וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ אֵלָ֖יו לֹ֣א אֲדֹנִ֑י וַעֲבָדֶ֥יךָ בָּ֖אוּ לִשְׁבָּר־אֹֽכֶל׃
Ils lui répondirent: "Non, seigneur, mais tes serviteurs sont venus pour acheter des vivres.
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
What did Joseph do? He commanded them to bring to him the names of the people which were written down on each and every day. They came in on the first day and brought him the names of those who had entered < the country >, and so they informed him on each and every day. When Joseph's brothers came down, they all did not enter through one gate.76Gk.: pyle. The gatekeeper said to < one of the brothers >: What is your name? He told him: Reuben ben Jacob ben Isaac. So it was also with Simeon, and so with all of them. They brought < the names > that had been written down to Joseph. When he read them, he knew that his brothers were there. He sent for his son, Manasseh. He said: See where they are going. Manasseh went and saw them going about in the marketplace. They went from this marketplace to that marketplace, from this alley to that alley. < Then Joseph > sent after them, and they came to him. When he saw them, he certainly recognized them, BUT (according to Gen. 42:7) HE BECAME A STRANGER UNTO THEM. What is the meaning of BUT HE BECAME A STRANGER UNTO THEM. R. Johanan said: He became a foreigner to them. (Ibid., cont.): AND HE SAID UNTO THEM: WHERE DO YOU COME FROM? He said to them (in vs. 9): YOU ARE SPIES. They said to him (in vs. 10, 13): NO, MY LORD, BUT YOUR SERVANTS HAVE COME TO BUY FOOD < … >. WE, YOUR SERVANTS ARE TWELVE BROTHERS. R. Johanan < drew on an Aramaic metaphor and > said: < The matter > is comparable to a raven who brought fire into its nest {i.e., a raven who brought fire into its nest}.77The scribe who copied Buber’s MS felt that this Hebrew rendering was necessary because the midrash renders the metaphor in Aramaic. Gen. R. 91:7 explains that the Holy Spirit lit up within them and made them blurt out that they were brothers. He said to them: Are you brothers? They told him: Yes. Then why did you not all enter by one gate? Because our father ordered us < not to do > so because of the < evil > eye. He said to them (in vs. 16): BY PHARAOH'S LIFE YOU ARE SURELY SPIES. When < Joseph > swore falsely, he swore by Pharaoh's head.78Gen. R. 91:7. To what is the matter comparable? To a woman who stole a lamb from the flock and fled. When the shepherd ran after her, she went home and covered it with a garment. The shepherd said to her: Have you seen a lamb? She said to him: May I eat of the flesh of this one lying on the bed, if I know anything < about it > ! So < it was with > Joseph. When he wanted to swear falsely, he swore by Pharaoh's life. (Gen. 42:10:) THEY SAID UNTO HIM: NO, MY LORD, BUT YOUR SERVANTS HAVE COME TO BUY FOOD. He said to them: You know that you are spies. Why have you gone and made the rounds of the whole country? They said to him: We had a brother, but we sold him as a slave. And from the hour that we sold him our father has sat around mourning over him. So we have come down < here > with money in our hands, saying: Wherever we find him, we will redeem him. He said to them: Can a person who sells something go back on it? They said to him: For this reason we came down with double < the money > on hand to redeem him. He said to them: What if < his owner > does not want to sell him? They said to him: Even though we are burned < alive > on his account, we will not move until we have redeemed him. He said to them (in Gen. 42:14): IT IS AS I SAID UNTO YOU: YOU ARE SPIES. What did he do (according to vs. 24)? THEN HE TOOK SIMEON FROM THEM < AND BOUND HIM BEFORE THEIR EYES >. He (Joseph) said < to himself >: He bound me and cast me into the pit; I also am binding him. What did they do? They loaded up, went to their father, AND (according to vs. 29) RELATED TO HIM ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEM. He said to them (in Gen. 43:2): GO AND BUY US A LITTLE FOOD. Judah said to him (in vs. 3): THE MAN SOLEMNLY WARNED US, SAYING: YOU SHALL NOT SEE MY FACE < UNLESS YOUR BROTHER IS WITH YOU >. He said to them: I will not send Benjamin even though I am killed. They said to him: It is better for you to lose one life and not seventy. What did he do? He gave them Benjamin and began to pray for them (in Gen. 43:14): AND MAY GOD ALMIGHTY GRANT YOU MERCY BEFORE THE MAN, seeing that (according to Gen. 42:30): THE MAN < THE LORD OF THE LAND > SPOKE < …HARSHLY >. He therefore said (in Gen. 43:14): BEFORE THE MAN.79I.e., Jacob prayed that the same man who had previously spoken harshly now would grant them mercy.
