Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: "Cause every man to go out from me." And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
verse value 3776
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "to·all" (לְכֹ֤ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·could·not" (וְלֹֽא־יָכֹ֨ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 156: Joseph, Joseph. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·could·not" (וְלֹֽא־יָכֹ֨ל), "to·control·himself" (לְהִתְאַפֵּ֗ק), "who·were·standing" (הַנִּצָּבִים֙). The root יוסף appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·brothers" (root אח, 164x in Genesis); "Joseph" (root יוסף, 156x in Genesis); "every·man" (root איש, 153x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·upon', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Onkelos
Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood about him, and he called out: Send every man away from before me. So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Rashi
ולא יכל יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים AND JOSEPH COULD NOT REFRAIN HIMSELF BEFORE ALL THEM THAT STOOD — He could not bear that the Egyptians should stand by him witnessing how his brothers would be put to shame when he made himself known to them.
Ramban
THEN JOSEPH COULD NOT ‘L’HITHAPEIK’ (REFRAIN HIMSELF) BEFORE ALL THEM THAT STOOD BY HIM. He could not bear that the Egyptians should stand by him witnessing how his brothers would be put to shame when he makes himself known to them. This is the language of Rashi. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that l’hithapeik means “to bear.” The expression Before all them that stood by him, means until all that stood by him would go out, and so it was necessary that he call out that they be removed. Onkelos, however, translated l’hithapeik as meaning “to strengthen himself.” Similarly: ‘Va’ethapak” (And I forced myself) and offered the burnt-offering. Every other form of hithapkuth in every place is likewise an expression of strengthening. The correct interpretation in my opinion is that there were present many people of Pharaoh’s house and other Egyptians, pleading with Joseph to pardon Benjamin, for their compassions were deeply stirred by Judah’s pleas, and Joseph could not overcome them all. He then called forth to his servants, “Let every strange man go out from me, because I will speak to them.” And when they had gone out, he wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the people of the house of Pharaoh, here. who had been expelled from his presence, for they were still in the outer court. It is possible that the expression, ‘hanitzavim’ (them that stood) by him, means his servants who stood before him, just as: The servant ‘hanitzav’ (that was set) over the reapers; ‘sarei hanitzavim’ (chief officers); ‘L’hithyatzeiv’ (To present themselves) before the Eternal. And the meaning of Vayikra (and he called) is that he raised his voice with anger and said to his servants, “Cause every man to go out from before me, except these men.” And the reason for the removal is that he expelled them from there so that they should not hear when he mentions the matter of the sale to his brothers because it would be a source of distress to them and also to himself, for the servants of Pharaoh and the Egyptians will say of them: “These are treacheous people who must not live in our land, nor tread in our palaces. They have acted treacherously against their brother, and also dealt treacherously with their father. What will they do to the king and his people?” They would also no longer believe in Joseph.
Ibn Ezra
"To restrain himself" — to endure. "To all those standing over him" — the meaning is: until all those standing over him had gone out. He needed to call out in order to remove them.
Sforno
להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו, he did not have the patience at this stage to deal with the private concerns of all the people who were awaiting to receive an audience and were already lining up in that house.
Or HaChaim
ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק, Joseph could no longer contain himself, etc. He could not wait until all those present would leave of their own accord, but he called out loudly that everyone other than the brothers be removed from his presence immediately. The Torah adds the words ולא עמד איש אתו, that no one remained with him, to underline the speed with which his servants left his presence. בהתודע יוסף, when Joseph revealed himself. The letter ב before התודע means "on account of" (his revealing himself). In order for the brothers to accept Joseph's claim that he was their brother, the matter of his sale had to be aired. Joseph wanted to spare his brothers the embarassment of becoming known as people who had sold their brother, hence he had to clear everyone out of the room. When the Torah mentions immediately afterwards that Joseph wept loudly when he revealed himself and all of Egypt heard about it, this is a clear indication that Joseph was not concerned that he could be overheard. He was only concerned that his brothers' part in all this should not be overheard.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו, “Joseph could no longer control his emotions from all those who stood around him.” It appears from this wording that the courtiers around Joseph became gradually more inclined to side with Yehudah in that argument, something that Joseph was not prepared to tolerate. This is why he ordered them out of his presence, calling out: “remove everyone from my presence!” Subsequently, the Torah reports: ויתן את קולו בבכי, “he raised his voice by weeping.” He broke out crying after he was left alone with the brothers, וישמעו מצרים וישמע בית פרעה, “The Egyptians heard; then this was heard in Pharaoh’s palace.” According to Tanchuma Vayigash 5 things happened somewhat differently. The words “Joseph could no longer control himself” reflect a tremendous inner conflict raging within Joseph. If the brothers were to kill him, he had no next of kin who would demand to avenge his blood. He finally decided to take a chance on the brothers killing him rather than his exposing the fact that he had been kidnapped and sold into slavery by these men. This was the consideration which prompted him to order everybody out of the room.
Tur HaArokh
ולא יכול יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים, “and Joseph could no longer restrain himself in the presence of all the courtiers around him.” According to Rashi what bothered Joseph was that all the Egyptians would become privy to matters which were private between him and his brothers. He did not want to shame his brothers publicly when he would reveal himself to them, and unavoidably their part in his having been brought to Egypt in the first place would come to light. Nachmanides makes the point that whenever the expression התאפקות occurs it denotes the strength of character of the person so described. The people surrounding Joseph had been so moved by Yehudah’s words that they appealed to Joseph to respond by releasing him. The pressure became so great that even steadfast Joseph could no longer withstand it. He therefore ordered everybody out of the hall in order to continue the dialogue with the brothers (Yehudah) in private. A soon as the Egyptians who had been present left the hall, Joseph broke out in tears, and weeping, something which the Egyptians now outside could not help overhearing. The meaning of the word ויקרא in our verse is not a simple ”reading” or instruction, without the subject raising his voice especially, but Joseph raised his voice angrily in ordering all the Egyptians surrounding him out into the courtyard.
And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
verse value 3042
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 3042 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "palace·of" (בֵּ֥ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·heard" (וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "in·weeping" (בִּבְכִ֑י). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·gave" (root נתן, 150x in Genesis); "palace·of" (root בית, 121x in Genesis); "Pharaoh" (root פרעה, 94x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·weeping', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֥ן [and·gave] (466) + אֶת־קֹל֖וֹ [his·voice] (537) + בִּבְכִ֑י [in·weeping] (34) + וַיִּשְׁמְע֣וּ [and·they·heard] (432) + מִצְרַ֔יִם [Egypt] (380) + וַיִּשְׁמַ֖ע [and·heard] (426) + בֵּ֥ית [palace·of] (412) + פַּרְעֹֽה [Pharaoh] (355) = 3042.
Onkelos
He raised his voice in weeping, and the Egyptians heard, and the household of Pharaoh heard.
Rashi
וישמע בית פרעה AND THE HOUSE OF PHARAOH HEARD IT — The house of Pharaoh means his servants and the members of his household. בית here does not mean an actual house (so that the words would mean “and one heard it in the house of Pharaoh; cf. 5:16), but it is similar to (1 Kings 12:21) בית ישראל “the house of Israel”, or בית יהודה the house of Judah”, meaning the people of Judah. old French maisniede English all the inmates of a house.
Ibn Ezra
"With weeping" — this is a place of pause [i.e., a disjunctive accent]. Similar to it is: "He has seen my affliction" (Lamentations 3:1).
And Joseph said to his brothers: "I am Joseph; does my father yet live?" And his brothers could not answer him; for they were dumbfounded before him.
verse value 2202 — אָבִ֖י = 13 (echad/ahavah)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֖י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "living" (חָ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·could·not" (וְלֹֽא־יָכְל֤וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 156: Joseph, Joseph. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·could·not" (וְלֹֽא־יָכְל֤וּ), "to·answer" (לַעֲנ֣וֹת), "were·dumbfounded" (נִבְהֲל֖וּ). The root יוסף appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "my·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis); "that" (root כי, 167x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'living', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Onkelos
Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him a word, for they were confounded before him.
Rashi
נבהלו מפניו [FOR] THEY WERE AMAZED AT HIS PRESENCE — out of shame.
Sforno
העוד אבי חי?, “how could he have survived so many years of worry over my fate?”
Chizkuni
כי נבהלו מפניו, “for they were frightened of him.” They were afraid of what he might do to them as reprisals for what they had done to him.
Rabbeinu Bahya
העוד אבי חי “is my father still alive?” Joseph’s very first words concerned the well being of his father and the concern if he was still alive. ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אותו כי נבהלו מפניו, “his brothers were not able to answer him as they had become frightened of him.” They were dumbstruck realizing that they had sold him into slavery and now he wielded the authority of a king. They were also scared that he would take revenge on them now. The expression נבהלו occurs in that sense in Isaiah 13,8 ונבהלו צירים וחבלים יאחזון, “And, overcome by terror, they shall be seized by pangs and throes.” According to Tanchuma Vayigash 5 Joseph said to them: “did you not say: ‘this one’s brother is dead?’ I shall call upon him now and he will come to me.” Thereupon he started calling: “Joseph, son of Yaakov, come to me!” The brothers looked at each of the four corners of the room and nothing happened. Then Joseph said: “what are you looking for, I am your brother Joseph!” When the brothers heard that they lost consciousness. This is why they could not answer him. Rabbi Yochanan used this experience of Joseph’s brothers to exclaim “woe to us on the day of our death, woe to us when we will be called upon to answer for our sins.” If the brothers were so stricken when they heard Joseph reveal himself to his them, how much more will we be frightened when we stand before G’d to be judged! This is what is meant by the verse in Isaiah 10,3: “What will you do on the day of punishment, when the calamity comes from afar?” Another verse on the same theme is found in Maleachi 3,2: “But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can hold out when he appears?”
Kli Yakar
Is my father still alive, etc. Even though they had already told him that he was alive, as is clear from all of Judah’s words, nevertheless, Joseph thought that perhaps they said this only to arouse his mercy for the old man and to prevent him from causing his death, since his soul was bound up with his [Benjamin’s] soul. Therefore, he asked them a second time Is my father still alive? But their hearts interpreted it differently — they thought that he wasn’t actually asking whether he was alive or not, but rather that he was reminding them of their sin. This is why he said my father is still alive, emphasizing that he was his father and not their father, as if to say they hadn’t shown concern for his anguish as though he wasn’t their father. Therefore, they were dismayed and could not answer him. And another reason for this panic: Because he said I am Joseph without mentioning “your brother,” they were therefore terrified and trembled, seized with fear. For they said perhaps he seeks to be an enemy and take revenge, having removed himself from brotherhood just as they had done to him when they removed themselves from brotherhood, as Rashi explained on the verse they have departed from here (Genesis 37:17). Therefore, he said to them a second time I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold to Egypt. Even though you could have at least sold me to some other nation that wasn’t so steeped in sexual immorality, nevertheless I am your brother and do not be distressed that you sold me here to Egypt, for God sent me here for sustenance. For I see that things were orchestrated such that I came among those steeped in sexual immorality, and the incident with Potiphar’s wife occurred where I conquered my inclination, and through this I merited to become Israel’s shepherd, providing and sustaining. As it is written His bow remained taut… from there he became a shepherd, a stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24). And our Sages agreed with this, saying (Sotah 4b) “Anyone who commits adultery will ultimately seek a loaf of bread and not find it.” And if I had not been among those steeped in sexual immorality, perhaps another person would have been chosen to remedy the years of famine. But since it happened that I was sold to a people steeped in sexual immorality, none of them merited to remedy the famine except me. Therefore, being sold here to Egypt caused that God sent me before you for sustenance. And our Sages said (Bereishit Rabbah 93:11) that from this state of bewilderment, a lesson can be derived about the Day of Judgment, as Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said, “Woe to us from the Day of Judgment, woe to us from the Day of Rebuke!” For if Joseph’s brothers could not answer him when he merely said I am Joseph, how much more so when the Holy One, Blessed be He, stands in judgment, as it is said, And what will you do on the day of reckoning, etc. (Isaiah 10:3). For the brothers thought that Joseph was reminding them of their sin in the way that was explained, so what will a person do on the day of reckoning when their dwelling place, their business dealings, and their interactions will be examined, and He makes the hand of every man sign, saying “Look at your ways, what have you done.” And Rabbi Elazar’s opinion is that the Torah wrote for us that his brothers were bewildered so that the wise person would take to heart the trembling of the Day of Judgment, and learn a fortiori [all the more so] from Joseph’s brothers.
Tur HaArokh
העוד אבי חי?, “is my father still alive?” Even though he had asked them the same question already in 43,27 and the brothers had answered in the affirmative, his question now concerned the state of his health, not the mere fact that Yaakov was still alive. The word חי therefore has to be equated with בריא, healthy. It is also possible that he did not really ask this question in order to receive additional information, but merely to have an opening to speak to the brothers, instead of as until now, about “your father,” but about “my father,” i.e. their common father. This was a ploy to establish close personal contact with his brothers.
And Joseph said to his brothers: "Come near to me, I pray you." And they came near. And he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
verse value 3745
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "whom·you·sold" (אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "approach·please" (גְּשׁוּ־נָ֥א), "whom·you·sold" (אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "to·me" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "to·his·brothers" (root אח, 164x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·approached', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יוֹסֵ֧ף [Joseph] (156) + אֶל־אֶחָ֛יו [to·his·brothers] (56) + גְּשׁוּ־נָ֥א [approach·please] (360) + אֵלַ֖י [to·me] (41) + וַיִּגָּ֑שׁוּ [and·approached] (325) + וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲנִי֙ [I] (61) + יוֹסֵ֣ף [Joseph] (156) + אֲחִיכֶ֔ם [your·brother] (79) + אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם [whom·you·sold] (1201) + אֹתִ֖י [me] (411) + מִצְרָֽיְמָה [to·Egypt] (385) = 3745.
Onkelos
Joseph said to his brothers: Come close to me now. And they came close. He said: I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
Rashi
גשו נא אלי STEP NEAR TO ME, I PRAY YOU — He saw that they recoiled and he said to himself “Now my brothers feel ashamed”. He therefore called to them and showed them that he was circumcised. (Genesis Rabbah 93:10).
Sforno
גשו נא אלי, so that not all the people hearing me cry can see that it is I who is crying. אשר מכרתם, the one whom you have sold! By mentioning this episode you will realise that I can be none other than your brother Joseph, for who else knows about this? The people who bought me as a slave had no idea that I was the sellers’ brother.
Or HaChaim
ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו גשו נא אלי, Joseph said to his brothers: "please come closer to me." The reason he asked them to come close was so that when he would mention the fact that they had sold him he could whisper. Only after they had come closer did he say: "I am your brother Joseph whom you sold, etc." Joseph was careful to say all this in a whisper although he had sent everybody outside. He was familiar with the proverb that walls have ears. אני יוסף אחיכם, "I am your brother Joseph." The reason he repeated the fact that he was Joseph a second time was that he felt there were two reasons why the brothers had not yet responded to him. 1) They were afraid of him and could not answer him just as a thief cannot answer when he is found out suddenly. 2) They simply did not believe him when he claimed to be Joseph. He said: "I am Joseph your brother, does my father still live, etc.?" in order to dispel their fear of him. He stressed the word your brother in that sentence. In the next sentence, after he had formed the impression that they did not believe him, he stressed the words your brother whom you have sold, indicating that even at the time they had sold him he had not ceased feeling like a brother towards them. He added the words "whom you have sold to Egypt" as proof that it was he, Joseph, for not even a prophet could have knowledge of that fact except he himself (compare Yalkut Shimoni 142).
Chizkuni
גשו נא אלי “please come closer to me.” He told them about the subject of how he had been sold, in a whisper, so that bystanders could not hear him. A different exegesis of these words: they were asked to approach him as they could do so; he, Joseph, being only one, could not come closer to some of them without at the same time distancing himself from some others. Besides, he was not concerned about his dignity but more about theirs. According to Rashi, he asked them to come near, so that he could show them, and them only, that he had been circumcised. There was no chance that this could have been misinterpreted as causing the brothers to believe that he was a Yishmaelite, who also perform the rite of circumcision on themselves, as they only performed this rite at the age of 13, as had their forefather Yishmael, and who leave a membrane around the glans untouched as distinct from the Hebrews who through being circumcised at an early age remove it when the fact that it has been removed remains clearly visible. Even though, according to Rashi, the Egyptians at that time also had been circumcised by a decree from Joseph, but this was done primarily by the poor who needed to purchase grain from him, but since Joseph was wealthy, the only reason why he was circumcised would be because he was a Hebrew. Another exegesis, since the brothers did not know that the Egyptians had been circumcised by Joseph, this mark would identify him as a Hebrew beyond doubt.
Rabbeinu Bahya
גשו נא אלי ויגשו, “step closer to me! They stepped closer.” When Joseph saw that the brothers were frightened and were trying to retreat he told them to come closer to him in order to calm their fear. According to Bereshit Rabbah 93,10 the reason he asked them to step closer was to show them that he had been circumcised, repeating that he was their brother and felt as their brother in spite of their having sold him. He told them that he would not “boss” them around at all.
Kli Yakar
“Please come closer to me, and they came closer.” He showed them that he was circumcised. Through this, he wanted to demonstrate his righteousness — that although he had lived among those immersed in lewdness, he had not stumbled in matters of sexual impropriety. For one who has relations with a gentile woman, his foreskin extends (Eruvin 19a). We find (in Midrash Tehillim 114:4) that Israel was redeemed from Egypt in the merit of four things: they did not change their names, they did not change their language, they had no slanderers among them, and they were careful in matters of sexual morality. The reason for this will be explained in Parashat Shemot (1:1), God willing. Similarly here, when Joseph sent for his father and brothers, he informed them by what merit they would ascend from there, and he hinted to them these four things, as Joseph was complete in all of them: He did not change his name, as he said to them I am Joseph, even though Pharaoh called him Tzafnat Paneach, nevertheless, I am Joseph — this is my name forever. And he did not change his language, as he said for it is my mouth speaking to you in the holy tongue [Hebrew]. And he was not promiscuous in sexual matters, as it says Please come closer to me — he showed them he was circumcised. And he was not a slanderer, as it says come closer to me because he did not want Benjamin his brother to hear about the sale, and even to his father he did not tell anything, for if he had revealed it, Jacob would certainly have commanded him before his death please forgive your brothers’ transgression. Joseph hinted to them that for the sin of selling him they would pay the debt of your descendants will be strangers [in a foreign land], as it is written Now, do not be distressed — specifically now, but in the future you will be distressed. Therefore, he hinted to them both about the exile and the things that would bring about the redemption. Some say that now hints to the ten Martyrs who in the future would be distressed over the sale.
Tur HaArokh
גשו נא אלי, “please come closer to me.” He now changed his demeanour and spoke to them as an equal, in a friendly manner. It is also possible that he did not want to remind them aloud of the fact that they had sold him, and therefore he made them approach him closely so that he could whisper to them. He did not want the people in the courtyard to overhear this part of their conversation. According to Rashi, the reason he wanted them to approach him closely was to show them that he was circumcised, just like them, to prove that he was who he had just said that he was. I do not think this would have proved anything as all the male descendants of Yishmael were also in the habit of performing circumcision on themselves, albeit at the age of 13. Moreover, according to the Midrash, the Egyptians had adopted the rite of circumcision at the advice of Joseph.
And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here; for God did send me before you to preserve life.
verse value 3575 — אֱלֹהִ֖ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 3575 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·be·grieved" (אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "do·not·be·grieved" (אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ), "because·you·sold" (כִּֽי־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם), "to·preserve·life" (לְמִֽחְיָ֔ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "do·not·be·grieved" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "for" (root כי, 167x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'here', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֣ה [and·now] (481) + אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ [do·not·be·grieved] (599) + וְאַל־יִ֙חַר֙ [let·not·be·angry] (255) + בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם [in·your·eyes] (202) + כִּֽי־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם [because·you·sold] (730) + אֹתִ֖י [me] (411) + הֵ֑נָּה [here] (60) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לְמִֽחְיָ֔ה [to·preserve·life] (93) + שְׁלָחַ֥נִי [sent·me] (398) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + לִפְנֵיכֶֽם [ahead·of·you] (230) = 3575.
Onkelos
But now, do not be distressed and do not let it weigh heavily in your eyes that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that Hashem sent me before you.
Rashi
למחיה FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE — i.e. that I may be to you for a preservation of life.
Or HaChaim
ועתה אל תעצבו, "and now do not be sad, etc." We must first understand what Joseph meant when he said: "and now;" what did he want to exclude? Why did he tell the brothers neither to be sad nor to be angry? Besides, psychologically speaking, the feeling of sadness is the opposite of the feeling of anger. A sad person is humble whereas an angry person is arrogant, selfrighteous. Why would Joseph ask the brothers to be neither? We must assume that Joseph meant that he was well aware that at present the brothers were saddened by the fact that they had sold him as they had indicated at the time they said to each other: "but we are guilty, etc." We also know from Bereshit Rabbah 91,3 that the brothers were prepared to pay a very substantial ransom to buy Joseph's freedom when they found him in Egypt. Taking this into consideration Joseph told the brothers: "do not be sad now seeing that you have located the subject of your search." He hinted that he was aware that they felt positive towards him and had been sincerely saddened by what they had done to him. He added that they should not become angry at themselves for having set in motion all the developments which had led to this reunion. He supported his argument by saying that actually what the brothers had done had resulted in their now being able to rely on him to see them through the famine, and not become impoverished, etc.
For these two years has the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.
verse value 4039 — וְעוֹד֙ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "and·still" (וְעוֹד֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "five" (חָמֵ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "no·plowing" (אֵין־חָרִ֖ישׁ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·still" (וְעוֹד֙), "no·plowing" (אֵין־חָרִ֖ישׁ). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "the·earth" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "two·years" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּי־זֶ֛ה [because·this] (42) + שְׁנָתַ֥יִם [two·years] (800) + הָרָעָ֖ב [the·famine] (277) + בְּקֶ֣רֶב [among] (304) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·earth] (296) + וְעוֹד֙ [and·still] (86) + חָמֵ֣שׁ [five] (348) + שָׁנִ֔ים [years] (400) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + אֵין־חָרִ֖ישׁ [no·plowing] (579) + וְקָצִֽיר [and·harvest] (406) = 4039.
Onkelos
For these are two years that the famine has been in the midst of the land, and there are still five years in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.
Rashi
כי זה שנתים הרעב means FOR THESE TWO YEARS OF FAMINE have passed of the years of famine that are to come in the land.
Ramban
FOR THESE TWO YEARS HATH THE FAMINE BEEN IN THE LAND. The reason why he mentioned to them what had transpired, which they themselves also knew, was to state that a land which has gone through two years of famine, in which the people had consumed all which they possessed, resulting in exceedingly high prices, and which was destined to experience five more years of famine, could offer them no sustenance whatsoever — had G-d not dispatched me before you.
Tur HaArokh
כי זה שנתים הרעב, “for these two years of famine, etc.” He reminded them of the years of famine that had already passed, and that they had already consumed all their reserves although there were five more years of famine in store for the country. How could they have hoped to survive the next five years if G’d in His providence had not sent Joseph ahead of them to Egypt in order to be able to provide for his family?
And God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great deliverance.
verse value 3161 — אֱלֹהִים֙ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָכֶ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·sent·me" (וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֤נִי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·sent·me" (וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֤נִי), "to·put" (לָשׂ֥וּם), "a·remnant" (שְׁאֵרִ֖ית). The root לכם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "before·you" (root פנים, 133x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֤נִי [and·sent·me] (414) + אֱלֹהִים֙ [God] (86) + לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם [before·you] (230) + לָשׂ֥וּם [to·put] (376) + לָכֶ֛ם [to·you] (90) + שְׁאֵרִ֖ית [a·remnant] (911) + בָּאָ֑רֶץ [in·the·land] (293) + וּלְהַחֲי֣וֹת [and·to·save·alive] (465) + לָכֶ֔ם [to·you] (90) + לִפְלֵיטָ֖ה [as·a·deliverance] (164) + גְּדֹלָֽה [great] (42) = 3161.
Onkelos
Hashem sent me before you to set for you a remnant in the land and to preserve for you a great deliverance.
So now it was not you that sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
verse value 4861
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·made·me" (וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִֽי, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "not·you" (לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם), "sent" (שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם), "and·made·me" (וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִֽי). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·all·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "the·God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "as·a·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Onkelos
So now, it was not you who sent me here, but rather it was from before Hashem. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and a lord over all the people of his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Rashi
לאב A FATHER — he made me his colleague and he bestowed on me the dignity of “Father of the king.”
Ibn Ezra
"For it is God" — who sent me. "A father" — the meaning is: a teacher; similarly: "the father of all who play the lyre" (Genesis 4:21).
Sforno
ועתה לא אתם שלחתם, now that you have seen G’d’s purpose a purpose that could not have been achieved without all the various stages preceding it, it is no more than reasonable to suppose that also the further distant causes which led up to all this were part of G’d’s plan. לאב לפרעה, as an adviser to the king. ולאדון לכל ביתו, in charge of the entire palace. ומושל בכל ארץ מצרים, and absolute ruler in the whole land of Egypt concerning national and international affairs.
Or HaChaim
ועתה, לא אתם שלחתם אותי הנה, "Now, you did not send me here, etc." Joseph explained why he told the brothers not to worry that he still hated them for what they had done to him and how cruelly they had treated him. He implied that it was true that at the time he certainly had not understood why they could have harboured so much resentment against him; he had had reason to hate them for that; ועתה, now, things had become clear. Having reflected on all that had transpired since the brothers had sold him, Joseph had realised that it had been part of an overall design orchestrated by G'd. The brothers had merely been G'd's agents, though they did not realise it at the time. It would not be appropriate for him to continue to feel hatred towards them. Perhaps this consideration enabled the brothers to face their father who would now have to become aware that it was the brothers who had caused him to mourn the loss of Joseph all these years. In view of the outcome, the brothers did not even need to feel shame when they faced their father. It is quite unlikely that once Jacob had become aware that Joseph was the ruler in Egypt that he should not have made every effort to find out how Joseph came to be in Egypt and what happened to cause his striped coat to become blood-drenched at the time. The only argument that would reconcile Jacob and his sons with what had happened was that it had become evident that G'd's plan had been executed step by step. There was no point in second-guessing why and how G'd had brought all this about. Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 86,1 have already said that Jacob had originally been meant to descend to Egypt in chains, but that the sale of Joseph enabled him to arrive in Egypt in style, i.e. riding in Pharaoh's chariot.
Hasten you, and go up to my father, and say to him: Thus said your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, tarry not.
verse value 3467 — אֱלֹהִ֛ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "of·all·Egypt" (לְכׇל־מִצְרָ֑יִם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "hurry" (מַהֲרוּ֮), "and·go·up" (וַעֲל֣וּ), "has·made·me" (שָׂמַ֧נִי). The root אל appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·say" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "your·son" (root בן, 248x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·all·Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Onkelos
Hurry and go up to my father and say to him: Thus says your son Joseph — Hashem has made me lord over all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.
Rashi
ועלו אל אבי AND GO UP TO MY FATHER — he said “go up” because the land of Israel is situated higher than all the neighbouring countries (Kiddushin 69a).
Sforno
מהרו, so that he will not worry and agonise any longer.
Chizkuni
רדה אלי, “come down to me!” he did not say: רד “come down”, which has the numerical value of 204, but said רדה is the numerical value of 209, to indicate that the 210 years decreed for the Israelites stay in Egypt had already started i.e. we are already within the 210 years decreed for the Israelites stay in Egypt so that the exile would not be lengthened by Yaakov and family resettling in Egypt without delay. There are only 209 of these years left.
And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you, and your children, and your children's children, and your flocks, and your herds, and all that you have;
verse value 3890
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·that·is·yours" (וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "land·of·Goshen" (בְאֶֽרֶץ־גֹּ֗שֶׁן), "near" (קָרוֹב֙), "your·sons" (בָנֶ֑יךָ). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·will·be" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "land·of·Goshen" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "and·your·sons" (root בן, 248x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיָשַׁבְתָּ֣ [and·you·will·dwell] (718) + בְאֶֽרֶץ־גֹּ֗שֶׁן [land·of·Goshen] (646) + וְהָיִ֤יתָ [and·you·will·be] (431) + קָרוֹב֙ [near] (308) + אֵלַ֔י [to·me] (41) + אַתָּ֕ה [you] (406) + וּבָנֶ֖יךָ [and·your·sons] (88) + וּבְנֵ֣י [and·sons·of] (68) + בָנֶ֑יךָ [your·sons] (82) + וְצֹאנְךָ֥ [and·your·flocks] (167) + וּבְקָרְךָ֖ [and·your·herds] (328) + וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ [and·all·that·is·yours] (607) = 3890.
Onkelos
You shall dwell in the land of Goshen and you shall be near to me — you and your sons and your sons' sons, and your flocks and your cattle and all that is yours.
Ramban
AND THOU SHALT DWELL IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN. Joseph knew that his father would not want to stay in that part of the land of Egypt where the royal palace was. Therefore he now informed him that he will settle him in the land of Goshen. The meaning of the expression, Thou and thy children, is that it is connected with the previous verse: Come down unto me… here. thou and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast.
Rabbeinu Bahya
והיית קרוב אלי, “and you will be close to me.” The land of Goshen is close to the capital of Egypt. Joseph was well aware that his father would not want to reside in the capital; this is why he arranged for him to live in Goshen. Concerning the words: וכלכלתי אותך שם... פן תורש, “I will provide for you there. so that you will not become impoverished,” (verse 11) the meaning of these words is: “if you remain in Canaan you will surely become impoverished during the next five years of famine.” Joseph implied that he would not be able to look after his family economically while they were in the land of Canaan as he would be suspected of sending them grain in order to trade in it on the local market and to profiteer through their connection to him. Furthermore, they would suspect that the export of such grain supplies to his family were only a prelude to his own return there. On the other hand, if they would all come to Egypt everyone would know that he had no reason to return to Canaan and that he was not amassing a secret fortune in order to enable him to leave the country.
Tur HaArokh
וישבת בארץ גושן, “and you can reside on the province of Goshen.” Joseph knew full well that his father would not want to reside in Egypt proper, in the capital; this is why he assigned to province of Goshen to his family.
and there will I sustain you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.
verse value 4894
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·that·is·yours" (וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·I·will·provide·for" (וְכִלְכַּלְתִּ֤י), "for·still" (כִּי־ע֛וֹד), "lest·you·be·impoverished" (פֶּן־תִּוָּרֵ֛שׁ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "there" (root שם, 180x in Genesis); "years" (root שנה, 169x in Genesis); "and·all·that·is·yours" (root כל, 127x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'famine', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכִלְכַּלְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·provide·for] (516) + אֹֽתְךָ֙ [you] (421) + שָׁ֔ם [there] (340) + כִּי־ע֛וֹד [for·still] (110) + חָמֵ֥שׁ [five] (348) + שָׁנִ֖ים [years] (400) + רָעָ֑ב [famine] (272) + פֶּן־תִּוָּרֵ֛שׁ [lest·you·be·impoverished] (1036) + אַתָּ֥ה [you] (406) + וּבֵֽיתְךָ֖ [and·your·household] (438) + וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ [and·all·that·is·yours] (607) = 4894.
Onkelos
I will sustain you there, for there are still five years of famine, lest you become impoverished — you and the people of your household and all that is yours.
Rashi
פן תורש — The Targum renders this by דלמא תתמסכן LEST THOU BE IMPOVERISHED, for the verb is of the same root as we find in (1 Samuel 2:7) “The Lord maketh poor (מוריש) and maketh rich”.
