As we head towards the end of the book of Genesis, we are confronted with the makings of a touching father-son reunion. Jacob, who is advancing well into his elderly years, decides to visit his son Joseph in Egypt. On another level, it is a pilgrimage of sorts. It's certainly not because Egypt is a holy land for the Jewish people, but rather it represents a spiritual journey to a higher calling: to his God, his nation, and family.

Indeed, it was no mere family reunion to say the least. In Chapter 46, verses 3-4, God tells Jacob that "I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes." With this pronouncement, God declares that Jacob's journey will usher in great nationhood for the Jewish people. This nationhood was clearly meant to be "brought back" into the land of Israel, a nation already in existence, but one that would enjoy the fruits of a return from exile. Jacob would get his batteries recharged so to speak (in Egypt), and that would spark the resurgence of greater community of Israel in their homeland.

The phrase "put his hand upon thine eyes" is rather touching as well. It could represent some type of ritual tribute of a son for his father, a type of respect one pays a family member he's been separated from for a lengthy period of time. Alternatively, it could symbolize the meeting of the pragmatic and visionary aspects of the world. Along these lines, the hands create many different worldly objects while the eyes are the conveyors of visions to the world.

The remainder of Chapter 46 mentions all of the offspring of Jacob's family: his children and grandchildren. They all trek down to the "land of Goshen". It's a memorable, heartwarming scene when Jacob meets Joseph. In verse 29, it describes how Joseph "went up to meet his father ... and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while." This is evidently a poetic description of a son's emotional embrace of his father. And how does Jacob respond? In verse 30, he says, "Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive." In other words, Jacob believes his life would have been incomplete if he didn't know his son was still alive. Now, he believes he can "die in peace", most likely because his son Joseph is alive and will carry on in his footsteps. But why does he say "Now let me die" rather than "Now I can die"? Is he making a request to his son to refrain from intervening in this "natural process". Guess we should read on.

Well, Chapter 47 is a deviation of sorts. Rather than engage in dialog between Joseph and Jacob, it describes how famine weary Egyptians approached Joseph for bread. Joseph insists that they give him their cattle in exchange for the bread. Some Capitalist that Joseph. Furthermore, when they return and offer to sell themselves and their land, he purchases the land from them; but then he "removes" the people city by city, and gives them the "seed" to "sow the land" (verse 23). In other words, he offers them the means to cultivate the land. He decrees that 1/5th of the harvest must be granted to the Pharaoh, but they can keep the remaining 4/5th. So it turns out that he isn't capitalizing upon their suffering, but rather shows them the pathway to agricultural self-reliance which will help end that suffering. If they were to steadfastly cling to this path, they would no longer be at the mercy of the Pharaoh's whims. The 20% tax to the Pharaoh should be seen as a type of appeasement to keep the authoritarian ruler out of their lives as much as possible.

After a short passage where Jacob/Israel requests that he be buried in the land of Israel, Joseph introduces his own sons to his father. Jacob, in turn, blesses them (Chapter 48, verse 9). In verses 15-16, the nature of the blessing of Joseph is revealed: "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath been my shepherd all my life long unto this day, the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." Jacob, in other words, is the messenger blesser. He is the sponsorer of the shepherding God and the evil-redeeming, protective angel; thus, as he includes himself in the great company of his forefathers, he blesses them with fertility and prosperity in future days.
 
Yet the blessing of Joseph's sons takes a curious turn. When Jacob puts his right hand upon the head of Ephraim (verse 17), the younger son, Joseph becomes displeased. He instructs his father to place his right hand upon his eldest son, Manasseh. In response to this, Jacob explains that he knows what he's doing, that in fact, while he recognizes that Manasseh will be great, the younger brother will be greater. It is difficult to discern whether that was a decree or prognostication. Regardless, the dye is cast and one of the most profound scenes in the book of Genesis, the description of the 12 Tribes Israel, is ready to unfold.