מקץ Miketz

My Musing
This week's midrash gives us one more insight as to why we are called the Children of Israel as opposed to the children of Abraham or the Children of Isaac. It is more than simply a name or a practical reality of the sons of Jacob. There is a deeper connection between Jacob and God than the other patriarchs.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת מקץ סימן ה
(בראשית מב:א) "וַיַּרְא יַעֲקֹב כִּי יֶשׁ שֶׁבֶר בְּמִצְרָיִם וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב לְבָנָיו לָמָּה תִּתְרָאוּ"

Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons: 'Why do ye look one upon another?'

זה שאמר הכתוב (תהלים קמו:ה) "אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁאֵל יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ שִׂבְרוֹ עַל יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהָיו"
למה לא נאמר 'שאל אברהם' או 'שאל יצחק'?
אלא "שֶׁאֵל יַעֲקֹב". את מוצא שלא נצב הקדוש ברוך הוא לא על אברהם, לא על יצחק, אלא על יעקב. שנאמר, (בראשית כח:יג) "וְהִנֵּה יְדֹוָד נִצָּב עָלָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲנִי יְדֹוָד אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ וֵאלֹקֵי יִצְחָק, הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֶךָ"

This is what the scripture said, "Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,"
Why did it not say the God of Abraham or the God of Isaac?
Rather it said, "God of Jacob". You find that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not stand over Abraham, not over Isaac, but only over Jacob. As it says, "And, behold, the LORD stood over him, and said: 'I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed."

אמר רבי סימון, 'אין המלך עומד על שדהו, לא כשנזרעה, ולא כשנתחרשה, ולא כשנעדרה. ואימתי עומד עליה? כשהיא עומדת כרי. כך אברהם עדר שנאמר, (בראשית יג:יז) "קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ לְאָרְכָּהּ וּלְרָחְבָּהּ כִּי לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה"
יצחק זרע שנאמר, (בראשית כו:יב) "וַיִּזְרַע יִצְחָק בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא וַיִּמְצָא בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִוא מֵאָה שְׁעָרִים וַיְבָרֲכֵהוּ יְדֹוָד"

Said Rabbi Simon, 'A king does not stand over his field, not when it is seeded, not when it is plowed, and not when it is left fallow. When does he stand over it? When it is full and ready to be harvested. Similarly Abraham looked voer as it says, "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.'"
Isaac seeded as it says, "And Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him."

לא עמד המלך עליה עד שבא יעקב, שהיה כרי של תבואה שנאמר, (ירמיהו ב:ג) "קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַידֹוָד רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתֹה כָּל אֹכְלָיו יֶאְשָׁמוּ רָעָה תָּבֹא אֲלֵיהֶם נְאֻם יְדֹוָד"
ועמד הקדוש ברוך הוא עליו שנאמר, "וְהִנֵּה יְדֹוָד נִצָּב עָלָיו"הוי "אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁאֵל יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ שִׂבְרוֹ עַל יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהָיו".

The king did not stand over it until Jacob arrived, that it was full of grain, as it says, "Israel is the LORD'S hallowed portion, His first-fruits of the increase; all that devour him shall be held guilty, evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD."
And the Holy One, blessed be He, stood over him as it says, "And, behold, the LORD stood over him," that is " Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God

,"

" שִׂבְרוֹ עַל יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהָיו", אמר ריש לקיש, 'זה יוסף, סברו של עולם. שהיה במצרים והראה הקדוש ברוך הוא ליעקב שסברו במצרים שנאמר "וַיַּרְא יַעֲקֹב כִּי יֶשׁ שֶׁבֶר בְּמִצְרָיִם..."

Whose hope is on God" Said Reish Lakish, that is Joseph, the hope of the world. That he was in Egypt and God showed to Jacob that there was grain in Egypt, as it says, " Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt"