Midrash su Genesi 42:9

Another interpretation (of Eccl. 9:14-15): THERE WAS A LITTLE CITY, i.e., Egypt;⁶Eccl. R. 9:14-15:3. WITH FEW PEOPLE IN IT, i.e., Joseph's brothers; AND A GREAT KING CAME OVER IT, i.e., Joseph; AND BUILT GREAT SIEGE WORKS AGAINST IT. (Thus in Gen. 42:9:) SO HE SAID TO THEM: YOU ARE SPIES. (Eccl. 9:15:) NOW THERE WAS FOUND IN IT A PERSON WHO WAS POOR AND WISE, i.e., Judah; WHO DELIVERED THE CITY BY HIS WISDOM. (Gen. 44:18:) THEN JUDAH DREW NEAR UNTO HIM < … >.

“And the earth abides forever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: The verse should have said only: “The earth passes and the earth comes, but the generation abides forever.”²⁸This would indicate that the earth is transient, and the people last forever. Which was created for the sake of the other, was the earth created for the sake of the generation, or was the generation created for the sake of the earth? Was it not the earth [that was created] for the sake of the generation? Rather, because the generation did not perform the duties [assigned to it by] the Holy One blessed be He; therefore, it wastes away. The earth, because it performs the duties [assigned to it by] the Holy One blessed be He; therefore, it does not waste away.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: It is written: “For like the days of the tree will be the days of My people” (Isaiah 65:22). Tree means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “It is a tree of life for those who grasp it” (Proverbs 3:18). Which was created for the sake of the other; the Torah for the sake of Israel, or Israel for the sake of the Torah? Was it not the Torah [that was created] for the sake of Israel? Rather, the Torah that was created for the sake of Israel exists for ever and ever; Israel, for whose sake [everything] was created, all the more so. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: A kingdom enters and a kingdom leaves, but Israel stands forever; that is: “The earth abides forever.” Rabbi Shmuel in the name of Rabbi Pelatya of Naveh derived it from this verse: “Yehonatan son of Gershom son of Menashe, he and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the exile of the land” (Judges 18:30). Does a land go into exile or wander? Rather, these are Israel, who are called land, as it is stated: “All nations will praise you; as you will be a land of delight” (Malachi 3:12) – you will be called a land of delight.
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Everything that the Holy One blessed be He created in man, He created its parallel for the earth. Man has a head and the earth has a head [rosh], as it is stated: “[He had not yet made earth and fields, or] the beginning [rosh] of the dust of the world” (Proverbs 8:26). Man has eyes [einayim] and the earth has eyes, as it is stated: “They will cover the face [ein] of the earth” (Exodus 10:5). A person has ears and the earth has ears, as it is stated: “Listen, earth” (Isaiah 1:2). Man has a mouth and the earth has a mouth, as it is stated: “The earth opened its mouth” (Numbers 16:32). Man eats and the earth eats, as it is stated: “A land that consumes its inhabitants” (Numbers 13:32). Man drinks and the earth drinks, as it is stated: “[But the land]…by the rain of the heavens it drinks water” (Deuteronomy 11:11). Man vomits and the earth vomits, as it is stated: “So the land will not vomit [you out]” (Leviticus 18:28). Man has hands and the earth has hands [yadayim], as it is stated: “The land is spacious [raḥavat yadayim]” (Genesis 34:21). Man has thighs and the earth has thighs [yerekhayim], as it is stated: “I will gather them from the ends [miyarketei] of the earth” (Jeremiah 31:8). Man has a navel [tabbur] and the earth has a navel, as it is stated: “Dwellers in the middle of [betabbur] the earth” (Ezekiel 38:12). Man has nakedness and the earth has nakedness, as it is stated: “To see the nakedness of the land you have come” (Genesis 42:9). Man has feet and the earth has feet, as it is stated: “And the earth abides [omadet] forever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4).²⁹The term omadet literally means standing, implying that it has feet.
What is omadet? Ma’amedet. Rabbi Aḥa and the Rabbis, Rabbi Aḥa said: It fulfills [ma’amedet] its duties. The Rabbis said: It produces [ma’amedet] its food. Rabbi Shimon ben Yosei ben Lakoneya said: Because in this world a person builds a building and another spends time in it, [a person] plants a sapling and another eats [its produce]. But in the future, they will not build and another will settle, they will not plant and another will eat, as it is stated: “For like the days of the tree will be the days of My people, and My chosen will outlive their handicraft” (Isaiah 65:22).

