Midrash su Genesi 44:33

Another interpretation (of Gen. 44:18): PRAY (bi), MY LORD. By universal custom one who buys a slave and finds him to be a thief returns him. But, in the case of this person (Benjamin) who was found to be a thief, you want to acquire him as a slave! You are suspected of evil things. If you want him to serve you, I know how to serve better than he. If you want him for war, I know how to fight better than he. (Gen. 44:33:) PLEASE LET YOUR SERVANT REMAIN AS A SLAVE TO MY LORD INSTEAD OF THE LAD. (Gen. 44:18:) PLEASE LET YOUR SERVANT SPEAK SOMETHING. R. Jeremiah ben Shema'yah has said: He told him: If I make my voice heard, a plague will come over Egypt. PLEASE LET < YOUR SERVANT > SPEAK. PLEASE (N') denotes nothing but Egypt. Thus it is stated (in Nahum 3:8): WERE YOU (Nineveh) ANY BETTER THAN NO-AMON (N'-'MWN),¹³Amon was the tutelary god of No, i.e., Thebes. < WHICH SITS BY THE NILE >.

(Gen. 44:18:) AND < JUDAH > SAID: PRAY, MY LORD…. FOR YOUR SERVANT HAS BECOME SURETY FOR THE LAD. When did Judah discharge his surety? In the days of Goliath. At that time, when Israel was in trouble, what is written (in I Sam. 17:16)? THEN THE PHILISTINE DREW NEAR AT DAWN AND IN THE EVENING. < He was > cursing and reviling. Saul began sending out a herald < to proclaim > (as implied in I Sam. 17:25): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS FOR THE MAN WHO KILLS HIM THAT THE KING SHALL ENRICH HIM < WITH GREAT RICHES >…. Now you find that anyone who curses is liable for death, as stated (in Lev. 24:16): AND THE ONE WHO BLASPHEMES THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH … but that wicked man had been cursing (according to I Sam. 17:16): FOR FORTY DAYS. Moses said (in Deut. 7:10): AND < GOD > INSTANTLY REPAYS THOSE WHO HATE HIM WITH DESTRUCTION. In the case of someone wicked who performs a righteous act, the Holy One renders it unfit < by giving him his reward > during his life in this world in order to destroy him in the world to come; but for the righteous, he sets aside their righteous acts for the world to come.²²M. Pss.94:4. What < righteous act > did this wicked man (i.e., Goliath) do for him to curse for forty days? R. Isaac and R. Levi differ.²³Ruth R. 2:20. R. Levi said: Because his mother, Orpah ('RPH), walked four miles²⁴Lat.: mille. with her mother-in-law (cf. Ruth 1:7, 14), [the Holy One repaid her for it]. So from her the Holy One raised four heroes. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 21:22): THESE FOUR WERE BORN TO THE GIANT (HRPH) OF GATH.²⁵According to vss. 15-20, the four heroes were Ishbi-benob, Saph, Goliath, and a fourth man with twelve fingers and twelve toes. R. Isaac said: She walked forty paces²⁶Lat.: passus. with her; therefore, the Holy One granted her her reward and gave her Goliath.²⁷Ruth R. 2:20 states more specifically that in return for her forty paces the Holy One granted her son a forty-day reprieve. So he was cursing before the Holy One forty days, as stated (in I Sam. 17:16): AND HE (the Philistine) TOOK HIS STAND FOR FORTY DAYS. Jesse said to his son David: Now is the time to make good on the surety of your ancestor who became surety for Benjamin under the hand of his father, as stated (in Gen. 43:9): I MYSELF WILL BE SURETY FOR HIM. Now go and discharge him from his surety. Thus it is stated (in I Sam. 17:18): SEE ALSO TO THE WELFARE OF YOUR BROTHERS, AND TAKE THEIR TOKEN. Now THEIR TOKEN ('RBH) is nothing but a surety ('RBWT). What did David do? He went and made good on the surety by killing Goliath. The Holy One said to him: By your life, just as you have risked your life for Saul, since he is from the tribe of Benjamin, even as your ancestor Judah did for Benjamin < himself >, as stated (in Gen. 44:33): AND NOW PLEASE LET YOUR SERVANT REMAIN AS A SLAVE TO MY LORD INSTEAD OF THE LAD … so I am placing the Sanctuary < both > within your territory and within the territory of Benjamin. And where is it shown that the Sanctuary is < both > within the inheritance of Benjamin and within the inheritance of Judah? Where one text (Gen. 49:27) says: BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF; IN THE MORNING HE CONSUMES PREY, i.e., the dawn tamid (sacrifice), AND IN THE EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL, i.e., the twilight tamid; while another text (Ps. 48:3 [2]) says: BEAUTEOUS LANDSCAPE, JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH, < EVEN MOUNT ZION >. By your life, moreover, when all the tribes are going into exile, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin are not going into exile along with them. Why? Because these two tribes believed in me and sanctified my name in the sea with Moses. R. Abba bar Kahana said in the name of R. Levi: When the sea was split open for Israel, there was mire in it. Now the tribe of Reuben said to the tribe of Simeon: From mud you have come and to mud you are going. Thus it is stated (in Hos. 12:1): EPHRAIM SURROUNDS ME WITH DECEIT, THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL WITH FALSE-HOOD…. What did the tribes of Judah and Benjamin do? They sanctified the name of the Holy One, as stated (in Ps. 68:28 [27]): LITTLE BENJAMIN IS THERE RULING OVER THEM, THE PRINCES OF JUDAH IN THEIR GLORY….

Another matter, “there was a small city” – this is Egypt, “and few men in it” – these are Joseph’s brothers, “and a great king came against it and surrounded it” – this is Joseph, “and built a great siege upon it” – these are the three edicts that he issued: That no slave shall enter Egypt, no person may enter with two donkeys, and no person may enter whose name and his father’s name, and his grandfather’s name, and his grandmother’s name are not documented.⁹²Joseph issued these edicts so that his brothers would have to come to Egypt themselves to procure food, and not send their slaves; so that they would all have to come, instead of sending just some of them; and so that he would be able to identify them (Etz Yosef). “He found in it a poor, wise man” – this is Judah, “and he saved the city in his wisdom” – as he said: “I will guarantee him…” (Genesis 43:9). Moreover, he said to Joseph: “Now please, let your servant remain instead of the lad…” (Genesis 44:33).⁹³Thus, Judah saved the extended family from starvation by convincing Jacob to allow Benjamin to travel to Egypt, and he saved Benjamin from slavery by offering himself as a slave to Joseph instead. “But no one remembered that poor man” – the Holy One blessed be He said: You did not remember him; I remember him, as it is stated: “He sent Judah before him…” (Genesis 46:28).⁹⁴God ensured that Judah would still play a lead role among the brothers when they moved to Egypt.