Aggadat Bereshit
[3] Another interpretation: "Rejoicing in His inhabited world." These are the tribes who sought to nullify something from the Torah. When Joseph saw the dream and said, "And behold, the sun, and the moon" (Genesis 37:9), they said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us?" (Genesis 37:8). Once he left, they said to each other, "Come, let us kill him" (Genesis 37:20), etc. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them, "You seek to abolish something from the Torah and said, 'Let us be killed for it,' let us see who will uphold his words. He only did it when Joseph was sold as a slave and became a ruler, as it is said, 'And Joseph was the ruler, etc.' And Joseph's brothers came, etc. (Genesis 42:6). He began to accuse them of being spies (Genesis 42:9), they said to him, 'No, my lord, your servants have come, etc.' (Genesis 42:10-11), he said to them, 'No, you are thieves who sell your siblings as slaves. Send one of you etc.' (Genesis 42:16). And in the end, when the cup was found in Benjamin's hand, he began to say, 'Who stole the cup? Benjamin, son of a thief mother, for Rachel stole, etc.' (Genesis 31:19). 'Behold, you are the thief,' they began to say to him, 'What shall we say to my lord?' (Genesis 44:16) 'About Joseph,' he replied, 'What shall we speak?' (Genesis 44:16) 'and how shall we justify ourselves?'(Genesis 44:16) 'but] God has found [a way to exact punishment for] the [former] sin of your servants.'(Genesis 44:16) God said to them, 'What could you have abolished one thing for which you said, "Let us be killed for it?" Yet you seek to make yourselves slaves and He does not want that, as it is said, "Far be it from me to do so," etc.' (Genesis 44:17). "He who mocks them [God's words], will play the fool [or 'will be played for a fool'] in his own land [or 'in his own country']." [refer: Mishneh Torah, Torah Study 6:11]
Bereshit Rabbah
Another matter, “Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt” – was Jacob in Egypt that he saw grain in Egypt, such that the verse states: “Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt”? But did he not say [differently] to his sons, [as it is stated]: “He saidBehold, I have heard [that there is grain in Egypt]”? It is, rather, that from the day that Joseph was abducted, the Divine Spirit left him, and he would see but not see, hear but not hear.41He had from the Divine Spirit a vague idea of things that he would not otherwise know, but he did not have a clear understanding of them. Why does it not say “there was food in Egypt,” but instead it is written: “That there was grain [shever] in Egypt”? Is it not already stated: “The entire land of Egypt was hungry”? Why does the verse state: “There was grain [shever]”? Rather, do not read it as “there was grain [shever],” but rather, “there was hope [sever],” as he foresaw that his hope was in Egypt. What was that? That was Joseph.
“Jacob said to his sons: Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” Jacob said to his sons: ‘You are mighty, you are handsome, do not enter through one gate and do not stand in one place, so that the evil eye will not have dominion over you.’
“Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there.” What is “go down”? He foresaw that they would descend and be enslaved in Egypt.
Another matter, “go down there” – as anyone who purchases grain from the marketplace, descent is written in his regard.42This is because he is dependent upon market conditions for his basic sustenance (Etz Yosef).