(Gen. 42:3:) SO JOSEPH'S TEN BROTHERS WENT DOWN < TO BUY GRAIN IN EGYPT >. Jacob said to them: Will you please not < all > enter by one gate²⁷Gk.: pyle. because of the evil eye?²⁸Tanh., Gen. 10:8; Gen. R. 91:6; cf. 91:2; cf. also above, 10:8; below, 10:17. And so they did. When they entered, they did not all enter as a unit, but each and every one all by himself. What did Joseph do? He posted guards over the entrance gates of Egypt. He said: Let each and every one who enters have his name and the name of his father written under your supervision. Then you are to bring their names to me. So, when the children of Jacob entered, each and every one all by himself, he (a guard) said: What is your name? So he told him: Reuben ben Jacob. And so it was with each and every one of them. < A guard > would write down his name and the name of his father. Then they brought < the names > to Joseph. Joseph immediately recognized them, as stated (in Gen. 42:8): SO JOSEPH RECOGNIZED HIS BROTHERS. He began to recall the dreams, as stated (in Gen. 42:9): NOW JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS THAT HE HAD DREAMED ABOUT THEM. (Vs. 7:) BUT HE BECAME A STRANGER UNTO THEM, AND HE SPOKE HARSHLY WITH THEM. He began to treat them harshly, AND (ibid., cont.) HE SAID TO THEM: WHERE DO YOU COME FROM? When they said: From the land of Canaan, he said to Simeon and Levi: Are you accustomed to pillaging people just as you did at Shechem (in Gen. 34:25-26)? Ergo (in Gen. 42:7): AND HE SPOKE HARSHLY WITH THEM.

"And Yosef saw his brothers, etc." - Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nechemiah said, "He made himself a stranger (nocri) to them. "And Yosef recognized his brothers, etc." - Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis [argued about this]: Rabbi Levi said, "At the time they fell into his hand, 'And Yosef recognized his brothers;' at the time he fell into their hands, 'and they did not recognize him.'" And the Rabbis said, "He who left them adorned by beards, 'And Yosef recognized his brothers - and they did not recognize him,' as they did not leave him adorned by a beard [as he was too young].""And Yosef remembered, etc... and he said to them, etc...'we are all the sons of one man'" - they had a flash of Divine inspiration [in which] they said to him, "We and you are the sons of one man, we are." He said to them, "And where is [the other one]?" "We sold him." He said to them, "For how much did you sell him?" They said to him, "For five sela."He said to them, "And if a person would say to you, 'Give me five sela and I will give him to you,' would you do it?" They said to him, "Yes." "And if a person would say to you, 'Give me double and I will give him to you,' would you do it?" They said, "Yes." "And if a person would say to you, '[Even] if you would give me a thousand, I will not give him to you,' what would you do?" They said to him, "For that have we come down [to Egypt], whether to kill or to be killed." He said to them, "'This is what I have said about you, spies, etc.'" "Through this will you be examined; by the life of Pharaoh" - when he wanted to make a false oath, he would swear by the life of Pharaoh. Rabbi Levi said, "There is a parable of a goat that ran away from the pasture and went in to a widow. What did she do? She got up and slaughtered it and flayed it and put it in her bed and covered it with a sheet. They came to request it from her. She said, 'So should happen to this woman if she knows about it, this flesh [actually referring to the goat] should be bitten and eaten.' So too, 'by the life of Pharaoh if you will get out, etc...Send one of you.'" "And he placed them in the prison for three days" - never does the Holy One, blessed be He, leave righteous ones in dire straits for three days and so was it taught to Yosef, to Yonah, to Mordechai, to David. And so is it stated (Hoshea 6:2), "He will revive us from the two days; on the third day" of the tribes, "He will bring us up" - "And Yosef said to them on the third day."