（创42-44）战胜嫉妒心(Genesis 42-44) Overcoming Jealousy

(Genesis 42-44) Overcoming Jealousy （创42-44）战胜嫉妒心

(Chat GPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

In Genesis 42-44, Joseph, who was previously enslaved and imprisoned by his brothers due to jealousy, now stands before them as the Egyptian prime minister. Unrecognized by his brothers, they approach him seeking to buy grain during a famine. Surprisingly, Joseph, considered a positive character, repeatedly puts his brothers, who do not recognize him, in difficult situations. Initially accusing them of being spies, he sends them to prison for three days and later detains Simeon. Joseph requests the others to return with their father’s beloved son, Benjamin.

One might question why Joseph, as a positive figure, doesn’t immediately forgive his brothers. Some suggest that Joseph is testing whether his brothers have genuinely changed. Having been sold into slavery by them due to their jealousy, Joseph may be probing whether they would abandon Benjamin, their father’s new favorite, to a similar fate.

A deeper interpretation suggests that Joseph aims to facilitate complete repentance and “heal” his brothers’ jealousy. True repentance, according to Jewish belief, involves not repeating past mistakes in similar circumstances. Joseph meticulously designs these situations, even favoring Benjamin during a meal to intensify his brothers’ jealousy. The result is a transformative experience where, for the sake of their youngest brother Benjamin, the brothers overcome jealousy and offer themselves as slaves.

After this incident, not only did Joseph realize that his brothers had overcome jealousy, but the brothers themselves also knew they had achieved victory. Of course, their triumph was guided by the providence of the Creator. For instance, Judah, who once led the sale of Joseph, now takes a lead in offering himself as a slave to spare Benjamin. This transformation in Judah is linked to earlier events, specifically the tragic loss of his own sons (Genesis 38), illustrating the influence of divine assistance in overcoming jealousy. Ultimately, Jacob’s twelve sons unite, forming the twelve tribes of Israel, achieving a level of unity not seen in previous generations marked by sibling conflicts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repentance_in_Judaism#

（创42-44）战胜嫉妒心

创世纪看到42-44，约瑟重新见到了以前因为嫉妒而害得他做奴隶做囚犯的他的哥哥们。不过，约瑟现在已经是埃及宰相，而他的哥哥们以经不认识他，而且有求于他，要在荒年向约瑟买粮食。大家有没有注意到，作为正面人物的约瑟，现在竟然以埃及宰相的身份屡次“难为” 这些不认识他的兄弟们？先是说他们是奸细，让他们入狱三天，后来又扣押二哥西缅，并叫其他人回去吧父亲最宠不舍得的小弟儿子便雅悯带来，而后又“栽赃诬陷”便雅悯偷了他的银杯，要扣他做奴隶。作为正面人物的约瑟，不是应该赦免得罪过他的哥哥们吗？为什么要把兄弟们逼到绝境才与他们相认和好？

有一种解释，是约瑟在试验哥哥们，看他们是不是真的改变了。以前哥哥们曾因为嫉妒被父亲偏爱的约瑟为奴，现在埃及宰相要扣被父亲偏爱的便雅悯为奴，哥哥们会不会顺水推舟不管了呢？

从更深层面来看，也许约瑟想帮助他的兄弟们彻底悔改，“医治”他们的嫉妒。犹太人认为，真正的悔改，是在同样的条件下，不重犯以前的错误。约瑟精心设计了这一切，甚至在请兄弟们吃饭时还特意给让便雅悯五分的食物，表现出额外的偏爱，以增加哥哥们受到的嫉妒心的挑战。结果，哥哥们因着这次对父亲的爱，战胜了嫉妒心，甚至为了救兄弟便雅悯愿意自己代替他做奴隶。经过这件事，不但约瑟知道了哥哥们已经胜过了嫉妒心，哥哥们自己也知道他们已经得胜了。当然，他们的得胜，背后有造物主的管教。比如，当时主导卖约瑟的是四哥犹大。他为什么这次能反过来主导大家代替便雅悯做奴隶？因为犹大在这些年来亲身经历过丧子之痛，他不愿老父亲再经历丧失便雅悯的痛苦。让犹大经历丧子之痛的，正是造物主，这记载在看似无关的创世纪38章。正是造物主帮助犹大悔改，帮助他战胜了嫉妒心。从此，雅各的十二个儿子团结一致，成了一起在西奈山与造物主立约的以色列十二支派。这是前代人兄弟相争所没有做到的。