Chapter 1 1And these are the names of the sons of Israel
who came to Egypt; with Jacob, each man and his household came: And these are the names of the sons of Israel: Although [God] counted them in their lifetime by their names (Gen. 46:8-27), He counted them again after their death, to let us know how precious they are [to Him], because they were likened to the stars, which He takes out [From beyond the horizon] and brings in by number and by name, as it is said: who takes out their host by number; all of them He calls by name (Isa. 40:26). [From Tanchuma Buber, Shemot 2; Exod. Rabbah 1:3]
ת בּ ְֵנ֣י י ִשְׂ ָראֵ֔ ל ֙ א ו ְאֵ֗ לֶּה שְׁ מוֹ הַ בּ ִ ָ֖אים מִ צ ָ ְ֑רי ְמָ ה ֵ ֣את ַי ֽעֲ ֔ק ֹב ִ ֥אישׁ :ֵיתוֹ ָבּֽאוּ ֖ וּב אף על פי:ואלה שמות בני ישראל חזר ומנאן,שמנאן בחייהן בשמותן להודיע חבתן,[במיתתן ]אחר מיתתן שמוציאן ומכניסן,שנמשלו לכוכבים ( שנאמר )ישעיהו מ כו,במספר ובשמותם :המוציא במספר צבאם לכולם בשם יקרא
2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.
ָ אוּבן שִׁ מְ ֔עוֹן ֵל ִ֖וי ִו :ֽיהוּדֽה ֣ ֵ ב ְר
3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin.
:ְבוּלן וּ ִבנְי ִָמֽן ֖ ֻ שכר ז ֥ ָ ָג י ִשּׂ
4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
:ד ָ ֥דּן וְנַפְ תָּ ִ ֖לי ָגּ֥ד ו ְאָ ֵשֽׁר
5Now all those descended from Jacob were
seventy souls, and Joseph, [who] was in Egypt.
and Joseph, [who] was in Egypt: Now were not he and his sons included in the seventy? What then does this teach us? Did we not know that he was in Egypt? But [this clause comes] to inform you of Joseph’s righteousness. He, the Joseph who tended his father’s flocks, is the same Joseph who was in Egypt and became a king, and he retained his righteousness. [From Sifrei, Ha’azinu 334]
ָל־נ֛פֶ שׁ י ֽ ֹצ ֵ ְ֥אי ֶי ֶֽר‡־ ַי ֽעֲ ֖ק ֹב ֶ ה וַי ְהִ֗ י כּ ְיוֹסף הָ ָי֥ה ֖ ֵ שִׁ ב ִ ְ֣עים ָנ֑פֶ שׁ ו :בְמִ צ ָ ְֽרי ִם והלא הוא ובניו היו:ויוסף היה במצרים וכי לא, ומה בא ללמדנו,בכלל שבעים אלא,היינו יודעים שהוא היה במצרים הוא יוסף,להודיעך צדקתו של יוסף הוא יוסף שהיה,הרועה את צאן אביו :במצרים ונעשה מלך ועומד בצדקו
6Now Joseph died, as well as all his brothers and all that generation.
ו ו ַָיּ֤מָ ת יוֹסֵ ף֙ וְכָל־אֶ חָ֔ יו ו ְ֖כ ֹל הַ ֥דּוֹר :הַ הֽ וּא
7The children of Israel were fruitful and swarmed and increased and became very very strong, and the land became filled with them.
ז וּב ְֵנ֣י י ִשְׂ ָראֵ֗ ל פָּ ֧רוּ וַיִּשְׁ ְר ֛צוּ וַיּ ְִר ֥בּוּ ו ַיַּ ֽעַ צ ְ֖מוּ בִּמְ ֣א ֹד מְ ֑א ֹד ו ַתִּ מָּ ֵ ֥לא :הָ ָ ֖א ֶרץ א ָֹתֽם
and swarmed: They bore six children at each birth.
: שהיו יולדות ששה בכרס אחד:וישרצו
8A new king arose over Egypt, who did not
know about Joseph. A new king arose: [There is a controversy between] Rav and Samuel. One says: He was really new, and the other one says: His decrees were new. [From Sotah 11a, Exod. Rabbah 1:8] Since the Torah does not say: The king of Egypt died, and a new king arose, it implies that the old king was still alive, only that his policies had changed, and he acted like a new king. [Rashi on Sotah 11a]
מלֶ‡־חָ ָ ֖דשׁ עַ ל־מִ צ ָ ְ֑רי ִם ֽ ֶ ח ו ַָיּ֥קָ ם ֵ :ת־יוֹסֽף ֶאֲ ֶ ֥שׁר ˜ֽא־י ַ ָ֖דע א רב ושמואל חד אמר:ויקם מלך חדש : שנתחדשו גזרותיו, וחד אמר.חדש ממש
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