Midrash su Genesi 43:29

“He sent scrolls to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its script, and to each people in its language; for every man to be the ruler in his house, and speak the language of his people” (Esther 1:22).
Rav Huna said: Aḥashverosh had a warped sensibility. The way of the world is that if a man wishes to eat lentils and his wife wishes to eat peas, can he compel her? No, she will do whatever she wants. Rabbi Pinḥas said: Moreover, he became a laughingstock throughout the world. The way of the world is if a Median man marries a Persian woman, is she to speak the Median language? And if a Persian man marries a Median woman, is she to speak the Persian language?¹⁸If the wife does not know the language, how is she to speak it? However, the Holy One blessed be He spoke with the people of Israel in the language that they learned; that is what is written: “I am [anokhi] the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2),¹⁹According to Pesikta deRav Kahana, ‘anokhi’ means ‘I am’ in Egyptian and that is why God used it instead of the more usual ‘ani’. an expression of yeḥonekha.²⁰This is perhaps a reference to Genesis 43:29, where Joseph, the ruler of Egypt, blesses Benjamin, saying: ‘May God show grace to you [yeḥonekha], my son.’
Rabbi Natan of Beit Guvrin said: There are four languages that are the most beautiful that the world uses: Greek for song, Persian for elegy, Hebrew for speech, Latin for intimacy; some say: Assyrian for writing. Hebrew has speech, but does not have a script. Assyrian has a script, but does not have speech. They chose for themselves Assyrian script and Hebrew speech.²¹The characters used for writing Hebrew are known as ‘Assyrian script.’
A certain villager said they selected for themselves the Latin language from the Greek language.²²Latin is derived from Greek. Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon said: It is a disgrace for them that its mark is not its own. Rav Ḥanin bar Ada said: Nevertheless, “its claws were of bronze”²³The animal described in Daniel is understood to refer to Rome. (Daniel 7:19), its seals are only with its language.²⁴Perhaps this means that although Greek was spoken in the Roman empire, official documents were in Latin. Rav Shmuel bar Naḥman said: From here it is derived that a person is required to review his Torah portions. Had Moses not reviewed the Torah, from where would we know the meaning of “hashesua”²⁵This is understood to be a distinct animal with two backs and two spines, and not a description of cloven hooves.? (Deuteronomy 14:7). Likewise, had Daniel not reviewed his dream for us, from where would we know “its claws of bronze”?

Shall feed together. When did that occur? When Benjamin descended with his brothers. Though Jacob had said: My son shall not go down with you (Gen. 42:38), yet when the time for departure came, he did descend with them. They placed him between themselves and guarded him. And thus it says: Joseph lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son (Gen. 43:29).

Another interpretation (of Is. 65:25): THE WOLF AND THE LAMB SHALL FEED TOGETHER, < AND THE LION LIKE THE OX SHALL EAT STRAW >. (Ibid.:) THE WOLF: This is Benjamin, as stated (in Gen. 49:27): BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF. (Is. 65:25, cont.:) AND THE LAMB: This represents the tribes, as stated (in Jer. 50:17): ISRAEL IS A SCATTERED FLOCK…. (Is. 65:25, cont.:) SHALL FEED TOGETHER: When? When Benjamin went down with them, and Jacob said (in Gen. 42:38): LET NOT MY SON GO DOWN WITH YOU. When the hour arrived for him to go down with them, they placed him in their midst and watched over him. And so Joseph (in Gen. 43:29): LIFTED HIS EYES AND SAW HIS BROTHER BENJAMIN, THE SON OF HIS MOTHER…. (Is. 65:25, cont.:) THE LION: This is Judah, as stated (in Gen. 49:9): JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP. (Is. 65:25, cont.:) LIKE THE OX: This is Joseph, since it is stated (in Deut. 33:17): LIKE A FIRSTLING BULL HE HAS MAJESTY. (Is. 65:25, cont.:) SHALL EAT STRAW, when they have been found eating together, as stated (in Gen. 43:33): AND THEY SAT DOWN BEFORE HIM FROM THE FIRST-BORN ACCORDING TO HIS BIRTHRIGHT. Therefore (in Gen. 46:28): NOW HE (Jacob) HAD SENT JUDAH AHEAD OF HIM.

