Making sense of the sedra: Vayechi
Economists must nurture dignity
Few topics dominate public discourse more than debates over economic policy and its potential to drive growth. Yet beyond the statistics and strategies lies a profound question: how do we ensure that economic systems protect and promote human dignity?
Joseph’s leadership during Egypt’s famine offers a timeless model for navigating this balance. As the famine tightened its grip, Joseph centralised resources under Pharaoh’s control. The Egyptians, desperate for survival, pleaded: “Buy us and our land for bread… and we will be slaves to Pharaoh” (Bereishit 47:19). Yet Joseph refused to reduce the population to outright slavery. Instead, he implemented a system closer to genuine employment rights.
The Meshech Chochma suggests that Joseph’s own experience as a slave profoundly influenced his policies. Having endured the degradation of servitude, Joseph was determined to preserve the Egyptians’ dignity. His leadership reminds us that practical solutions must never come at the expense of moral responsibility.
Moreover, while Pharaoh gained ownership of the land, the people retained 80 percent of their produce, with the government receiving only 20 percent. This tax structure was revolutionary. Before Joseph’s reforms, the norm in Egypt – and across the ancient world -was the opposite: rulers claimed the majority share, leaving individuals with little. Joseph recognised that people are more motivated when they retain autonomy and can reap the rewards of their own labour. By ensuring dignity and providing conditions where hard work yielded results that people would benefit from, Jospeh supported the population through a crisis with economic reform and increased human dignity.
This theme echoes in Jacob’s final blessing to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Menashe, in parsha Vayechi: “God, before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked, God who sustained me as long as I am alive, until this day, may the angel who redeemed me from all harm bless the youths, and may they be called by my name and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and may they multiply abundantly like fish, in the midst of the land” (Bereishit 48:15-16).
The Talmud (Pesachim 118a) draws a striking insight from this blessing: “Sustenance is harder than redemption,” teaches Rabbi Yochanan. How could an individual’s effort in earning a livelihood surpass the spiritual grandeur of redemption for the world?
Our sages explain that while redemption can occur through intermediaries – such as angels, as Jacob mentions in his blessing – sustenance requires direct human effort and God’s blessing. The juxtaposition of “the angel who redeemed me” and “God who sustained me” highlights this point. Sustenance demands a delicate partnership between hishtadlut (human initiative) and bitachon (trust in God).
Joseph’s leadership serves as a timeless reminder that economic systems must not only meet immediate needs but also honour justice, compassion, and human dignity. On a personal level, we, too, are called to navigate the balance between effort and faith, recognising that sustenance is a shared endeavour between human effort and Divine blessing.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
