וַיָּבֹ֛אוּ אֶל־יַעֲקֹ֥ב אֲבִיהֶ֖ם אַ֣רְצָה כְּנָ֑עַן וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּ ל֔וֹ אֵ֛ת כָּל־הַקֹּרֹ֥ת אֹתָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃
Arrivés chez Jacob leur père, au pays de Canaan, ils lui contèrent toute leur aventure en ces termes:
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.
Bereshit Rabbah
“Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with grain, and to restore each man's silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for the way, and he did so to them” (Genesis 42:25).
“They loaded their grain onto their donkeys, and went from there” (Genesis 42:26).
“One of them opened his sack to give feed to his donkey at the inn. He saw his silver; behold, it was in the opening of his sack” (Genesis 42:27).
“He said to his brothers: My silver was returned and, behold, it is in my sack. Their hearts sank, and they trembled one with another, saying: What is this that God has done to us?” (Genesis 42:28).
“Joseph commanded to fill…They loaded their grain onto their donkeys…One of them opened…Each one said to his brother.”52The last citation is a paraphrase of Genesis 42:28. When Rabbi Simon bar Zevida died, Rabbi Ela entered and began [his eulogy] for him: “But wisdom, where will it be found? …It is vanished from the eyes of all living… The deep says: It is not…” (Job 28:12, 21, 14). There are four matters that are essential for the world’s needs, and all of them have replacements. These are: “For there is a source of silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the dust, and copper is smelted from rock” (Job 28:1–2). But when a Torah scholar dies, we cannot find a replacement for him. Rabbi Levi said: When the tribes found something,53Whey they found the silver that had been returned to the sack. it is written: “Their hearts sank”; we who lost Rabbi Simon, all the more so.
“They came to their father Jacob, to the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had befallen them, saying” (Genesis 42:29).
“They came to their father Jacob…[and they told him all that had befallen [hakorot] them]” – it teaches that the matters weighed heavily upon them like beams [kekorot].54Like the beams of an olive-press that weigh heavily upon the olives.
“The man, lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and accused us as spies of the land” (Genesis 42:30).
“It was as they were emptying their sacks, and, behold, each man's packet of silver was in his sack. They and their father saw their bags of silver, and they were afraid” (Genesis 42:35).
“The man, lord of the land, spoke… It was as they were emptying their sacks…” – it teaches that their father suspected them.55When Jacob saw the silver, he suspected them of stealing it, and therefore also suspected them of wrongdoing regarding the disappearance of Joseph and Simeon, as the following verse suggests.
“Jacob their father said to them: You have bereaved me: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and Benjamin you will take; all of these have come upon me” (Genesis 42:36).
“Jacob their father said to them… [all of these have come upon me]” – Joseph is already not [with us], and Simeon is not, but it is incumbent “upon me” to produce twelve tribes.
“Reuben said to his father, saying: Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; place him in my charge, and I will return him to you” (Genesis 42:37).
“Reuben said to his father…” – Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: This is a firstborn imbecile. Are your sons not my sons? I wonder.
“He said: My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and only he remains, and disaster will befall him on the path on which you will go; you will cause my old age to descend in sorrow to the grave” (Genesis 42:38).
“He said: My son will not go down with you…” – Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Marinos, both of them said in the name of Abba Nehorai: When a person would say a worthy statement before Rabbi Tarfon, he would say: “A knob and a flower [kaftor vaferaḥ].”56These were parts of the ornamentation of the candelabrum and referring to them indicates that the statement was pleasing. But when he would say nonsense, he would say: “My son will not go down with you.”57Just as Jacob refused to agree to Reuben’s suggestion, Rabbi Tarfon was indicating his refusal to agree with the statement that had been made.
“On the path on which you will go; [you will cause my old age to descend in sorrow to the grave]” – but not in the house?58Was it only on the path that disaster could befall Benjamin? From here it is derived that the accuser accuses only in a time of danger.
“They loaded their grain onto their donkeys, and went from there” (Genesis 42:26).
“One of them opened his sack to give feed to his donkey at the inn. He saw his silver; behold, it was in the opening of his sack” (Genesis 42:27).
“He said to his brothers: My silver was returned and, behold, it is in my sack. Their hearts sank, and they trembled one with another, saying: What is this that God has done to us?” (Genesis 42:28).
“Joseph commanded to fill…They loaded their grain onto their donkeys…One of them opened…Each one said to his brother.”52The last citation is a paraphrase of Genesis 42:28. When Rabbi Simon bar Zevida died, Rabbi Ela entered and began [his eulogy] for him: “But wisdom, where will it be found? …It is vanished from the eyes of all living… The deep says: It is not…” (Job 28:12, 21, 14). There are four matters that are essential for the world’s needs, and all of them have replacements. These are: “For there is a source of silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the dust, and copper is smelted from rock” (Job 28:1–2). But when a Torah scholar dies, we cannot find a replacement for him. Rabbi Levi said: When the tribes found something,53Whey they found the silver that had been returned to the sack. it is written: “Their hearts sank”; we who lost Rabbi Simon, all the more so.
“They came to their father Jacob, to the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had befallen them, saying” (Genesis 42:29).
“They came to their father Jacob…[and they told him all that had befallen [hakorot] them]” – it teaches that the matters weighed heavily upon them like beams [kekorot].54Like the beams of an olive-press that weigh heavily upon the olives.
“The man, lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and accused us as spies of the land” (Genesis 42:30).
“It was as they were emptying their sacks, and, behold, each man's packet of silver was in his sack. They and their father saw their bags of silver, and they were afraid” (Genesis 42:35).
“The man, lord of the land, spoke… It was as they were emptying their sacks…” – it teaches that their father suspected them.55When Jacob saw the silver, he suspected them of stealing it, and therefore also suspected them of wrongdoing regarding the disappearance of Joseph and Simeon, as the following verse suggests.
“Jacob their father said to them: You have bereaved me: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and Benjamin you will take; all of these have come upon me” (Genesis 42:36).
“Jacob their father said to them… [all of these have come upon me]” – Joseph is already not [with us], and Simeon is not, but it is incumbent “upon me” to produce twelve tribes.
“Reuben said to his father, saying: Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; place him in my charge, and I will return him to you” (Genesis 42:37).
“Reuben said to his father…” – Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: This is a firstborn imbecile. Are your sons not my sons? I wonder.
“He said: My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and only he remains, and disaster will befall him on the path on which you will go; you will cause my old age to descend in sorrow to the grave” (Genesis 42:38).
“He said: My son will not go down with you…” – Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Marinos, both of them said in the name of Abba Nehorai: When a person would say a worthy statement before Rabbi Tarfon, he would say: “A knob and a flower [kaftor vaferaḥ].”56These were parts of the ornamentation of the candelabrum and referring to them indicates that the statement was pleasing. But when he would say nonsense, he would say: “My son will not go down with you.”57Just as Jacob refused to agree to Reuben’s suggestion, Rabbi Tarfon was indicating his refusal to agree with the statement that had been made.
“On the path on which you will go; [you will cause my old age to descend in sorrow to the grave]” – but not in the house?58Was it only on the path that disaster could befall Benjamin? From here it is derived that the accuser accuses only in a time of danger.