Ramban
LEST THOU COME TO POVERTY, THOU, AND THY HOUSEHOLD. Joseph said this by way of respect for his father. To his brothers he said, For G-d did send me before you to preserve life, here. and to give you a remnant, here. but to his father he did not want to say so. Instead, he said, “that if you will delay in the land of Canaan you will be impoverished for I could not send you much food from the royal storehouse as they will suspect me of selling it there in order to accumulate treasures of money and then return to my land and to my birthplace. But when you come here, and they will know that you are my father and brothers, the king will give me permission to sustain you.”
Ibn Ezra
"Lest you be dispossessed" — like: lest you be cut off; and similarly: "to dispossess nations" (Deuteronomy 4:38).
Sforno
פן תורש, on account of the dearth of grazing land in the land of Canaan. (compare 47,4 “there is no grazing land for our flocks.”)
Tur HaArokh
פן תורש אתה וביתך, “lest both you and your family will become impoverished.” When he had uttered the same concern to his brothers directly, he had phrased it more crassly, warning them of the imminent danger of dying from the famine. When speaking to his father, he used more diplomatic, inoffensive wording.” (compare verse 7 “in order to keep you alive.”)
And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
verse value 1672
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. The shortest word is "my·brother" (אָחִ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·eyes" (עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "are·seeing" (רֹא֔וֹת), "that·my·mouth" (כִּי־פִ֖י), "speaking" (הַֽמְדַבֵּ֥ר). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·you" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "my·brother" (root אח, 164x in Genesis); "are·seeing" (root ראה, 140x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Benjamin', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּ֤ה [and·behold] (66) + עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ [your·eyes] (200) + רֹא֔וֹת [are·seeing] (607) + וְעֵינֵ֖י [and·the·eyes·of] (146) + אָחִ֣י [my·brother] (19) + בִנְיָמִ֑ין [Benjamin] (162) + כִּי־פִ֖י [that·my·mouth] (120) + הַֽמְדַבֵּ֥ר [speaking] (251) + אֲלֵיכֶֽם [to·you] (101) = 1672.
Onkelos
And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is in your language that I am speaking with you.
Rashi
והנה עיניכם ראות AND, BEHOLD, YOUR EYES SEE my glory, and that I am your brother, and further כי פי המדבר אליכם THAT IT IS MY MOUTH THAT SPEAKETH TO YOU in the Holy Language) (Genesis Rabbah 93:10). ועיני אחי בנימין [YOUR EYES] AND THE EYES OF MY BROTHER BENJAMIN — he mentions them separately and alike to imply: just as I harbour no hatred against Benjamin, my brother, for he was no party to selling me, so is my heart free from hatred against you (Megillah 16b).
Ramban
THAT IT IS MY MOUTH THAT SPEAKETH UNTO YOU. I.e., in the Holy Language. This is the opinion of the commentators, and it is also the translation of Onkelos. It is possible that Joseph said so to them for plausibility and in order to be conciliatory, for the fact that a person in Egypt speaks the Holy Language is not proof that he is Joseph. It is my opinion that the Holy Language was the language of Canaan for Abraham did not bring it there from Ur of the Chaldees or Haran, as they spoke Aramaic there, as is attested to by “the heap.” In Aramaic, Laban named it Yegar-sahaduth (the heap of witness). Thus it is clear that Aramaic was the spoken language in Abraham’s birthplace. Now it was not the language of one man alone; rather, it was the language of the entire land of Canaan, and many people in Egypt knew it, since Canaan was nearby. We would particularly expect knowledge of languages in the case of a ruler for it is usual for kings and rulers to be linguistic. It is just as you see in the case of Nebuchadnezzar who said in the Holy Language, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream, because there were the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and Chaldeans, people of many languages, as well as from Israel, and they all would understand him. They, however, answered him in Aramaic, as it says, Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Aramaic, as they were close to him, and sat first in the kingdom, and they had the permission to speak to the king. Moreover, just as Joseph came from Canaan to Egypt, many others also came. Besides, the brothers had greater proof that he was Joseph when he mentioned his name and the circumstance of the sale, saying, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. here. The correct interpretation in my opinion is that Joseph is saying: “And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that I, the ruler and lord of all Egypt, am the one telling you with my mouth that I am your brother, and command you to bring down my father to me in order to sustain him. This being so, you will tell my father of all the glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen here. with your eyes, and you will hurry and bring him down to me for the words I have spoken are true, and I have the power to deliver him and to keep him alive in the famine.” This is analogous to saying, “for I have spoken my word.” In the Gemara of Tractate Megillah,5016b. the Rabbis have said: “As my mouth, so is my heart,” [meaning: “Just as I indicate no hatred against you in my speech, so is my heart free of hatred against you].”
Ibn Ezra
"For my mouth" — it is known that "peh" [mouth] is feminine; and when it appears in construct form, the hidden heh reverts to a hidden yod, as in: "the mouth of the righteous" (Psalms 37:30) — and likewise in the plural, "and the mouth of the wicked" (Proverbs 10:6). When this yod joins with the yod that marks the first person speaker, one of them drops, as in "for my mouth speaks." The sense is that he was speaking with them in their own language, without an interpreter.
Sforno
ועיני אחי בנימין, who had been unaware that Joseph had been sold. כי פי המדבר אליכם, without the need of an interpreter. At the time when I had been sold, no one spoke our language except our family. The buyers were Ishmaelites and Midianites, each with their own language.
Chizkuni
ועיני אחי בנימין, “and the eyes of my brother Binyamin;” if you do not wish to reveal the fact that I had been sold on account of the oath to that effect that you have sworn, my brother Binyamin was not present at that time, nor has had any knowledge of it, he can reveal the details to my father. Another explanation for the relevance of what Binyamin saw at that time: Binyamin had much more reason to have assumed that I must be dead, seeing that he was not present and had not subsequently become aware of my having been sold, and he therefore needs convincing more than you do. Besides up until now when I only communicated with you through an interpreter, you could have doubted this. Now that you hear me speak in Hebrew, you should no longer doubt that I am who I claim to be.
Rabbeinu Bahya
והנה עיניכם רואות ועיני אחי בנימין, “and here you can see with your own eyes and so do the eyes of my full brother Binyamin.” He equated Binyamin with the total of the other brothers. The Torah teaches that the love of the other brothers for him was no less than that of Binyamin who had not been a party to the sale. כי פי המדבר אליכם, “that it is my mouth that is speaking to you.” He referred to the fact that he addressed them in Hebrew (without interpreter). According to Nachmanides the fact that Joseph had a command of Hebrew did not prove that he was their brother as many people in Egypt knew that tongue and the ruler was bound by law to be familiar with all the languages spoken in countries which had trade relations with Egypt. The proof of his identity was the revelation that he knew they had sold their brother Joseph to Egypt. The meaning of the words: “that my mouth is speaking to you,” was a reference to his authority and that by dint of this authority he decreed that the brothers bring their father to Egypt as well as their families. By underlining that he was “your brother,” he demonstrated that he had their welfare at heart when he wanted them to move to Egypt. According to Megillah 16 the words mean that “my mouth speaks only what is in my heart.” Although Joseph made no reference to his heart, our sages arrive at this conclusion as he could simply have said: “I am speaking to you.” He mentioned “my mouth” as the mouth is the instrument used to convey feelings of the heart.
Tur HaArokh
כי פי המדבר אליכם, “that it is I who am talking to you.” He emphasized that as of now he was addressing them directly, in Hebrew, not through an interpreter, as he had been doing up until he had revealed himself. Nachmanides writes that the fact that Joseph suddenly admitted being able to speak Hebrew would not prove that he was their long lost brother. The fact that he mentioned his real name to them, plus the details of how he had been sold were far more potent arguments to establish his true identity in their eyes. Personally, (still Nachmanides writing) I believe that the true interpretation of what Joseph is saying in our verse is: “your own eyes as well as the eyes of my brother Binyamin are living testimony to my august position here in Egypt, and in my capacity of your brother and the de facto ruler of Egypt, I command you to move to Egypt and to join me here. The only reason I command you to tell our father of my position here and the esteem in which I am held, is to persuade you to come here so that I can provide for you during the remaining years of the famine. If I did not entertain feelings of love and fondness towards you, there would be absolutely no reason for me to speak to you in this fashion.”
