In Parashat Miketz, Joseph is tasked with managing the years of famine in Egypt. The central threat presented in Pharaoh’s dreams is that the lean years will utterly consume the years of plenty. However, Joseph’s response contains a surprising anomaly: rather than rationing food strictly for Egyptians to ensure survival, he opens the storehouses to the entire region. When the famine spreads, "all the world" comes to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, including the sons of Jacob.
To understand this strategy, we must look back at the regional changes discussed in previous weeks regarding the rise of the Ishmaelites and their dominance over the regional economy. Just as the economy in Haran shifted, a significant transformation occurred in Egypt during the years the Ishmaelites took control of the desert regions between Havilah (south of Egypt) and Assyria.
Camels vs. Horses
The Torah signals this geopolitical shift through the specific animals mentioned in the text, a detail that aligns remarkably with historical and archaeological research.
When Abraham arrived in Egypt roughly two hundred years prior, he acquired "sheep, oxen, asses... and camels". Camels were present in Egypt because trade routes were open. However, during the famine in Joseph’s time, the text lists the animals exchanged for bread: horses, flocks, herds, and asses - but notably, no camels. Instead, the horse appears in the Torah for the first time.
This absence is not accidental. The Ishmaelites had achieved a monopoly on camels and used them to dominate the long-distance trade routes through the deserts. With the international routes blocked by Ishmaelite control, Egypt had no use for camels. Instead, Egypt transformed into a power based on horses.
Historical alignment: The Hyksos and the Chariot
Archaeological research confirms that while donkeys were domesticated in Egypt early on as the primary beasts of burden for the Nile Valley’s agriculture, horses were a later introduction. Horses and chariots arrived with the Hyksos, a diverse immigrant elite from western Asia who ruled northern Egypt during the period between Abraham and Joseph.
The Hyksos introduced the composite bow, the curved sword, and the horse-drawn chariot—the "tank" of the ancient Near East. While donkeys served the industrial needs
of the river valley, horses were essential for national security. This military evolution was a direct response to the Ishmaelite threat. The Ishmaelites did not conquer Egypt, but they controlled the eastern deserts "from Havilah to Shur". In the deep desert, the Egyptian army could not defeat the camel-riding Ishmaelites. However, in the flatlands of Egypt, the Hyksos’ horse-chariots provided a decisive advantage, capable of driving off raids.
The geopolitical stranglehold
The Torah’s description of the borders parallels historical findings regarding the Second Intermediate Period. Research indicates that trade routes were disrupted: the Hyksos held the north, while the Kingdom of Kush (Kerma) controlled the south, effectively cutting off the Theban center from direct trade. The Ishmaelite blockade described in the Torah - where they controlled the routes to the northeast - mirrors this historical reality where foreign powers controlled Egypt’s gateways.
Joseph’s grand strategy
Joseph understood the danger of Egypt being cut off from world trade. He felt the power of the Ishmaelites personally when he was sold into slavery by them. Therefore, he used the years of famine to execute a strategic countermove to break their monopoly.
When the famine struck, Joseph did not merely distribute food; he sold it. Crucially, he refused to sell wholesale or distribute through existing trade routes, which were under Ishmaelite control. To prevent black markets and bypass the Ishmaelite middlemen, Joseph insisted on direct sales to consumers. This forced people from all surrounding lands - including Jacob’s sons - to physically travel to Egypt.
This mass movement of people, driven by hunger, created a surge of traffic that "punctured" the Ishmaelite hegemony. By forcing the world to come to him, Joseph trampled the Ishmaelite trade monopoly. He leveraged the economic advantage of the grain into security assets and political resilience.
The new Egypt
Through this strategy, Joseph reshaped Egypt. The Egypt that Pharaoh dreamed of - one where the good years were swallowed by the bad - was transformed. Because of Joseph’s Abrahamic approach of spreading blessings and opening channels of trade, Egypt did not collapse; it grew stronger.
This aligns with historical inscriptions from the New Kingdom (such as those of Ahmose I), which celebrate the "clearing of trade routes" after the Hyksos period, indicating that these routes had indeed been blocked or disrupted. Joseph’s initiative turned a blocked state at the edge of the network into a central regional power, controlling the wealth of the region and
Connecting to the Mediterranean world
The ultimate lesson is that the ominous dream was shattered by changing reality. By opening trade and breaking the siege, Joseph ensured that the Egypt of the future was not the vulnerable Egypt of Pharaoh’s nightmare. This serves as a model for the State of Israel today: to leverage economic power to open channels of blessing and cooperation, thereby overcoming threats and ensuring survival and prosperity.