord’s ears. May my words penetrate into your ears. Note: The thrust here is the “inner” ear, not the ear that hears the sounds, but the ear (in your heart) that hears the words I am about to speak.

n44:30-31] Benjamin

• Alludes to what happened to Joseph as not being “happenstance” i.e., mere chance.
• Had 10 children

Chapter 45

n45:1-15] They passed Joseph’s test:

• filial devotion to Jacob
• love for Benjamin
• sincere contrition for their crime against Joseph

n45:3] אני יוסף—I am Joseph. Upon uttering these words, G-d’s master plan became clear to the brothers. Everything that had happened for the last 22 years fell into perspective. So, too, will it be in the time to come when G-d will reveal Himself and announce, “I am HaShem.” The veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will comprehend everything that transpired throughout history (Chofetz Chaim).

n45:4-5] God’s plan…

n45:8] Now I understand everthing

n45:12] Joseph used Hebrew. Note: Perhaps that is what Moshe Rabeinu used when he returned to Egypt

n45:25-28] In order to lesson the blow of the news upon Jacob, Serach, his granddaughter was sent in. She played her harp and sang gently that Joseph was still alive and that he was the ruler of Egypt. Slowly, Jacob’s long sadness evaporated and he blessed her for having lifted his spirits. As a result, she was still alive centuries later, and eventually entered the Garden of Eden alive (Pirkei d’R’ Eliezer).

n45:27] וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח יוֹסֵ֖ף—He saw the agalot that Joseph had sent. The last topic he and Jacob had studied together was that of eglah anufah (the calf whose neck was broken in expiation of an unsolved murder [see Deut. 21:1-9]). The word עֲגָל֔וֹת, wagons, can also be translated calves, thus alluding to that topic. Nor does it say that Pharoah had sent, but that Joseph had. (Rashi)

n45:27] וַתְּחִ֕י ר֖וּחַ—(His) spirit revived. The news that brought joy to Jacob was not merely that Joseph was physically alive, or even that he had risen to greatness in the land of his captivity, for Jacob defined life in spiritual terms. What resuscitated Jacob’s — Israel’s — spirit was the assurance that the Viceroy of Egypt was the same Joseph who had left Canaan twenty-two years before. QUestion: How could he then have been 30 at the time of his brothers’ arrival?

Chapter 46

n46:1] וַיִּזְבַּ֣ח זְבָחִ֔ים לֵאלֹהֵ֖י אָבִ֥יו יִצְחָֽק—sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. In His relationship to Isaac, G-d is called פחד יצחק, the dread of Isaac (31:42), a name that denotes awe and justice. Perhaps this is because Jacob accepted the Divine Command to go to Egypt, despite his premonition that he was embarking on an exile that would cause his family incalculable suffering.

n46:2] בְּמַרְאֹ֣ת הַלַּ֔יְלָה—In night visions. This is the only place where a vision is described this way, which implies impending darkness. Question: Is that true? How does it imply impending darkness? However, it is true that the night of exile, when hope is enveloped in darkness, was about to begin, so G-d came in night visions to symbolise that, even though Jews would be exiled from their land, they would never be exiled from their G-d. He would always be with them. Therefore, Jacob, the Patriarch of exile, originated Ma’ariv. the evening prayer, to show his children that the exile/night might be the epilogue to one day, but it is prologue to another, even better one (Meshech Chochmah).

n46:3-4] אַל־תִּירָא֙—Have no fear. When asked what he was afraid of, Jacob answered, “I am afraid that my family will succumb there, that the Shechinah will no longer dwell amongst us…“

n46:7-27] בָּנָ֞יו וּבְנֵ֤י בָנָיו֙ אִתּ֔וֹ בְּנֹתָ֛יו וּבְנ֥וֹת בָּנָ֖יו וְכׇל־זַרְע֑וֹ הֵבִ֥יא אִתּ֖וֹ מִצְרָֽיְמָה—*he brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

