In this week's Torah portion Vayigash, Joseph's brothers attempt to exonerate themselves from the accusations of theft by mentioning that they had already returned the extra money they found in their sacks after the previous trip to Canaan. In the brothers’ minds, the fact that they had returned the missing money adds a further verification of their honesty. As they brought the money back from the Land of Israel, known for its spiritual heights, they must surely have noble intentions. Since antiquity, the Land of Israel has been synonymous with morality, and the land itself demands a high level of ethical responsibility from its inhabitants.
|