Komentarz do Rodzaju 44:32

כי עבדך ערב את הנער FOR THY SERVANT BECAME SURETY FOR THE LAD — Should you ask why I enter into the contest (champion his cause) more strongly than my other brothers — then I tell you: I have more to lose; they all stand outside the matter (are less concerned with it than I am), but I have placed myself under a firm bond to be an outcast in both worlds.

FOR THY SERVANT BECAME SURETY FOR THE LAD. Judah is saying that his father will go down with sorrow to the grave²⁹Verse 31 here. on account of the lad, for “despite all that we have said to him, the aged father did not want to send him until I became surety for him, and he trusted me. Therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide³⁰Verse 33 here. in his stead.” And if the explanation of the verse, And thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father…to the grave,¹¹Verse 31 here. is in line with the plain meaning thereof, [namely, that the responsibility will fall upon the brothers, as opposed to Ramban’s previous interpretation that “thy servants” is a euphemism for Joseph,³¹See Ramban above, Verse 19. then Judah] is saying that “we will have caused the death of the aged father by sorrow, for I was surety for the lad.”

כי עבדך, the reason why I speak up more than my brothers is that I guaranteed his safety. Therefore I will take his place as your slave.