And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hasten and bring down my father here."
verse value 4811
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "here" (הֵֽנָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·my·glory" (אֶת־כׇּל־כְּבוֹדִי֙, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·you·must·tell" (וְהִגַּדְתֶּ֣ם), "all·my·glory" (אֶת־כׇּל־כְּבוֹדִי֙), "you·have·seen" (רְאִיתֶ֑ם). The root אב appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·my·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis); "you·have·seen" (root ראה, 140x in Genesis); "and·all·which" (root כל, 127x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·have·seen', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִגַּדְתֶּ֣ם [and·you·must·tell] (458) + לְאָבִ֗י [to·my·father] (43) + אֶת־כׇּל־כְּבוֹדִי֙ [all·my·glory] (493) + בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם [in·Egypt] (382) + וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר [and·all·which] (958) + רְאִיתֶ֑ם [you·have·seen] (651) + וּמִֽהַרְתֶּ֛ם [and·hasten] (691) + וְהוֹרַדְתֶּ֥ם [and·bring·down] (661) + אֶת־אָבִ֖י [my·father] (414) + הֵֽנָּה [here] (60) = 4811.
Onkelos
Tell my father of all my honor in Egypt and all that you have seen, and make haste and bring my father down here.
Sforno
ומהרתם והורדתם את אבי הנה, in order to afford him the joy to see all this with his own eyes.
Chizkuni
את כל כבודי, “all the honour I enjoy;” he assured Yaakov that he had the wish and the power to make life comfortable for him in Egypt.
Rashbam
והגדתם את כל כבודי במצרים ואת כל אשר ראיתם. The reason why he included mention of the honour he enjoyed in Egypt was to convince his father that he had no cause to worry if he moved to Egypt as a new immigrant, an alien; his son Joseph had the power to ensure that he would be treated with the respect and deference due him.
And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
verse value 1346
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "wept" (בָּכָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Benjamin" (בִנְיָֽמִן־אָחִ֖יו, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "on·the·neck·of" (עַל־צַוְּארֵ֥י), "Benjamin" (בִנְיָֽמִן־אָחִ֖יו), "wept" (בָּכָ֖ה). The root צואר appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·wept', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּפֹּ֛ל [and·fell] (126) + עַל־צַוְּארֵ֥י [on·the·neck·of] (407) + בִנְיָֽמִן־אָחִ֖יו [Benjamin] (177) + וַיֵּ֑בְךְּ [and·wept] (38) + וּבִ֨נְיָמִ֔ן [and·Benjamin] (158) + בָּכָ֖ה [wept] (27) + עַל־צַוָּארָֽיו [on·his·neck] (413) = 1346.
Onkelos
He fell upon the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
Rashi
ויפל על צוארי בנימן אחיו ויבך AND HE FELL UPON HIS BROTHER BENJAMIN’S NECK AND WEPT — for the Temples which were to be in Benjamin’s territory and which would ultimately be laid in ruins (Genesis Rabbah 93:12). ובנימין בכה על צואריו AND BENJAMIN WEPT ON HIS NECK — for the Tabernacle of Shiloh which was to be in Joseph’s territory and which would ultimately be laid in ruins (Genesis Rabbah 93:12).
Ibn Ezra
"Necks" — this word is found in both plural and singular form, and with the addition of a nun; indeed, the aleph is never absent.
Chizkuni
על צוארי (he embraced him) around his neck; both sides of his neck. Seeing he embraced him from both sides, the word for “neck” appears in the plural mode.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויפול על צוארי בנימין אחיות, “he fell on the neck of his brother Binyamin.” The verse tells us that Joseph embraced Binyamin and Binyamin embraced his brother Joseph by each one falling on the other’s neck, a customary gesture amongst brothers who wanted to demonstrate their fondness for each other. Solomon refers to such an embrace in Song of Songs 8,1 when he wrote: “if only I could embrace you as I would embrace a brother who has nursed at my mother’s breast.” The intimate relations between brothers of the same mother are also spelled out in the Torah in Deut. 13,7 where the Torah describes a secret seduction to idolatrous practices by someone who is the brother of the second party by the same mother.” Evidently, the Torah considers the bond between two sons of the same mother as stronger than a similar bond by two sons of the same father. The reason our verse refers to צוארי, i.e. “two necks,” is that a person’s “neck” consists of two parts known as עורף and גרון respectively. Jeremiah 2,27 distinguishes between עורף and פנים, the rear of the neck and the part of the neck facing forward. The sides of the neck are also known as צואר. A Midrashic approach to the plural form of the “necks.” Joseph wept when he foresaw that the Temple in Binyamin’s territory would twice be destroyed. The reason that the neck of a person evokes the image of the Temple is that it is the highest part of his body and the Temple was also erected on a mountain. When Binyamin wept, he thought of the destruction of the Tabernacle at Shiloh which was situated in the territory of Joseph (Ephrayim), and which was also slated to be destroyed.
And he kissed all his brothers, and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
verse value 1693
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·his·brothers" (לְכׇל־אֶחָ֖יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "all·his·brothers" (לְכׇל־אֶחָ֖יו), "and·after" (וְאַ֣חֲרֵי). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·brothers" (root אח, 164x in Genesis); "spoke" (root דבר, 133x in Genesis); "all·his·brothers" (root כל, 127x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְנַשֵּׁ֥ק [and·kissed] (466) + לְכׇל־אֶחָ֖יו [all·his·brothers] (105) + וַיֵּ֣בְךְּ [and·wept] (38) + עֲלֵהֶ֑ם [upon·them] (145) + וְאַ֣חֲרֵי [and·after] (225) + כֵ֔ן [so] (70) + דִּבְּר֥וּ [spoke] (212) + אֶחָ֖יו [his·brothers] (25) + אִתּֽוֹ [him] (407) = 1693.
Onkelos
He kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and afterward his brothers spoke with him.
Rashi
ואחרי כן AND AFTER THAT — after they saw that he wept and realized that he was peaceably inclined towards them, דברו אחיו אתו HIS BRETHREN SPAKE WITH HIM — For at first they felt abashed before him.
Or HaChaim
ויבך עליהם, He cried over them, etc. After the brothers observed Joseph crying over them they were able to respond to him and they said to him whatever was on their minds. After all, everything that Joseph had said to them up to that point might have been designed only to alleviate the brothers' feeling ashamed of their conduct. It was only after he kissed them and wept over the years they had been separate that the brothers recognised Joseph's truly good character and that he was a true brother that they were able to speak to him naturally. Whereas Joseph's original burst of weeping could have been attributed to his reunion with Benjamin, the latest burst of weeping definitely concerned his reunion with all of them.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וינשק לכל אחיו ויבך עליהם, “he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them.” He assured them that he not only harbored no ill feelings toward them but that on the contrary, he meant to treat them well. ואחרי כן דברו אחיו אתו; “after this his brothers talked with him.” Up until this moment he had been speaking and they had not had a chance to talk to him. Now their minds had been put at ease. Tanchuma Vayigash 5 interprets the words וינשק את כל אחיו as meaning that every brother kissed Joseph and wept while doing so. Joseph did not reconcile himself with the brothers until they had wept. This is a lesson for future Jewish generations that G’d will not send the salvation until the Jewish people have wept in remorse for their sins. This is the meaning of Jeremiah 31,9: “They shall come with weeping, and with compassion will I guide them.”
