Chumash question
An excellent question put to me.
The parsha says that the mitzrim and K'na'anim ran out of money. Then it says that the Mitzrim sold themselves to Paroah, the only supplier with any food to sell. How did the K'naanim weather the famine? They survived as we see them later. They were out of money to buy food and they had the famine. If they sold themselves, why does the parsha leave them out?
The parsha says that the mitzrim and K'na'anim ran out of money. Then it says that the Mitzrim sold themselves to Paroah, the only supplier with any food to sell. How did the K'naanim weather the famine? They survived as we see them later. They were out of money to buy food and they had the famine. If they sold themselves, why does the parsha leave them out?
posted by Rebeljew at
10:48 PM
4 Comments:
A famine doesn't mean that everyone dies! It's not like no crops grew from the ground whatsoever, or that all the herd animals keeled over and died.
To put it in context, a severe famine, of the kind that causes widespread social breakdown, is a famine that kills between 5-15 people per 10,000 per day. So even a terrible famine that lasts a full year will kill about a third of the population.
By
rejewvenator, at 9:53 AM
See Rashi
He interprets that there is nothing at all growing.
By
Rebeljew, at 12:38 PM
Rashi also says that the strong Canaanite cities were the ones that had no walls, while the weak ones built wall. Which is nonsense, of course. Only strong cities have the organization capacity to build a wall in the first place. You can't take Rashi too literally.
By
rejewvenator, at 10:38 PM
The famine was supposed to last 7 years in Egypt only. It only lasted long enough in Cana'an to get the brothers to move down.
By
Mighty Garnel Ironheart, at 4:41 PM
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