Genesis 47:11-12: “So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.”
The day arrived when Jacob was scheduled to meet with Pharaoh. Joseph’s servants came with several chariots to Goshen to give his family a ride to the palace. Judah, Dan, Gad, Benjamin and Levi had been selected to accompany their father.
The palace structure was as impressive as the nearby temple buildings. Brightly painted monumental columns supported its high ceilings. At the appointed time Joseph and his family were ushered into the throne room. Pharaoh awaited them there, surrounded by his attendants. Formally introducing his family, Joseph said: “Your Majesty, may I present my brothers to you – they have come from the land of Canaan which has been hit hard by the famine. Sustaining livestock became almost impossible. They are glad to see that Goshen still offers good pastureland, despite the ongoing drought.”
“Pleased to finally meet you”, Pharaoh responded cordially. He addressed the brothers in Egyptian while Joseph translated everything that was said. “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh asked and Judah replied: “Your servants are shepherds by trade, just like our fathers before us. We hope that Pharaoh allows his servants to remain in the land of Goshen where we can continue to raise our livestock.”
Pharaoh signaled one of his scribes and said: “Permission granted. Let it be written that Joseph’s family will have permanent land holdings in the land of Goshen.” Joseph brought his father forward. Jacob’s hair was white with age and his face, creased with a network of wrinkles, betrayed wisdom and serenity gained through difficult life lessons. Pharaoh asked him: “How old are you?” And Jacob replied: “The years of my pilgrimage on earth amounts to 130, which is short in comparison to the lifespans of my forefathers. The days of my life have been wrought with pain with few moments of relief.” Before they bid each other goodbye Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Then the audience was over and Joseph accompanied his brothers back to his servants who had been attending to the horses and chariots. “I will see you guys tomorrow,” he said and added: “I will bring my wife and children. We have a good reason to celebrate. God has brought our family back together.”
The sunrise on the Nile turned the sky orange and the river into liquid gold. Dinah sat under a Palm tree and reminisced. Ever since their arrival she could not help but go back to her last trip to Egypt when she gave up her firstborn for adoption at the temple of Heliopolis. The moment when she released her precious daughter into the arms of a priest was frozen in time. She would never forget the sweet little face of her baby. She remembered the little birthmark right underneath her left eye. Even after all these years her heart ached when she revisited these memories.
Dinah stood up and squared her shoulders in an attempt to shake off the sadness. “Faithful God,” she prayed, “I have many reasons to be grateful. You gave me a good husband and another daughter who is with me right now, even though Asher is not.” Dinah had become a widow soon after the birth of her second daughter. And so she had returned to her childhood home and was counted among Leah’s children when Jacob’s tribe migrated to Egypt.
Returning to the campground, Dinah focused on the things at hand: There was a feast to prepare. Joseph and his family were going to attend the festivities. After having been apart for so many years, this was to be a very special occasion indeed. Dinah joined the other women who had were already preparing the dough for the bread. Soon they would slaughter lambs to offer spit roast along with the bread and wine.
In the afternoon Joseph arrived with his wife and children. Asenath silently thanked God that she had taken Hebrew lessons after the birth of her daughter. Adiyah was a lively five-year-old with long chestnut brown hair. Manasse had turned eight on their 9th wedding anniversary while Ephraim’s seventh birthday happened to be today. He was the first to jump off the chariot. “Wow!” he exclaimed when he saw the commotion. Lanterns were lit throughout the camp and several campfires were burning with men turning spit roasts. All of the family tribes came out to greet them. Joseph smiled at his sons and said: “Today you can practice your Hebrew. Go get to know your cousins!”
It was a beautiful day in Goshen. The festivities lasted well into the night and Joseph’s sons were put to bed with their cousins in Uncle Benjamin’s tent. “Where is Adiya?” Asenath asked Benjamin. “She is with the girls over at Dinah’s,” he said pointing to a brightly lit tent near the third campfire. “I’m going to check on Adiya”, Asenath said to Joseph who was in deep conversation with his father. He nodded and smiled a little absently.
Asenath walked towards the tent that Benjamin had pointed out to her. And as she came closer she could hear her daughter laughing, saying: “No you’re not my grandma! My grandma lives in Heliopolis.” Walking into the tent she saw her daughter in the arms of a stranger, a woman with greying chestnut hair and tears in her eyes. She looked up and saw Asenath standing there and asked: “Are you her mother?” Astonished, Asenath replied: “Yes, Adiya is my daughter ….” – “Then you are my daughter,” the woman replied. Asenath’s knees went weak and she had to sit down. “What?” was all that she could say. And the woman continued: “Adiya is the spitting image of the child I had to give up for adoption, with the same heart-shaped birthmark under her left eye.” Diana paused and let the message sink in and added, “My name is Dinah. I was married to Prince Shechem, your father, who also had a birthmark under his left eye.”
Asenath was speechless. “I knew I was adopted,” she slowly said, “but I had no idea I stemmed from the land of Canaan.” Dinah’s eyes, full of tears, spilled over her cheeks and began to run freely. All the pain that she had buried over the years came back to live, pulsed through her veins and brought back the old familiar heartaches. “Sweetie I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I had little choice in the matter. All these years I’ve been praying for you and I was wondering how you were doing, what you would look like. Oh!” Her voice broke and all she could do was barely whisper: “Look at you! Oh you’re so beautiful!”
Little Adiya cried. She didn’t understand why the old lady who had been so kind to her was suddenly so sad. Asenath was in shock, but she quickly took control of the situation when she saw that the situation began to upset her little daughter. “Adiya, come to Mommy!” she exclaimed. Sensing the strange tension in her mother she reluctantly obeyed.
After an awkward silence Diane offered: “Maybe we can talk about the circumstances of your birth at a later time – when the little one is in bed sleeping.” She smiled reassuringly at Adiya who hid behind her mother.
With some effort Asenath gained back her composure. And after giving it some thought she decided it was a good idea to meet with Diana – but not alone. She needed her parents by her side. “I would very much appreciate that,” she said and touching her forehead she added, “Oh I’m sorry – where are my manners? My name is Asenath. You should come to Heliopolis and meet my parents.”
The sun set after an eventful day in Goshen, a family reunion that would be remembered for a very long time.