And the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying: "Joseph's brothers are come"; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
verse value 2597
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֤ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·the·eyes·of" (וּבְעֵינֵ֖י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: Pharaoh, Pharaoh. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·the·voice" (וְהַקֹּ֣ל), "was·heard" (נִשְׁמַ֗ע). The root פרעה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "came" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis); "brothers·of" (root אח, 164x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Joseph', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְהַקֹּ֣ל [and·the·voice] (141) + נִשְׁמַ֗ע [was·heard] (460) + בֵּ֤ית [house·of] (412) + פַּרְעֹה֙ [Pharaoh] (355) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + בָּ֖אוּ [came] (9) + אֲחֵ֣י [brothers·of] (19) + יוֹסֵ֑ף [Joseph] (156) + וַיִּיטַב֙ [and·it·pleased] (37) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·the·eyes·of] (142) + פַרְעֹ֔ה [Pharaoh] (355) + וּבְעֵינֵ֖י [and·in·the·eyes·of] (148) + עֲבָדָֽיו [his·servants] (92) = 2597.
Onkelos
The report was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying: Joseph's brothers have come. And it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants.
Rashi
והקל נשמע בית פרעה AND THE FAME THEREOF WAS HEARD IN PHARAOH’S HOUSE — It is the same as בבית, in the house of Pharaoh and here it denotes the actual house (cp. 45:2).
Ramban
JOSEPH’s BRETHREN ARE COME. The intent thereof is that Joseph told the house of Pharaoh that he had honorable brothers in the land of the Hebrews, for he had been stolen away from there, and now the Egyptians heard that Joseph’s brothers had come as he said. AND IT PLEASED PHARAOH WELL, AND HIS SERVANTS. For it was a disgrace to them to be ruled by a stranger, a servant [of whom it is said], out of prison he came forth to be king, and now when his honorable brothers came to him, and it became known that Joseph was worthy to stand before kings, they all rejoiced in the matter.
Sforno
This was good in the eyes of Pharaoh. He reasoned that if Yoseif’s family settled there he would have more of a stake in the country’s welfare and would perform his duties more diligently.
Or HaChaim
והקול נשמע בית פרעה, the report reached Pharaoh's palace, etc. Inasmuch as the Torah (verse 2) had already reported Joseph as crying out aloud, the Torah now had to report that the reason for Joseph's strange behaviour had become clear. Pharaoh and his servants now realised that a great reunion had taken place. וייטב בעיני פרעה ובעיני עבדיו, and both Pharaoh and his servants were pleased about this. Whereas up until now they had felt embarassed that a former slave ruled over them, the brothers' arrival made it clear that Joseph had never been a slave.
Rabbeinu Bahya
.והקול נשמע בית פרעה, “the news was heard in the palace of Pharaoh.” All of Egypt was already aware that Joseph had prominent brothers as he had told them about it. Now, when they heard that the brothers had arrived this was very pleasing to the Egyptians seeing that originally they had felt ashamed to be ruled by a onetime slave. Now that Joseph had been able to establish that he never had been born a slave but was a member of a highly respected family they felt honoured. Tanchuma Vayigash 5 takes an entirely different view of the meaning of the words “a voice was heard in the house of Pharaoh.” According to this Midrash as soon as the brothers recognised Joseph they wanted to kill him. An angel descended and scattered them to the four corners of his mansion. At that moment Yehudah raised his voice in a thundering tone so that all the walls in the public squares of Egypt collapsed; all pregnant women immediately had miscarriages from the sound of that voice. Joseph fell off his throne and the faces of the guards who surrounded Joseph’s throne turned gray in consternation. Tanchuma bases himself on Job 4,10: “The lion may roar, the cub may howl, but the teeth of the king of beasts are broken.” At any rate, the sound that was heard in the house of Pharaoh was that of Yehudah’s roaring like a lion.
Tur HaArokh
באו אחי יוסף, “Joseph’s brothers have arrived;” he had always told Pharaoh that he had a number of brothers who occupied distinguished positions in the land of Canaan, and that he had been kidnapped from there. Now, when the people in Pharaoh’s entourage heard about the arrival of Joseph’s brothers, they rejoiced, as it confirmed Joseph’s status prior to his appointment, something that had been somewhat clouded up until now.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Say to your brothers: This do you: lade your beasts, and go, get you to the land of Canaan;
verse value 3329
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "say" (אֱמֹ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·livestock" (אֶת־בְּעִ֣ירְכֶ֔ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "load·up" (טַֽעֲנוּ֙), "your·livestock" (אֶת־בְּעִ֣ירְכֶ֔ם), "and·go·come" (וּלְכוּ־בֹ֖אוּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "to·your·brothers" (root אח, 164x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + פַּרְעֹה֙ [Pharaoh] (355) + אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף [to·Joseph] (187) + אֱמֹ֥ר [say] (241) + אֶל־אַחֶ֖יךָ [to·your·brothers] (70) + זֹ֣את [this] (408) + עֲשׂ֑וּ [do] (376) + טַֽעֲנוּ֙ [load·up] (135) + אֶת־בְּעִ֣ירְכֶ֔ם [your·livestock] (743) + וּלְכוּ־בֹ֖אוּ [and·go·come] (71) + אַ֥רְצָה [to·the·land] (296) + כְּנָֽעַן [Canaan] (190) = 3329.
Onkelos
Pharaoh said to Joseph: Say to your brothers: Do this — load your animals and go, travel to the land of Canaan.
Rashi
טענו את בעירכם LADE YOUR BEASTS — with grain.
Ibn Ezra
"Load up" — place a burden. And "laden with swords" (Isaiah 14:19) is close to it in meaning. "Your beasts" — your animals; and similarly: "we and our livestock" (Numbers 20:4).
Sforno
אמור אל אחיך זאת עשו, this is what should be your purpose to take your father and your families, etc.
Or HaChaim
זאת עשו, "Do this, etc." Whereas you do not require permission for most of what you are about to do, you do need Pharaoh's permission to take the wagons for transporting your families. When the Torah describes Pharaoh as telling Joseph to present the wagons to be used as something Pharaoh had "commanded, etc." this is only a figure of speech for a courteous invitation by Pharaoh that the brothers' families should avail themselves of these facilities on their journey to Egypt. The command עשו may also express something stronger than permission; Pharaoh had realised that what had been happening was Divinely decreed, that over and beyond the fact that Pharaoh was pleased to assist the migration of Jacob's family, he saw in all this a decree by G'd.
Tur HaArokh
טענו את בעירכם, “load your beasts.” Rabbi Joseph Kimchi claims that this must not be understood as a command by Pharaoh that the brothers should load their beasts, after all, had he not himself specifically provided the brothers with wheeled transportation, wagons which could transport much more at a time than their beasts? What Pharaoh meant was that the brothers should prod the beasts pulling the wagons to proceed with all possible speed. The expression טענו occurs in connection with people who have their swords girded around their waist in Isaiah.
and take your father and your households, and come to me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.
verse value 3970
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלָ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·households" (וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיכֶ֖ם, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·take" (וּקְח֧וּ), "and·your·households" (וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיכֶ֖ם), "and·come" (וּבֹ֣אוּ). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "to·me" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "and·come" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּקְח֧וּ [and·take] (120) + אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֛ם [your·father] (474) + וְאֶת־בָּתֵּיכֶ֖ם [and·your·households] (879) + וּבֹ֣אוּ [and·come] (15) + אֵלָ֑י [to·me] (41) + וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה [and·I·will·give] (462) + לָכֶ֗ם [to·you] (90) + אֶת־טוּב֙ [the·best·of] (418) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + מִצְרַ֔יִם [Egypt] (380) + וְאִכְל֖וּ [and·eat] (63) + אֶת־חֵ֥לֶב [the·fat·of] (441) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 3970.
Onkelos
Take your father and the people of your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the bounty of the land.
Rashi
את טוב אוץ מצרים THE BEST OF THE LAND OF EGYPT — viz., the district of Goshen. He prophesied without knowing what he was prophesying when he said “I shall give you the best of the land of Egypt”, for ultimately they were to make it like the depths of the sea in which there are no fish (i.e. that they would carry away the best of the land when they would leave Egypt) (Berakhot 9b). חלב הארץ THE FAT OF THE LAND — The word חלב always denotes the best part of a thing.
