Commentary for Genesis 42:25

AND TO GIVE THEM PROVISION FOR THE WAY. The reason for saying this is so that they should not consume the food which they bought in the course of the journey. He informed them of this for he gave them the provisions for the journey in a kindly fashion so that they should be able to bring the brother [Benjamin] to him, for he said, “I have no intention of harming you if your words are verified.”

ולהשיב את כספיהם, and to restore their money. The plural mode in the word does not apply to the collective term כסף, money, but to the coins which together made up the money.

ולהשיב כספיהם, and to give back their money. The reason that this verse does not employ the syntax that is commensurate with the first half, i.e. וימלאו, or למלאות…ולהשיב, could be that the person who filled the sacks was unaware of the fact that someone else had returned the money. The person who put back the money was Joseph's most trusted servant. It is also possible that Joseph ordered that the filling of the brothers' sacks with grain was to be done publicly, whereas the return of their money was to be accomplished secretly after the sacks had already been filled with grain. The reason Joseph did not give both instructions simultaneously was so as not to arouse the envy of the person entrusted with filling the sacks with grain.

ויצו יוסף, he instructed his servants, the ones who were selling the grain (completing the transaction once it had been approved) to fill the brothers’ containers with grain, which they did. וימלאו; this is one of many verses in the Torah which has been written in an abbreviated manner.

וימלאו את כליהם בר, “they filled their containers with grain.” They did not measure the quantity.
ולהשיב את כספיהם איש אל שקו, “and to put back each man’s money into his sack.” so that the brothers would be unaware of this. This is why when one of them discovered his money in verse 28 they all became frightened. By contrast, when their money was replaced after their second trip to Egypt, Joseph informed them of that fact. As to the צידה, which the Torah says Joseph gave the brothers to be eaten on the journey, this was an act of kindness. He wanted to convince the brothers that he had no hostile intentions towards them provided they could prove that they had spoken the truth. He gave them these extra provisions in order to enable them to bring their youngest brother to Egypt.

ויצו. Der Befehl, ihre Behälter mit Getreide zu füllen, geschah bei ihnen wie bei den andern, das ׳ולהשיב וגו war das Besondere. — צידה ist nicht allgemeine Nahrung, sondern Nahrung für eine bestimmte Frist. Es ist nicht die Nahrung, die schon verspeist wird (טרף), sondern die "eingefangen" (צוד) wird, um später verspeist zu werden. Auf die traurige Tatsache, dass die menschliche Nahrung unter der Anschauung eines Kampfes mit der Natur und der Gesellschaft ihre Benennung לחם ,טרף, hat, haben wir schon hingewiesen. Dieser Anschauung analog ist צידה von צור.

ולהשיב, he also instructed his servants at the same time to replace the purchase money the brothers had paid.

ויעש להם כן, these words refer to the restoration of the money and the brothers being given enough provisions for themselves for their journey. We had heard already that their containers had been filled with grain.