“Joseph’s brothers descended” (Genesis 42:3). The verse should have said: “The children of Israel.” It is that initially, they did not treat him with brotherhood and sold him, but ultimately they had regrets and were saying: ‘When will we descend to Egypt and return our brother to his father?’ When their father told them to descend to Egypt, they all came to a consensus to return him.
Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: Joseph, too, knew that his brothers were descending to Egypt to acquire food. What did he do? He positioned guards at all the entrances and said to them: ‘See each one who enters to acquire food, and write his name and his father’s name.’ In the evening, they would bring the notes to him. This is what they did. When Jacob’s sons came, each and every one entered through his own gate, and they wrote their names. In the evening, they brought [Joseph] the notes. This one read: ‘Reuben son of Jacob,’ another read: ‘Simeon son of Jacob,’ and another ‘Levi,’ and likewise, all the gatekeepers, each one brought his own. Immediately, Joseph said: ‘Seal all the storehouses and keep open one storehouse.’ He gave their names to the proprietor of the storehouse. He said to him: ‘See, when these people come to you, apprehend them, and send them before me.’ Three days passed and they did not come. Immediately, Joseph took seventy mighty men from the king’s palace and dispatched them to the marketplace. They went and found them in the marketplace of harlots. What was the nature of their presence in the marketplace of harlots? It is that they said: ‘Our brother Joseph is fair of form and fair of appearance; perhaps he is in a tent.’43Perhaps he was forced to work as a male prostitute (Matnot Kehuna). They apprehended them and brought them before Joseph.
“Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them, and spoke harshly to them; he said to them: From where did you come? They said: From the land of Canaan, to acquire food” (Genesis 42:7).
“Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him” (Genesis 42:8).
“Joseph remembered the dreams that he dreamed about them, and said to them: You are spies; to see the nakedness of the land you have come” (Genesis 42:9).
“They said to him: No, my lord, but your servants have come to acquire food” (Genesis 42:10).
“We are all the sons of one man; we are sincere, your servants have not been spies” (Genesis 42:11).
“And he said to them: No, to see the nakedness of the land you have come” (Genesis 42:12).
“They said: We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan and, behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is absent” (Genesis 42:13).
Immediately, “he acted as a stranger [vayitnaker] to them, and spoke harshly to them” – it teaches that he became like a stranger [nokhri] to them. He took the goblet and struck it. He said to them: ‘I see in my goblet that “you are spies.”’ They said to him: ‘“We are sincere”; however, this is what our father commanded us: Do not enter through one gate…’ He said to them: ‘What is the nature of your presence in the marketplace of harlots? Were you not afraid of the evil eye? Was that not your father’s command?’ They said to him: ‘We lost something and we were seeking it there.’ He said to them: ‘What was the lost item? I see in my goblet that two of you destroyed the big city of Shekhem, and then you sold your brother to Arabs.’ Immediately, they were shocked and said to him: “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of…our father.” He said to them: ‘And where are the other two?’ They said to him: “One is absent” – dead; and “the youngest is with our father today.” He said to them: “Bring your youngest brother to me…” (Genesis 42:34). He took Simeon and incarcerated him before their eyes, because it was he who had pushed him into the pit. He separated him from Levi, so they would not conspire against him.
Simeon said to his brothers: ‘So you did to Joseph, and so you seek to do to me?’44You also sinned in the sale of Joseph. Do not leave me here; stay and bear the burden of punishment together with me (Maharzu). They said to him: ‘What shall we do? The people of our household will die of starvation.’ He said to them: ‘Do what you want. Now, I will see who will take me into prison.’45Shimon planned to resist being taken to prison. At that moment, Joseph sent to Pharaoh and said to him: ‘Send me seventy of your mighty men, as I have found robbers and I seek to shackle them.’ At that time he sent them to him, and Joseph’s brothers were looking to see what he sought to do.
