We all have learned based on Rashi and Onkeles, we understand that when Joseph's brothers came to Egypt, the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews because they were shepherds and ate sheep which were an Egyptians' deity. Accordingly, when Joseph brought his family to Egypt, he instructed his father that telling Pharaoh that they were shepherds enable them to live separately from the Egyptians since the Egyptians despised shepherds, but there are different ways of understanding this relationship as well.
(לב) וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ ל֛וֹ לְבַדּ֖וֹ וְלָהֶ֣ם לְבַדָּ֑ם וְלַמִּצְרִ֞ים הָאֹכְלִ֤ים אִתּוֹ֙ לְבַדָּ֔ם כִּי֩ לֹ֨א יוּכְל֜וּן הַמִּצְרִ֗ים לֶאֱכֹ֤ל אֶת־הָֽעִבְרִים֙ לֶ֔חֶם כִּי־תוֹעֵבָ֥ה הִ֖וא לְמִצְרָֽיִם׃
(32) They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; for the Egyptians could not dine with the Hebrews, כִּי־תוֹעֵבָ֥ה הִ֖וא לְמִצְרָֽיִם׃ (since that would be abhorrent to the Egyptians Egypt).
(א) כי תועבה הוא. דָּבָר שָׂנְאוּי הוּא לַמִּצְרִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת הָעִבְרִים, וְאֻנְקְלוֹס נָתַן טַעַם לַדָּבָר:
(32) They served to him by himself, and to them by themselves, and to the Egyptians eating with them by themselves because Egyptians cannot eat bread with Hebrews for the domesticated animals that the Egyptians worship, the Hebrews eat.
Between Rashi and Onkelos, we clearly see is the problem is that Hebrews eat sheep which is an Egyptian diety and therefore the separation. We go to Joseph's instruction to his father and brothers.
(לד) וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֗ם אַנְשֵׁ֨י מִקְנֶ֜ה הָי֤וּ עֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ מִנְּעוּרֵ֣ינוּ וְעַד־עַ֔תָּה גַּם־אֲנַ֖חְנוּ גַּם־אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ בַּעֲב֗וּר תֵּשְׁבוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ גֹּ֔שֶׁן כִּֽי־תוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֖יִם כָּל־רֹ֥עֵה צֹֽאן׃
(34) you shall answer, ‘Your servants have been breeders of livestock from the start until now, both we and our fathers’—so that you may stay in the region of Goshen. כִּֽי־תוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֖יִם כָּל־רֹ֥עֵה צֹֽאן׃ For all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians Egypt.”
(1) בעבור תשבו בארץ גשן IN ORDER THAT YE MAY ABIDE IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN — and this is the land that you require, for it is a land of pasture. If you tell him that you are inexperienced in other work he will send you far away from him and settle you there. (2) כי תועבת מצרים כל רעה צאן FOR EVERY SHEPHERD IS AN ABOMINATION TO THE EGYPTIANS — because they (sheep) are regarded by them as deities.
והאנשים רועי צאן – והודיע לאחיו תכלית הודעה זו לפרעה כי יהיו תועבת מצרים, וממילא יגזור פרעה מעצמו שישבו בארץ גושן מקום שאין שם עיקר הישוב של מצרים.
(טז) וּלְאַבְרָ֥ם הֵיטִ֖יב בַּעֲבוּרָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־ל֤וֹ צֹאן־וּבָקָר֙ וַחֲמֹרִ֔ים וַעֲבָדִים֙ וּשְׁפָחֹ֔ת וַאֲתֹנֹ֖ת וּגְמַלִּֽים׃
The language is somewhat awkward, how does one explain וַֽיְהִי־ל֤וֹ ? Not all versions of Rashi say so but Torat Chaim prefers the version that Pharaoh gave him gifts. So lets leave it at that. This begs the question why would Egyptians give a present of their gods to a shepherd?
In Exodus, Moses indicates the danger of sacrificing certain animals in the presence of the Egyptians.
(כב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֗ה לֹ֤א נָכוֹן֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן כִּ֚י תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם נִזְבַּ֖ח לַיקוק אֱלֹקֵ֑ינוּ הֵ֣ן נִזְבַּ֞ח אֶת־תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֛יִם לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א יִסְקְלֻֽנוּ׃
(22) But Moses replied, “It would not be right to do this, for what we sacrifice to the LORD our God is תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם. If we sacrifice that which is to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us!
