IGNORE YOUR HISTORY AT YOUR RISK
The second book of the Torah, Shemot, tells us that a new king arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph. How could he not know Joseph? Surely, having ascended to the throne after Joseph’s death, he did not now Joseph personally, but, even if he was a few generations down the road, he would surely have heard of Joseph and what he did to save Egypt (and perhaps the known world) during the seven years of famine. Such a story would have been the stuff of rich folklore even if not committed to writing.
Perhaps, he somehow felt that the thriving Israelite community posed an economic or ethnic threat to his people. Perhaps the general populace still resented the Hebrews because they had a sense that Joseph had cheated them out of their property on Pharoah’s behalf under the guise of saving them and resented the good fortune of Joseph’s family. Or, perhaps the new Pharoah felt that his own supremacy was threatened by the memory of the Hebrew slave who saved Egypt, a story that impinges oh the royalty’s claim to divinity. In other words, he did not know [of] Joseph because he did not want to and did not want his people to, either.
In any case there is a rewrite or revision of history of (anachronistically) Orwellian proportions, complete with implied ingratitude, ethnic hatred, and the perceived threat of a fifth column. This somehow justifies the enslavement, oppression, and dehumanizing of a whole people. It is not clear from the text whether the mainstream of the population favored these actions or not, but except in the case of the two midwives, there does not seem to be a lot of resistance either. So, as indicated by the cruelty of the Egyptian taskmasters, Pharoah and his successors have succeeded in turning many of the Egyptians, especially the “governing class” against the Israelites, completely obliterating the memory of their contribution to the very survival of the nation.
But then Moshe, sent by God, comes and tell Pharoah to release God’s people. The reaction is not an act of compassion, not obedience to God’s command, but, rather, to double down on the oppression. It is as though the Hebrews are less than human. Even the midwives had said that the Hebrew women were like wild animals, and the Pharoah was more than willing to believe them. There is no recognition of their humanity and sensibility. They were treated like beasts of burden.
God responds to this inhuman treatment by imposing a series of plagues upon Egypt. There are hail and locusts destroying the crops. There is disease killing the livestock. Ultimately there is widespread death. Then, when the Children of Israel are expelled from Egypt, they take with them immense wealth, given to them by the common Egyptian populace.
The bottom line is, that because the kings of Egypt chose to ignore and reject the memory of Joseph’s contribution to the survival and wealth of Egypt, the country lies in near ruin. The Pharaohs brought upon themselves and their people a great calamity by forgetting or revising history. We would do ourselves a great injustice and great harm if we forget who we are, who we were and how we got to where we are. We need to remember not only our history and our roots but to whom we owe gratitude for our good fortune.
