1)

Why does the Torah write "Achei Yosef" rather than 'Bnei Yaakov'?

1.

Rashi: To teach us that, remorseful of having sold Yosef, they decided to reinstate their brotherhood and to redeem him for as much as was asked of them.

2.

Malbim: Shamayim caused this in order to fulfill the first dream. 1


1

Refer to 42:9:3:7. Also refer to 42:3:2:7. (Alternatively, it caused the dream to be fulfilled later, when Binyamin went with them. When Yosef saw his brothers bow, he remembered the dreams (42:9), and took steps to totally fulfill them. Refer to 42:9:1:2 and 42:9:2:1 - PF.)

2)

Why does the verse add the word "Asarah"? Why was it not obvious that they were ten, seeing as Binyamin did not accompany them (as the next Pasuk (42:4) tells us)?

1.

Rashi: To teach us that although their attitudes towards Yosef differed; as far as purchasing grain was concerned, they were of one heart.

2.

Seforno: Because the seller would only sell grain per household, not to individuals and not in bulk (for whole communities). 1

3.

Oznayim la'Torah #1: To teach us that the suffering that they encountered on their trip, as a punishment for selling Yosef, was due to all of them 2 - even to Reuven (who may not have been an accessory to the sale, but who was guilty of leaving him in a pit full of snakes and scorpions and of going to serve his father; or to engage in his sack-cloth and fasting instead of rescuing his brother).

4.

Oznayim la'Torah #2, citing Bereishis Rabah (91:4): All ten brothers had to go down to Egypt - they could not send one or two of them together with a number of servants, or each one leading a number of donkeys - on account of the decree that Yosef had issued forbidding slaves entering Egypt, and forbidding anybody from entering with more than one donkey. Nor could they purchase grain from merchants, following Yosef's decree prohibiting donkey-drivers from transferring grain from one place to another.

5.

Ohr ha'Chayim #1: At a time of famine, people are prone to steal from and kill others. They went together to help each other. They would have taken also Binyamin, but Yaakov did not consent.

6.

Ohr ha'Chayim #2: Yosef limited how much one person could buy. There was a revealed reason, lest people do business with grain. This was good for Yosef, so he will profit from every raise in price, and good for buyers, lest the price rise too much. There was also a hidden reason - so all his brothers will need to come to him to buy the quota.

7.

Ha'amek Davar: This was so when they bowed to him, it would fulfill the first dream, in which his brothers' bundles bowed to his. Binyamin was not in the dream, for he was not with them at the time, for he was too young to watch the flock; so also now, he was not with them.


1

To prevent it from being sold on the black market, as is customary in times of famine (Seforno).

2

Oznayim la'Torah: And Hashem prevented Binyamin from going with them because he had done nothing for which he deserved to suffer. Even though he went down the second time and suffered, the Simchah over being reunited with Yosef more than compensated for this.

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