וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל לָהֶם֙ לְשָׁל֔וֹם וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֲשָׁל֛וֹם אֲבִיכֶ֥ם הַזָּקֵ֖ן אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲמַרְתֶּ֑ם הַעוֹדֶ֖נּוּ חָֽי׃
Entonces les preguntó él cómo estaban, y dijo: ¿Vuestro padre, el anciano que dijisteis, lo pasa bien? ¿vive todavía?
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Gen. 37:4:) BUT WHEN HIS BROTHERS SAW THAT THEIR FATHER LOVED HIM MORE THAN ANY OF HIS BROTHERS, < THEY HATED HIM SO THAT THEY COULD NOT SPEAK PEACEABLY (shalom) TO HIM >. When he came to ask how they were (shalom), they would not answer him. Why? Because it was his custom to ask how they were. You have the < kind of > person who, before coming to power, [asks people how they are. But, after coming to power], his spirit hardens over him, and he is no longer careful to ask the people of the city how they are. Joseph, however, was not like that. Although he had come to power (in Egypt), it was < still > his custom to ask his brothers how they were. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 43:27): AND HE ASKED THEM HOW THEY WERE. The Holy One said to him: Joseph, you began asking how your brothers were in this world; and they hated you. In the world to come, however, I am pardoning you, removing hate from between you, making you dwell in safety, and making peace between you. So also has David said (in Ps. 133:1): SEE HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT IT IS FOR BROTHERS TO DWELL TOGETHER.
Sefer HaYashar (midrash)
And the men informed the steward of Joseph’s house concerning the money that was returned in their sacks, and he said unto them: Peace be to you, fear not. And he brought out unto them their brother Simeon. And Simeon said unto his brothers: My lord the king of Egypt has dealt very kindly with me; he did not continue my confinement as you have seen with your eyes. For on your leaving this city he had me released and he hath shown unto me kindness in his own house. And Judah took Benjamin by the hand and they came before Joseph, and they bowed down before him to the ground. And the men gave their presents unto Joseph and they sat down before him. And Joseph said unto them: Is there peace with you and peace with your children and peace unto your aged father? And they said peace. And Judah took the letter which Jacob had sent, and he put it into the hands of Joseph. And Joseph read the letter and he recognized his father's hand writing and he felt like weeping. And Joseph could not refrain himself, and he entered into his chamber and he wept a great weeping, and then he came out again, and he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, and he said: Is this your brother of whom ye spoke unto me? And Benjamin came near unto Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand upon his head and said unto him: God be gracious unto thee, my son And when Joseph saw his brother, the son of his mother, he sought once more where to weep, and he entered into his chamber and he wept there. And he washed his face and went out and refrained himself and said: Set on bread. And in the hand of Joseph was a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver studded with onyx stones and bdellium, in beauty exceeding. And Joseph struck this cup before the eyes of his brothers when they sat down to eat with him. And Joseph said unto the men: I divine by this cup that Reuben is the first born, and Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun are sons of one mother. Set down therefore to eat according to your birth. And he seated the others likewise according to their birth. And Joseph said: I' know that this, your youngest brother, hath no brother, and I, like him, have no brother, therefore let him sit down and eat with me. And Benjamin went up before the face of Joseph and he seated himself upon the throne. And when the men saw what Joseph did they wondered greatly at these things, and the men ate and drank with Joseph at that time. And he gave them presents at that time, and Joseph gave an additional present unto Benjamin. And when Manasseh and Ephraim saw the act of their father they also gave their presents unto Benjamin, and Osnath gave him also a present, so that there were in Benjamin’s hand five presents. And Joseph brought wine for them to drink, but they would not drink it, and they said, from the day that our brother Joseph hath been lost unto us, we did not drink any wine nor did we eat any delicious food. And Joseph swore and he urged them exceedingly and they drank and became intoxicated with him on that day.
Bereshit Rabbah
“He asked them regarding their wellbeing, and he said: Is all well with your father? Is the elder whom you mentioned still alive?” (Genesis 43:27).
“They said: All is well with your servant, with our father, he is still alive; they bowed, and they prostrated themselves” (Genesis 43:28).
“He asked them regarding their wellbeing…They said: All is well…” – Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba saw a certain Babylonian: He said to him: ‘How is Father?’9Rabbi Ḥiyya lived in the land of Israel and his father lived in Babylonia. He said to him: ‘Your mother inquired after you.’ He said to him: ‘I said this to you and you said that to me?’ He said to him: ‘One asks about the living, and one does not ask about the dead.’ So, “is all well with your father?” – this is Jacob; “the elder that you mentioned” – this is Isaac. “They said: All is well with your servant, with our father.”10They answered about Jacob, who was alive, but not about Isaac, who was not.