(23) So we must go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to יקוק as our God may command us.” (24) Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to your God יקוק in the wilderness; but do not go very far. Plead, then, for me.”
- Summarizing that narrative that sheep are Egyptian gods.... Egyptians
- Don't eat with them
- Don't let them stay in the capital with their sacrilegous profession. Send them to Goshen (actually let them stay there). According the the Netsiv, Yosef does not let the ministers know that his family in Goshen are shepherds. The official line is they are herders. He only let's Paro know in private and to his surprise not only does Paro let this sacrilege pass, but bkovod appoints them herders of Paro's livestock as well. This doesn't make sense unless Pharaoh was not so religious and just didn't want to see the sacrilege in his presence or shepherds were an abomination to Egypt - not to the Egyptians .
- Stone them to death for the sacrilege of sacrificing sheep in Egypt, but send them out of the capital.
- Give them to Avraham is ok? ... it works better if one uses other girsot of Rashi that don't explicitly say that Pharaoh gave him gifts
Caste
Hirsch on Genesis 43 32
I would tell them that you belong to the class of shepherds, although the profession is not considered in Egypt the most honorable one.
Hirsch on Genesis 43:33
In a state like Egypt, where caste prevailed and men were completely absorbed by their trade, and men were born as artisans, workers in the land, soldiers, etc. the first question was naturally about their profession. To Pharaoh's question they were unashamedly to acknowledge this unpleasant fact, for the disgust which the Egyptians which the could not disguise,.......
חזקוני בראשית מ"ג
(לב) כי תועבה היא למצרים – בזוי להם לאכול עם אדם נכרי כי אנשי מצרים גסי הרוח ..........
Hizzikuni Genesis 43 32
Since that would be abhorrent to the Egyptians. It was humiliating for them to eat with foreigners, because the Egyptians were arrogant.............
- Low Caste
- Don't eat with them
- Don't let them live with you
- Send them to Goshen to get away from you
- Give sheep as gifts to Abraham, maybe he had shepherds who worked for him..
- Stone them - ?
- Don't eat with them
Repulsive
Rather than worshiping sheep, there are commentators that say the Egyptians despised sheep and goats, by extension they despised their keepers and considered a religious service that including the sacrifice of these animals as repulsive.
(א) כי תועבה - וכיחוי ובזוי היאלמצרים לאכול עם אנשי עבר הנהר כי נבזים היו בעיניהם ..... וכן: כי תועבת מצרים כל רועה צאן. מבזים היו בעיניהם הרועים. כי הצאן היה מאוס בעיניהם. כדכתיב: הן נזבח את תועבת מצרים לעיניהם ולא יסקלונו. דבר המשוקץ למצרים ומאוס נזבח לעיניהם לצורינו ולא יבזו אותנו לסוקלנו באבנים, דרך בזיון כמו שמצינו בשמעי בן גרה יצא יצוא [ומקלל] ויסקל. קילל דוד וסיקל בעפר דרך בזיון.
(1) כי תועבה, ... We know from other sources also that the Egyptians were of a very haughty disposition..... People whose vocation was to tend flocks was one of utter disdain, as we know from 46,34. They had contempt for sheep and goats, hence their contempt transferred itself to the people raising such animals. This attitude to sheep and goats is mirrored when Moses asks Pharaoh how he could expect the Israelites to slaughter such animals while in Egypt without running the risk of the local populace stoning them to death for doing this. (Exodus 8,22) Stoning someone to express one’s disgust with his conduct is nothing new; we encounter it in Samuel II 16,5-6 when Shimi ben Geyrah, not only cursed (king) David publicly, but also threw stones at him.
דעת זקנים בראשית מ"ו
(לד) כי תועבת מצרים וכו' – מאוסים היו רועי צאן בעיניהם כי הצאן היה דבר מאוס לאכילה כמו שמאוסין העזים לאכילה בהרבה מקומות. וכן לא יוכלון לאכול את העברים לחם כי תועבה היא למצרים מאוסין היו אנשי עבר הנהר בעיניהם ולכן קשה להם לאכול עמהם וכן הן נזבח את תועבת מצרים לעיניהם נזבח בפניהם מה שהוא מאוס להם ולא יסקלונו יהרגונו לא נאמר אלא יסקלונו
Daat Zekainim.