Patriarchs		Sons	וּבְנֵ֣י
Rueben	רְאוּבֵֽן	Enoch, Pallu, Hezron & Carmi	חֲנ֥וֹךְ וּפַלּ֖וּא וְחֶצְרֹ֥ן וְכַרְמִֽי
Simeon	שִׁמְע֗וֹן	Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Saul	יְמוּאֵ֧ל וְיָמִ֛ין וְאֹ֖הַד וְיָכִ֣ין וְצֹ֑חַר וְשָׁא֖וּל
Levi	לֵוִ֑י	Gershon, Kohath, and Merari	גֵּרְשׁ֕וֹן קְהָ֖ת וּמְרָרִֽי
Judah	יְהוּדָ֗ה	Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (Er & Onan died)	עֵ֧ר וְאוֹנָ֛ן וְשֵׁלָ֖ה וָפֶ֣רֶץ וָזָ֑רַח
→ Perez	פֶ֖רֶץ	Hezron and Hamul	חֶצְרֹ֥ן וְחָמֽוּל
Issachar	יִשָּׂשכָ֑ר	Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron	תּוֹלָ֥ע וּפֻוָ֖ה וְי֥וֹב וְשִׁמְרֹֽן
Zebulun	זְבֻל֑וּן	Sered, Elon, and Jahleel	סֶ֥רֶד וְאֵל֖וֹן וְיַחְלְאֵֽל
33 persons (actually only 32!)		These were Leah’s sons + Dinah	אֵ֣לֶּה בְּנֵ֣י לֵאָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָֽלְדָ֤ה
Gad	גָ֔ד	Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli	צִפְי֥וֹן וְחַגִּ֖י שׁוּנִ֣י וְאֶצְבֹּ֑ן עֵרִ֥י וַֽאֲרוֹדִ֖י וְאַרְאֵלִֽי
Asher	אָשֵׁ֗ר	Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, + Serah (daughter)	יִמְנָ֧ה וְיִשְׁוָ֛ה וְיִשְׁוִ֥י וּבְרִיעָ֖ה וְשֶׂ֣רַח
→ Beriah	בְרִיעָ֔ה	Heber and Malchiel	חֶ֖בֶר וּמַלְכִּיאֵֽל
16 persons		the descendants of Zilpah	אֵ֚לֶּה בְּנֵ֣י זִלְפָּ֔ה
Joseph	יוֹסֵף֮	Manasseh and Ephraim	מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וְאֶפְרָֽיִם
Benjamin	בִנְיָמִ֗ן	Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard	בֶּ֤לַע וָבֶ֙כֶר֙ וְאַשְׁבֵּ֔ל גֵּרָ֥א וְנַעֲמָ֖ן אֵחִ֣י וָרֹ֑אשׁ מֻפִּ֥ים וְחֻפִּ֖ים וָאָֽרְדְּ
14 persons		the descendants of Rachel	אֵ֚לֶּה בְּנֵ֣י רָחֵ֔ל
Dan	דָ֖ן	Hushim	חֻשִֽׁים
Naphtali	נַפְתָּלִ֑י	Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem	יַחְצְאֵ֥ל וְגוּנִ֖י וְיֵ֥צֶר וְשִׁלֵּֽם
7 persons		descendants of Bilhah	אֵ֚לֶּה בְּנֵ֣י בִלְהָ֔ה

Note: Leah: 33, Zilbah: 16, Rachel: 14, Bilhah: 7 makes for a total of 70 persons.
However, Leah is 31 (minus Er and Onan), plus Dinah = 32 and Rachel is 14 (minus Joseph and his two sons) = 11 persons which totals to 32+16+11+7 = 66. Then, if you include Jacob, Joseph and his two boys, gives us 70 persons!

Besides this numerical mess, it is noteworthy that, except for Dinah and Selah, there are only sons mentioned.

n46:10] וְשָׁא֖וּל בֶּן־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִֽית—Saul the son of a Canaanite woman. According to the predominant Rabbinic view, this term refers to Dinah, who is called a Canaanite woman because she had been ravished by the Canaanite Shechem. When her brothers killed Shechem, Dinah refused to accompany them until Simeon agreed to marry her (Rashi; Midrash), and before Torah was given, it was permitted to marry one’s sister (Matanot Kehunah).

#miracle{.tag}
n46:15] The “hidden miracle” of Jochebed’s birth. It must be understood in the final analysis everything is a miracle, because Nature does not function independently of G-d… What we call Nature is nothing more than what we are accustomed to see, and we do not consider it to be a manifestation of G-d’s controlling hand because, generally, He prefers to govern the world in ways that appear to be normal… Why G-d decided to highlight some events and not others is a product of the Divine Wisdom.

n26-27] Seventy descend to Egypt
n28] Judah’s mission
n29] Shema - also sets a pattern (see n46:27)
n34] Shepherds in Goshen

Chapter 47

n4] Sojourn in the land.