Joseph said to those mighty men: ‘Take him into prison.’ When they drew near to him, he screamed at them. When they heard his voice, they fell on their faces and their teeth broke, as it is stated: “The roar of the lion and the voice of the great cat, and the teeth of the lion cubs are broken” (Job 4:10). Manasseh was sitting before his father. His father said: ‘You get up.’ Immediately, Manasseh stood and struck him with one blow, took him into prison, and shackled him. [Joseph] said to [his brothers]: ‘This one will be incarcerated until you bring your brother “and your statements will be verified”’ (Genesis 42:20).
Immediately, “Joseph commanded and they filled their vessels” (Genesis 42:25). They went to their father and related to him the entire incident. Their father responded and said to them: ‘Where is Simeon?’ They said: ‘He seized him for our youngest brother.’ He said to them: “You have bereaved me.” “Reuben spoke to his father, saying: Kill my two sons.” [Jacob] said to him: ‘Are your sons not my sons?’ Judah said to them: ‘Leave the elder until the bread is finished.’46Jacob was refusing to send Benjamin. Judah advised his brothers not to continue pleading but to wait until the bread was finished, when Jacob would have to agree. Judah said to him: ‘Father, if Benjamin goes with us, perhaps he will be apprehended and perhaps he will not be apprehended. But if he does not go with us, we will all die of starvation. It is preferable that you forsake the uncertain and seize the certain.’ He said: ‘Who will guarantee him?’ He said to him: ‘I will,’ as it is stated: “I will guarantee him; from me you can demand him” (Genesis 43:9). That is why it is stated: “Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt.”47The midrash interprets the word shever to mean disaster, as Jacob was afraid of the possibility that Benjamin would be harmed (Matnot Kehuna). Some commentaries suggest that this last line is an error and should not appear in the text (Nezer HaKodesh; Etz Yosef).
“Jacob said to his sons: Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” Jacob said to his sons: ‘You are mighty, you are handsome, do not enter through one gate and do not stand in one place, so that the evil eye will not have dominion over you.’
“Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there.” What is “go down”? He foresaw that they would descend and be enslaved in Egypt.
Another matter, “go down there” – as anyone who purchases grain from the marketplace, descent is written in his regard.42This is because he is dependent upon market conditions for his basic sustenance (Etz Yosef).
“Joseph’s brothers descended” (Genesis 42:3). The verse should have said: “The children of Israel.” It is that initially, they did not treat him with brotherhood and sold him, but ultimately they had regrets and were saying: ‘When will we descend to Egypt and return our brother to his father?’ When their father told them to descend to Egypt, they all came to a consensus to return him.
Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: Joseph, too, knew that his brothers were descending to Egypt to acquire food. What did he do? He positioned guards at all the entrances and said to them: ‘See each one who enters to acquire food, and write his name and his father’s name.’ In the evening, they would bring the notes to him. This is what they did. When Jacob’s sons came, each and every one entered through his own gate, and they wrote their names. In the evening, they brought [Joseph] the notes. This one read: ‘Reuben son of Jacob,’ another read: ‘Simeon son of Jacob,’ and another ‘Levi,’ and likewise, all the gatekeepers, each one brought his own. Immediately, Joseph said: ‘Seal all the storehouses and keep open one storehouse.’ He gave their names to the proprietor of the storehouse. He said to him: ‘See, when these people come to you, apprehend them, and send them before me.’ Three days passed and they did not come. Immediately, Joseph took seventy mighty men from the king’s palace and dispatched them to the marketplace. They went and found them in the marketplace of harlots. What was the nature of their presence in the marketplace of harlots? It is that they said: ‘Our brother Joseph is fair of form and fair of appearance; perhaps he is in a tent.’43Perhaps he was forced to work as a male prostitute (Matnot Kehuna). They apprehended them and brought them before Joseph.
“Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them, and spoke harshly to them; he said to them: From where did you come? They said: From the land of Canaan, to acquire food” (Genesis 42:7).
“Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him” (Genesis 42:8).