“He lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and he said: Is this your youngest brother whom you mentioned to me? He said: God be gracious to you, my son” (Genesis 43:29).
“He lifted his eyes, and saw…” – Rabbi Binyamin said: Because we have heard grace [mentioned] regarding the eleven tribes,11Jacob said of them: “The children with whom God has graced your servant” (Genesis 33:5). Binyamin had not yet been born at that time. but did not hear grace regarding the tribe of Benjamin. Where did we hear it? We heard it here: “God be gracious to you, my son.”
“Joseph hurried, because his mercy was aroused toward his brother and he sought to weep; he entered the chamber, and wept there” (Genesis 43:30).
“They sat before him, the firstborn according to his seniority, and the younger according to his youth, and the men wondered to one another” (Genesis 43:33).
“Joseph hurried…They sat before him…” – he took the goblet and created the false impression that he was smelling the goblet. He said: ‘Judah, who is king, sits at the head. Reuben who is the firstborn, will sit alongside him,’ and likewise regarding them all. He said: ‘I have no mother and Benjamin has no mother, when his mother bore him, she died. Therefore, let him come and place his head alongside mine.’ That is why, “the men wondered…”
“He gave gifts from before him, and Benjamin's gift was five times greater than the gifts of all of them. They drank, and became inebriated with him” (Genesis 43:34).
“He gave gifts from before him…” – Joseph gave him, Asenat gave him, Manasseh gave him, Ephraim gave him, and [he received] his portion with his brothers. That is what is written: “Benjamin's gift was five times greater than the gifts of all of them.”
“They drank, and became inebriated with him” – with him, they drank, but other than with him, they did not drink, as Rabbi Levi said: All twenty-two years that he did not see them, he did not taste the taste of wine. They, too, did not taste the taste of wine until they saw him. That is what is written: “They drank, and became inebriated with him” – with him, they drank, but other than with him, they did not drink.
“They said: All is well with your servant, with our father, he is still alive; they bowed, and they prostrated themselves” (Genesis 43:28).
“He asked them regarding their wellbeing…They said: All is well…” – Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba saw a certain Babylonian: He said to him: ‘How is Father?’9Rabbi Ḥiyya lived in the land of Israel and his father lived in Babylonia. He said to him: ‘Your mother inquired after you.’ He said to him: ‘I said this to you and you said that to me?’ He said to him: ‘One asks about the living, and one does not ask about the dead.’ So, “is all well with your father?” – this is Jacob; “the elder that you mentioned” – this is Isaac. “They said: All is well with your servant, with our father.”10They answered about Jacob, who was alive, but not about Isaac, who was not.
“He lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and he said: Is this your youngest brother whom you mentioned to me? He said: God be gracious to you, my son” (Genesis 43:29).
“He lifted his eyes, and saw…” – Rabbi Binyamin said: Because we have heard grace [mentioned] regarding the eleven tribes,11Jacob said of them: “The children with whom God has graced your servant” (Genesis 33:5). Binyamin had not yet been born at that time. but did not hear grace regarding the tribe of Benjamin. Where did we hear it? We heard it here: “God be gracious to you, my son.”
“Joseph hurried, because his mercy was aroused toward his brother and he sought to weep; he entered the chamber, and wept there” (Genesis 43:30).
“They sat before him, the firstborn according to his seniority, and the younger according to his youth, and the men wondered to one another” (Genesis 43:33).
“Joseph hurried…They sat before him…” – he took the goblet and created the false impression that he was smelling the goblet. He said: ‘Judah, who is king, sits at the head. Reuben who is the firstborn, will sit alongside him,’ and likewise regarding them all. He said: ‘I have no mother and Benjamin has no mother, when his mother bore him, she died. Therefore, let him come and place his head alongside mine.’ That is why, “the men wondered…”
“He gave gifts from before him, and Benjamin's gift was five times greater than the gifts of all of them. They drank, and became inebriated with him” (Genesis 43:34).
“He gave gifts from before him…” – Joseph gave him, Asenat gave him, Manasseh gave him, Ephraim gave him, and [he received] his portion with his brothers. That is what is written: “Benjamin's gift was five times greater than the gifts of all of them.”
“They drank, and became inebriated with him” – with him, they drank, but other than with him, they did not drink, as Rabbi Levi said: All twenty-two years that he did not see them, he did not taste the taste of wine. They, too, did not taste the taste of wine until they saw him. That is what is written: “They drank, and became inebriated with him” – with him, they drank, but other than with him, they did not drink.