Oaths

Shavua Tov. We learn in today’s Parsha how Yosef rose to power very quickly. When פרעה elevated him from prisoner to slave, it was met by opposition from his servants.

They objected to having a former slave being given so much power. Pharoah assured his servants that he knew that Yosef came from royalty and was worthy of his high position.

The servants further challenged this appointment by saying that Yosef needed to be fluent in all seventy languages. The Gemara in סוטה explained that the Angel Gavriel taught Yosef all of these languages overnight.

We also learn that Pharoah made Yosef swear that he would not tell anyone that he himself did not know Hebrew. This would have been a great embarrassment to the Egyptian people.

This oath came in handy, because later Yosef told Pharoah that he had made an oath to Yakov that he would be buried in Israel. He reminded the king that one must not violate an oath. Permission was then granted to bury Yakov in Israel. Interesting Midrashim.