“Joseph remembered the dreams that he dreamed about them, and said to them: You are spies; to see the nakedness of the land you have come” (Genesis 42:9).
“They said to him: No, my lord, but your servants have come to acquire food” (Genesis 42:10).
“We are all the sons of one man; we are sincere, your servants have not been spies” (Genesis 42:11).
“And he said to them: No, to see the nakedness of the land you have come” (Genesis 42:12).
“They said: We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan and, behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is absent” (Genesis 42:13).
Immediately, “he acted as a stranger [vayitnaker] to them, and spoke harshly to them” – it teaches that he became like a stranger [nokhri] to them. He took the goblet and struck it. He said to them: ‘I see in my goblet that “you are spies.”’ They said to him: ‘“We are sincere”; however, this is what our father commanded us: Do not enter through one gate…’ He said to them: ‘What is the nature of your presence in the marketplace of harlots? Were you not afraid of the evil eye? Was that not your father’s command?’ They said to him: ‘We lost something and we were seeking it there.’ He said to them: ‘What was the lost item? I see in my goblet that two of you destroyed the big city of Shekhem, and then you sold your brother to Arabs.’ Immediately, they were shocked and said to him: “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of…our father.” He said to them: ‘And where are the other two?’ They said to him: “One is absent” – dead; and “the youngest is with our father today.” He said to them: “Bring your youngest brother to me…” (Genesis 42:34). He took Simeon and incarcerated him before their eyes, because it was he who had pushed him into the pit. He separated him from Levi, so they would not conspire against him.
Simeon said to his brothers: ‘So you did to Joseph, and so you seek to do to me?’44You also sinned in the sale of Joseph. Do not leave me here; stay and bear the burden of punishment together with me (Maharzu). They said to him: ‘What shall we do? The people of our household will die of starvation.’ He said to them: ‘Do what you want. Now, I will see who will take me into prison.’45Shimon planned to resist being taken to prison. At that moment, Joseph sent to Pharaoh and said to him: ‘Send me seventy of your mighty men, as I have found robbers and I seek to shackle them.’ At that time he sent them to him, and Joseph’s brothers were looking to see what he sought to do.
Joseph said to those mighty men: ‘Take him into prison.’ When they drew near to him, he screamed at them. When they heard his voice, they fell on their faces and their teeth broke, as it is stated: “The roar of the lion and the voice of the great cat, and the teeth of the lion cubs are broken” (Job 4:10). Manasseh was sitting before his father. His father said: ‘You get up.’ Immediately, Manasseh stood and struck him with one blow, took him into prison, and shackled him. [Joseph] said to [his brothers]: ‘This one will be incarcerated until you bring your brother “and your statements will be verified”’ (Genesis 42:20).
Immediately, “Joseph commanded and they filled their vessels” (Genesis 42:25). They went to their father and related to him the entire incident. Their father responded and said to them: ‘Where is Simeon?’ They said: ‘He seized him for our youngest brother.’ He said to them: “You have bereaved me.” “Reuben spoke to his father, saying: Kill my two sons.” [Jacob] said to him: ‘Are your sons not my sons?’ Judah said to them: ‘Leave the elder until the bread is finished.’46Jacob was refusing to send Benjamin. Judah advised his brothers not to continue pleading but to wait until the bread was finished, when Jacob would have to agree. Judah said to him: ‘Father, if Benjamin goes with us, perhaps he will be apprehended and perhaps he will not be apprehended. But if he does not go with us, we will all die of starvation. It is preferable that you forsake the uncertain and seize the certain.’ He said: ‘Who will guarantee him?’ He said to him: ‘I will,’ as it is stated: “I will guarantee him; from me you can demand him” (Genesis 43:9). That is why it is stated: “Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt.”47The midrash interprets the word shever to mean disaster, as Jacob was afraid of the possibility that Benjamin would be harmed (Matnot Kehuna). Some commentaries suggest that this last line is an error and should not appear in the text (Nezer HaKodesh; Etz Yosef).