First understanding. Sheep and goats were disgusting things in the Egyptians mind. They would nor eat with the Hebrews, because all people from the other side of the river ate these disgusting things it was impossible for Egyptians to eat with them. If the Hebrews would sacrifice these disgusting things in an Egyptian's presence, the Hebrew would be stoned. Not stoned to death, but stoned.
- Shepherds are disgusting
- Don't eat with them
- Don't let them live with you
- Send them to Goshen to get away from you
- Give sheep to Abraham, he values this stuff.
- Stone them (but not to death) for offering a disgusting animal as a sacrifice
Respected
Both Bechor Shor and the Tur present the understanding that the Egyptians respected shepherds! Bechor Shor sees the word תועבת as a כינוי for the shepherds. Tur sees תועבת as a biblical reference to the sheep as a god of the Egyptians.
ר' יוסף בכור שור בראשית מ"ו
(לד) כי תועבת מצרים כל רעה צאן –........לי נראה: שהוא כינוי, כי חשובים בעיני מצרים כל רועי צאן, שמגדל תרפותם. ולפי
שכוונתם לעבודה זרה, קורא אותם תועבה. לפי שיאהבו אתכם, יושיבו אתכם אל ארץ גושן שהיא טובה. כי אין נראה שימאיס אחיו בעיניהם.
ר' יוסף בכור שור בראשית מ"ו
(34) .....It appears to me that this is a epithet, “Shepherds are prestigious to the Egyptians Because (shepherds) raise their gods Because their intent is for idolatry, he (Yosef). calls them an abomination. Because the Egyptians love them, they will settle you in the land of Goshen which is good, that his brothers not appear to be repulsive to the Egyptians.
טור הפירוש הארוך בראשית מ"ו
(לד) כי תועבת מצרים כל רועה צאן – וירחיקכם מעליו לפי שהם שנואים בעיניהם. וי"מ אדרבא חשיבות הוא בעיניהם כי אינו סברא שהי' מגנה את אחיו בעיני המלך ועוד כי הם ע"ז שלהם וחשובים בעיניהם על כן אמר בעבור שהוא חשיבות בעיניהם יתן לכם את ארץ גושן שהוא מיטב הארץ וכינה אלהותם לתועבה כמו הן נזבח את תועבת מצרים וגו':
Abravenel reiterates that the phrase תועבת מצרים refers to the animals status as idolatrous gods such as themselves not the shepherds. The shepherds esteem status warrants giving them the best lands in Egypt.
Shepherds are revered
- Don't eat with them? - Bechor Shot has no problem here, that the segregation in Yosef's and the brothers' meal was a matter of royalty dining alone
- Don't let them live with you - give them a good place to do their holy work
- Send them to Goshen - best place for shepherds
- Give them to Abraham - he was a shepherd , maybe that was enough to show reverence to him by giving him these gifts
- Stone them to death for the sacrilege of sacrificing sheep
Of course there could overlap with these positions: shepherding could be a sacrilege, low caste and disgusting. Shepherds could be revered and hated (see שפתי חכמים בראשית מ"ו see above).
Are these perushim too diverse to learn something from them as a group? The origins of antisemitism as we know it started in Egypt in the third century BCE with the writings of Manetho who indicated we were thrown out of Egypt for among other things our sacrilege of roasting and eating their sacred animals.
In the history of our exile we have been god-killers and torturers to the same people who revered us for our many talents and wished to exploit those talents even at arms length. Our mores have been repulsive to even our champions.. In the European enlightenment those who thought we were redeemable opined that if only we broke the barnacles of our obscurantism the good Jew would come out. As a member of the chosen people , we were revered for our closeness to their messiah or prophet and uniquely despised for our refusal to accept the "truth.". I leave you with an undestanding of the Siftei Chachamin:לפי שהם יודעין שהרועים רועי צאן יודעין הויתן לפי שהם תמיד אצלם הילכך יודעין שאין בה ממש הלכך שונאין כל רועי צאן. א"נ ל' תועבה. The Egyptians know that shepherds know all about sheep, since they are always with them. Shepherds know that sheep are not divine, therefore Egyptians hate all Shepherds.
Good Shabbos