When Joseph’s brothers came to him, He lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son (Gen. 43:29). He was deeply moved, for he saw in him the image of his father.¹⁰Other sources say that he looked like his mother (Rachel), who was also Joseph’s mother. Thereupon he commanded the steward of his household: Fill the men”s sacks with food … and put my goblet, the silver goblet, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest (ibid. 44:1–2). As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away (ibid., v. 3). Joseph said to himself: “If I should permit them to depart during the night, no one will be able to overcome them, since they have been likened to beasts, as it is said: Judah is lion’s whelp (Deut. 33:22), Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path (Gen. 49:17), and Naphtali is a hind let loose (ibid., v. 21).” After they had journeyed but a short distance from the city, Joseph said (to his steward): “If they go a great distance, no one will be able to overcome them, so arise, and pursue them while the fear of the city is still upon them. When you reach them, reprimand them harshly at first and then gently, saying” Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, etc. (ibid., v. 5).

(Gen. 43:29:) THEN HE (Joseph) RAISED HIS EYES AND SAW HIS BROTHER BENJAMIN, THE SON OF HIS MOTHER. He was happy that he was like his mother, for it is so written: THE SON OF HIS MOTHER. Immediately (in Gen. 44:1): THEN HE COMMANDED THE ONE WHO WAS OVER HIS HOUSE, SAYING: FILL THE MEN'S SACKS WITH FOOD…. He said to Manasseh⁵¹I.e., his son. So below, 10:17; see also Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 44:1, which names Manasseh as Joseph’s steward. (in Gen. 44:1-3): FILL THE SACKS < …. > AND < YOU SHALL PUT > MY GOBLET, THE GOBLET OF SILVER, < IN THE MOUTH OF THE SACK OF THE YOUNGEST >…. AT MORNING LIGHT THE MEN WERE SENT OFF. Why did he not send them away at night? Joseph said: If I send them away at night, there is no creature who could cope with them because they are like wild beasts. (In Gen. 49:9:) JUDAH IS A LION'S WHELP, (in Deut. 33:22): DAN IS A LION'S WHELP, (in Gen. 49:17): DAN SHALL BE A SERPENT, (in Gen. 49:21): NAPHTALI IS A HIND LET LOOSE, (and in Gen. 49:27): BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF.

And after this Joseph turned unto his brother Benjamin to speak with him. And Benjamin was ‎still sitting upon the throne before Joseph. And Joseph said unto him: Hast thou any children? ‎And he said: Thy servant hath ten sons, and these are their names: Bela, and Becher, and ‎Ashbal, and Gera, and Naaman, and Achi, and Rosh, and Mupim, and Chupim, and Ord, and I ‎called their names after my brother whom I have not seen. And Joseph commanded and they ‎brought before him the charts of the stars whereby Joseph knew all the future things, and ‎Joseph said unto Benjamin: I have heard that the Hebrews know all things of wisdom, art thou ‎able to understand anything in this? And Benjamin said: Thy servant is acquainted with all ‎wisdom that my father taught me. And Joseph said unto Benjamin: Look then into this ‎instrument, and ascertain where thy brother Joseph is in Egypt, of whom you said he had been ‎brought down into Egypt. And Joseph looked through that instrument at the celestial map of ‎the stars, and he studied it to know where his brother was. And Benjamin divided all the land ‎of Egypt into four quarters, and he found his brother Joseph to be sitting before him upon the ‎throne, and Benjamin was greatly astonished. And Joseph saw the astonishment of his ‎brother and he said unto Benjamin: What seest thou and what astonisheth thee so. And ‎Benjamin said unto Joseph: I see through this thing, that my brother Joseph sitteth here with ‎me upon the throne. And Joseph said unto him: I am really thy brother Joseph, but do not ‎reveal this thing unto thy brothers. Behold I will send thee away with them. And when they ‎are gone, I will command to have them brought back unto the city. And I will take thee away ‎from them. And if they jeopardize their lives in fighting for your sake then I will be convinced ‎that they have repented of what they had done unto me, and I will make myself known unto ‎them. And if they abandon thee, then I will take thee, and thou shalt dwell with me, and I will ‎fight with them and then let them go without making myself known unto them. At that time ‎Joseph commanded the steward of his house to fill their sacks with food and to put every ‎man’s money into his sack, and to place the silver cup into the sack of Benjamin, and to give ‎them provision for their way. And it was done unto them so. And it was in the morning the ‎men arose early and they lifted the corn upon their asses and they went their way with ‎Benjamin and with their brother Simeon towards the land of Canaan. And when they were ‎gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward: Up, follow after the ‎men, before they are at a great distance from Egypt, and say unto them: Wherefore have ye ‎stolen the cup of my master? And Joseph’s steward rose up and followed them and he ‎overtook them, and he spoke unto them all the words of Joseph. And when they heard these ‎words their anger was greatly aroused, and they said: With whomsoever the cup of thy master ‎be found both let him die and we likewise will be slaves unto you.