Midrash su Genesi 42:24

Another interpretation (of Gen. 44:18): THEN JUDAH DREW NEAR UNTO HIM. This text is related (to Job 41:8 [16]): ONE IS SO NEAR TO THE OTHER THAT NO AIR CAN COME BETWEEN THEM. This refers to Judah and Joseph, for in whatever Joseph prided himself, Judah came and vanquished, as stated (in Gen. 45:1): JOSEPH COULD NOT RESTRAIN HIMSELF. To what were they comparable?⁹Tanh., Gen. 11:3. To a bull that went out; and, when all the beasts fled from him, he kicked (rt.: B'T) at one and gored at another. Then came the lion, but he did not stand up to him. Rather, when the lion appeared and sought out the bull, he was not to be found. So Joseph is likened to the bull, as stated (in Deut. 33:17): LIKE A FIRSTLING BULL HE HAS MAJESTY. The tribes also have been likened to beasts, and Joseph was priding himself as being over them and despising (rt.: B'T) them. (According to Gen. 42:7) HE BECAME A STRANGER TO THEM. Then goring at a particular one, (according to Gen. 42:24) HE TOOK SIMON FROM THEM. He acted so only until the lion came, < for > (according to Gen. 49:24) JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP. He sought him out as the bull, but he was not to be found. Rather (according to Gen. 45:1): JOSEPH COULD NOT RESTRAIN HIMSELF. Why? (Prov. 30:30:) THE LION IS THE MIGHTIEST AMONG THE BEASTS, AND RETREATS BEFORE NONE, even because it is written of him (in Gen. 47:12): AND < JOSEPH > SUSTAINED < HIS FATHER AND HIS BROTHERS >.¹⁰One would expect some saying about Judah. Buber’s note here suggests that SUSTAINED be read as two words, apart from the biblical context, and interpreted as “All in all,” i.e., the lion is “all in all” in the world of beasts. Cf. Tanh., Gen. 11:3: “Who has stood facing a bull? The lion, as stated (Gen. 44:18): THEN JUDAH DREW NEAR UNTO HIM.” Also in the world to come a fighting Messiah is going to arise from Joseph, but a Messiah who is to arise from Judah will be stronger than he, as stated (in Zech. 10:6): I WILL STRENGTHEN THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, < BUT THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH I WILL SAVE >.

R. Simlai stated: In reference to Reuben, it is written: And delivered him out of their hand (ibid. 37:2). Hence you learn that he was not responsible for the selling of Joseph. Similarly Judah said to them: What profit is it if we slay our brother? (ibid., v. 36). Now, inasmuch as these were the four eldest sons, it is apparent that Simeon and Levi must have been responsible for his sale. When they came to Egypt, Joseph looked angrily at Simeon, as it is said: And took Simeon from among them and bound him (ibid. 42:24). Hence he addressed them together: Simeon and Levi are brothers.

[(Gen. 43:14:) AND MAY GOD ALMIGHTY (ShDY) GRANT YOU MERCY.] What was the reason for Jacob to bless them with < the formula > GOD ShDY?⁴⁶Tanh., Gen. 10:10; below, 10:16. To teach you that a lot of afflictions had come upon him. While he was in his mother's womb, Esau had contended with him, as stated (in Gen. 25:22): BUT THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED TOGETHER WITHIN HER.⁴⁷Cf. PRK 3:1. And so it says (in Amos 1:11): BECAUSE HE PURSUED HIS BROTHER WITH THE SWORD AND DESTROYED HIS WOMB. "His womb" is < what is > written.⁴⁸DESTROYED HIS WOMB would normally be read as a metaphor and translated by an expression such as “cast off all pity.” Because of Esau he fled to Laban. See how many troubles there were! (Gen. 31:40:) THUS I WAS: BY DAY SCORCHING HEAT CONSUMED ME…. < Look at > how, when he left, < Laban > pursued after him to kill him, [as stated (in Gen. 31:23)]: AND PURSUED AFTER HIM FOR A JOURNEY OF {THREE} [SEVEN] DAYS. He escaped from him; Esau came with the intention of killing him. On account of him he lost all that gift⁴⁹Gk.: doron. (according to Gen. 32:15 [14]): TWO HUNDRED SHE-GOATS…. He went away from Esau; the trouble about Dinah came (in Gen. 34). Then after that, the trouble with Rachel < dying > (in Gen. 35:19). Then, after these troubles, he was intending to rest a bit, until there came the trouble about Joseph (in Gen. 37); and after that, the trouble with his father, Isaac, who died (in Gen. 35:29) ten years after the sale of Joseph. So the Scripture has cried out (in Job 3:26): I WAS NOT TRANQUIL, NOT QUIET, HAD NO REST; AND TROUBLE CAME. After that there came upon him the trouble with Simeon (in Gen. 42:24); and after that, the trouble with Benjamin (in Gen. 42:36; 43:3-15). He therefore prayed (in Genesis 43:14) AND MAY GOD ShDY. Now he says: The one who said: Enough (DY), to the heavens and to the earth should say: Enough (DY), to my afflictions. For, when the Holy One created the heavens and the earth, they continued expanding until the Holy One said to them: Enough (DY).⁵⁰See above, 1:11; 3:25. below, 10:16. It is therefore written (in Gen. 43:14): GOD WHO IS ENOUGH (ShDY).

