Vayigash 5786 – Landlord or Lord of the Land

Yosef Hatzaddik takes on one of the most ambitious projects in human history.

The Eqyptians had all been forced to sell their land to Pharoah due to the famine and were now merely staying there as farmhands. The Torah then tells us how Yosef relocated the entire population of  Egypt and required millions of people to move house (47:21).

Rashi explains that the purpose of this move was to drill into the Egyptians that they were no longer the owners of their own land. 

Why does the Torah have to tell us about this seemingly purely economic move by Yosef? Rashi goes further and tells us that there was an underlying intention behind Yosef’s actions. He knew that his brothers were ultimately making their way down to Egypt and he didn’t want anyone to insult them by calling them foreigners. Through this mass displacement venture he made everyone a foreigner in their own land so that the potential insult would completely lose its punch.

The Kli Yakar is troubled by the fact that this is somewhat extreme. To cause so much suffering and balagan just to avoid an insult? He explains that it wasn’t simply about preventing awkward conversations, it was about changing the Egyptian mindset in order to soften the blow of his brothers coming down to Egypt. They would be greeted by a population who felt their pain and had personally experienced starting up a new life in a new home. This was vital for stabilizing his brothers as a community in Egypt before the persecutions began.

Through Yosef’s policies, Pharaoh came to own all the land of Egypt, effectively consolidating the entire land registry under a single name. In Israel, the Tax Authorities are not so lucky. Currently, the rule is that if you have income from a rental property which makes less than 5,654NIS a month, you don’t have to report the income or pay tax on it. Consequently, the Authorities don’t have info on many rental transactions. They don't know who owns or lives where.

There is a proposal to change this, requiring reporting even on rental transactions which fall below the threshold. In the meantime, they just have to wait until a missile hits. The head of Reshut Hamissim recently boasted about the amount of tax evasion they exposed during the Iran 12 Day War. When a missile struck a home, the tenants applied for compensation and were required to prove that they lived at the address. To do so, they submitted their rental contract. Upon reviewing the contract, the Authorities were able to identify the landlord and then pursue them for unreported rental income.

We don’t know what tactics Pharoah used in making sure there was no unreported private use of his land.

For any missile related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at [email protected].

Good Shabbos.