Genesis 50:19-21 reads, “But Joseph said to them, ‘Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus, he reassured them and comforted them.”
According to Rabbi Akiva Block, these verses are the conclusion of Joseph’s story, son of Jacob and Rachel. Block is the spiritual leader of Kehilat Kesher, The Community Synagogue of Tenafly and Englewood, a modern Orthodox congregation in New Jersey. He’s also a member of the Judaic Studies faculty at SAR High School in Riverdale, New York. Genesis 50:19-21 depicts Joseph as reunited with his family and finally at peace, but Block says that years of sorrow and family strife can’t be easily erased.
He said, “Once their father Jacob dies, the brothers worry that Joseph will exact revenge for their past deeds. They plead for mercy and throw themselves at his feet, offering to be his slaves. However, Joseph assured his brothers that he had no plans for revenge — and instead, sought ‘to comfort his brothers and heal their very hearts.’” Block continued, “He is not content to merely wax poetic about God’s providence and about caring for the universal well-being of all peoples; these are important truths, and Joseph indeed devotes virtually his entire adult life to these values.”
He added, “However, Joseph recognized ‘the imperative to reach out even further to his own brothers, precisely because they are his own flesh and blood.’” Block told Fox News Digital that he and members of his synagogue recently traveled to Israel, and the message of these verses struck a chord. He said, “We want to bring strength and support to the people of Israel. We spoke with soldiers, families of hostages, the bereaved and ordinary citizens of Israel to tell them, ‘We are with you. We are one family.’”
Similar to Joseph in the verses, Block said, “We, too, set out to ‘keep a great many people alive,’ to make the world a better, more just, place. But if these last few months have taught us anything, particularly for those of us who have had the privilege of spending time in Israel, it’s that our care for the world should never be at the expense of our own community, our own family. Instead, ‘family first.’”
Block concluded, “Joseph is a faithful servant on behalf of the common good, but he holds the well-being and destiny of his own brothers and his own people especially close to his heart. In these trying and difficult times, we should do no less.”