And Joseph called unto the warriors, and seventy of the most powerful men among them ‎appeared before him with drawn swords in their hand. And the sons of Jacob were terrified ‎before them, and Joseph said unto them: Seize ye upon this man, and confine him in the ‎prison house until his brothers shall return unto him. And Joseph’s men hastened, and all of ‎them seized Simeon to bind him. And Simeon shouted at them a bitter and terrible shouting, ‎and his voice was heard to a great distance, and all the powerful men of Joseph became ‎terrified at his great shouting, and they fell down upon their faces, and they were greatly ‎afraid and fled. And all the other men which were around Joseph fled likewise for they were ‎afraid of their lives, and no one remained there but Joseph and Manasseh, his son. And when ‎Manasseh, the son of Joseph, saw Simeon’s strength his anger was greatly aroused and he ‎rose up against Simeon and Manasseh struck Simeon a heavy blow with his fist on his neck. ‎And Simeon was pacified, and Manasseh seized Simeon and he overpowered him, and he ‎bound him and brought him into the prison house. And all the sons of Jacob were greatly ‎astonished at the work of that lad. And Simeon said unto his brothers: Let no one among ye ‎think that this was the blow of an Egyptian, for it is really a blow of one of the house of our ‎father, and after this Joseph commanded that the officer set over the store house to fill the ‎vessels be called upon to fill the sacks of those men with corn as much as they could carry, and ‎to return and to place every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the ‎road, and thus they did unto them. And Joseph commanded them: Take ye heed not to ‎trespass my words, and that you bring your brother according as I have spoken unto you. And ‎when you shall have brought your brother unto me, I will know that you are true men, and you ‎may do business in the land. And I will restore your brother unto you, and you may return in ‎peace unto your father, and all together answered unto him and said: As our lord hath spoken ‎so shall we do. And they bowed down before him to the ground, and each of them lifted his ‎corn upon his ass, and they left to go unto the land of Canaan, unto their father. And when ‎they came to the inn, Levi opened his sack to give provender unto his ass, and he saw and ‎behold his money in its weight was still in his sack. And the man was greatly afraid, and he said ‎unto his brothers: My money is restored, and lo it is even in my sack. And the men were ‎greatly afraid and they said: What is this that God hath done unto us, and all of them said: ‎Where is the kindness of our Lord for our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to deliver us ‎this day into the hands of the kings of Egypt to mock us. And Judah said unto them and are we ‎not guilty, and have we not sinned against the Lord our God in having sold our brother, our ‎own flesh? And why do you say where are the mercies of God against our forefathers. Reuben ‎said unto them: And have I not said unto you, do not sin against the child, but you would not ‎listen unto me. And now God requireth his blood of us, and why do you say where are the ‎mercies of our God to our forefathers, whereas we hath sinned against the Lord.‎

When Yosef came up to his brothers, they stripped Yosef of his tunic, the colorful tunic that was on him" (Genesis 37:23) Rabbi Elezar said: he [Yosef] came mocking them. "And they stripped Yosef" - this is when they took his traveling cloak. "His tunic" this is [them stripping off] his shirt. "The colorful tunic" this is the tunic itself. "That was on him" this is his breeches. "And they seized him" we read they seized him, but the word can be read as "he seized him" and who was that? Shimeon. When did Yosef pay him back for this? After: "And he took Shimeon from them". "And they tossed him in the pit, and the pit was empty, there was no water in it" - No water in it, but there were snakes and scorpions. There were two pits [in the area] one filled with stones and another with fiery snakes and scorpions. Rav Acha said: the pit was empty - Yaakov's pit emptied. There was no water in it - there were no words of Torah, that are compared metaphorically to water, such as you say "Oy, all who are thirsty come to water" (Isaiah 55:1). It is written "when a man is found stealing a person from his brothers" (Deut. 24:7) and here you are, selling your brother.