Ibn Ezra
"The fat of the land" — meaning: fatness.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ואכלו את חלב הארץ, “and you will eat the fat of the land.” Pharaoh prophesied without being aware that he prophesied. The same applies to verse 20 where Pharaoh said “the best of the whole land of Egypt is yours.” These remarks were allusions to what the Jewish people would do to the Egyptians at the time of the Exodus. We read there (Exodus 12,36) “they emptied out all of Egypt.”
Now you are commanded, this do you: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
verse value 5486
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 5486 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֹ֣את, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·for·your·wives" (וְלִנְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "you·are·commanded" (צֻוֵּ֖יתָה), "take·for·yourselves" (קְחוּ־לָכֶם֩), "and·for·your·wives" (וְלִנְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·the·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "and·come" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis); "your·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּ֥ה [you] (412) + צֻוֵּ֖יתָה [you·are·commanded] (511) + זֹ֣את [this] (408) + עֲשׂ֑וּ [do] (376) + קְחוּ־לָכֶם֩ [take·for·yourselves] (204) + מֵאֶ֨רֶץ [from·the·land] (331) + מִצְרַ֜יִם [Egypt] (380) + עֲגָל֗וֹת [wagons] (509) + לְטַפְּכֶם֙ [for·your·children] (179) + וְלִנְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם [and·for·your·wives] (456) + וּנְשָׂאתֶ֥ם [and·bring] (797) + אֶת־אֲבִיכֶ֖ם [your·father] (474) + וּבָאתֶֽם [and·come] (449) = 5486.
Onkelos
And you are commanded: Do this — take for yourselves from the land of Egypt wagons for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come.
Rashi
ואתה צויתה NOW THOU ART COMMANDED — supply the words by me (lit, by my mouth) to say unto them זאת עשו THIS DO YE — Thus tell them: that it is done with my permission.
Ramban
NOW THOU ART COMMANDED, THIS DO YE. Pharaoh stated the matter in the form of a directive to him because his knowledge of Joseph’s integrity assured him that he would not stretch forth a hand to take from the king’s fortune, and having him, he gave no concern to anything. Therefore Pharaoh thought that perhaps Joseph would not want to send his father anything. Hence he said to him, “I command you that you do this in any case.”
Sforno
ואתה צויתה, tell them that you have actually been commanded to bring them here as residents. קחו לכם מארץ מצרים עגלות, when your father will see carriages all prepared to transport him and his family to Egypt he will have fewer excuses to object to the journey and the upheaval involved in the journey. We know that this was a powerful argument as Yaakov, when seeing the carriages is reported as saying: “I will go down and see my son.” (verse 27-28).
Rabbeinu Bahya
ואתה ציויתה זאת עשו, “and you are under orders to do the following.” Pharaoh was well aware of Joseph’s modesty and loyalty and the fact that he would not send anything to his father and his brothers unless he had been given express instructions. This is why Pharaoh had to order him to do all this.
Tur HaArokh
ואתה צוית, “and you, Joseph, consider yourself commanded, etc.” The reason Pharaoh used such imperial language was that he was aware that Joseph would never take any liberties with property which was not legally his own; he was afraid that Joseph would not want to send anything to his father which belonged to the Egyptian state. By instructing him to take these wagons he would remove any doubt in Joseph’s mind that he was exceeding his authority in allocating these carriages as vehicles to transport his family.
Also regard not your stuff; for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours."
verse value 1785
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָכֶ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·your·belongings" (עַל־כְּלֵיכֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·your·eyes" (וְעֵ֣ינְכֶ֔ם), "do·not·spare" (אַל־תָּחֹ֖ס), "on·your·belongings" (עַל־כְּלֵיכֶ֑ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "do·not·spare" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "he" (root הוא, 133x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·your·belongings', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעֵ֣ינְכֶ֔ם [and·your·eyes] (196) + אַל־תָּחֹ֖ס [do·not·spare] (499) + עַל־כְּלֵיכֶ֑ם [on·your·belongings] (220) + כִּי־ט֛וּב [for·the·best·of] (47) + כׇּל־אֶ֥רֶץ [all·the·land·of] (341) + מִצְרַ֖יִם [Egypt] (380) + לָכֶ֥ם [to·you] (90) + הֽוּא [he] (12) = 1785.
Onkelos
Let your eyes not spare your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
Sforno
ועיניכם אל תחוס על כליכם, do not delay as the resulting damage to your livestock will become greater. the longer you delay.
Tur HaArokh
ועיניכם אל תחוס על כליכם, “do not begrudge any chattels you leave behind.” He knew how frugally his father lived, and how he would not let anything go to waste. This is why he instructed his brothers to ignore such considerations when it came to their moving their belongings to Egypt.
Daat Zkenim
ועיניכם אל תחוס על כליכם, “and do not concern yourselves with your chattels;” Joseph knew that his father had been reluctant to abandon any chattels, from the time he crossed the river Yabok at night to retrieve anything he had left behind. (Genesis 32,23-25) Attributed to Rabbi Yaakov.
Targum Yonatan
And your eyes must not look wistfully on your utensils: for the best of what is desirable in all the land of Mizraim is yours.
And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
verse value 3710
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·did·so" (וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 466: and·gave, and·gave. The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "Joseph" (root יוסף, 156x in Genesis); "and·they·did·so" (root עשה, 152x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Pharaoh', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן֙ [and·they·did·so] (462) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + וַיִּתֵּ֨ן [and·gave] (466) + לָהֶ֥ם [to·them] (75) + יוֹסֵ֛ף [Joseph] (156) + עֲגָל֖וֹת [wagons] (509) + עַל־פִּ֣י [by·the·command·of] (190) + פַרְעֹ֑ה [Pharaoh] (355) + וַיִּתֵּ֥ן [and·gave] (466) + לָהֶ֛ם [to·them] (75) + צֵדָ֖ה [provisions] (99) + לַדָּֽרֶךְ [for·the·journey] (254) = 3710.
Onkelos
The children of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons at the word of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
Rabbeinu Bahya
עגלות על פי פרעה, “wagons, at the command of Pharaoh.” Joseph sent his father a sign seeing that when he had parted from him he had studied with him the subject of how a murdered person whose murderer is not known is to be expiated. One of the needs to obtain forgiveness for possible indirect involvement in such a murder is the killing of an עגלה, a calf which had not yet been used to perform any work (compare Deut. 21.) [The Hebrew word for wagon עגלה is the same as for “calf.” This is why the sending of wagons was symbolic. Ed.] This explains also why Yaakov’s spirits revived as soon as he saw the wagons (verse 27).
To all of them he gave each man changes of clothing; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver, and five changes of clothing.
verse value 5822
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "gave" (נָתַ֛ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Benjamin" (וּלְבִנְיָמִ֤ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 770: clothing, clothing. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "changes·of" (חֲלִפ֣וֹת), "and·to·Benjamin" (וּלְבִנְיָמִ֤ן), "changes·of" (חֲלִפֹ֥ת). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·man" (root איש, 153x in Genesis); "gave" (root נתן, 150x in Genesis); "to·all·of·them" (root כל, 127x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'clothing', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: לְכֻלָּ֥ם [to·all·of·them] (120) + נָתַ֛ן [gave] (500) + לָאִ֖ישׁ [to·the·man] (341) + חֲלִפ֣וֹת [changes·of] (524) + שְׂמָלֹ֑ת [clothing] (770) + וּלְבִנְיָמִ֤ן [and·to·Benjamin] (188) + נָתַן֙ [gave] (500) + שְׁלֹ֣שׁ [three] (630) + מֵא֣וֹת [hundred] (447) + כֶּ֔סֶף [silver] (160) + וְחָמֵ֖שׁ [and·five] (354) + חֲלִפֹ֥ת [changes·of] (518) + שְׂמָלֹֽת [clothing] (770) = 5822.
Onkelos
To all of them he gave, each man, robes of garments; and to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five robes of garments.
Ibn Ezra
"Changes of garments" — different sets of clothing, each unlike the other, and the minimum is two.
Chizkuni
לכלם נתן לאיש “to all of them he gave,” i.e. to each: the letter ל preceding the word: איש is vocalised with the vowel patach.” [Not so in all our editions. Ed.] חליפות שמלות, “changes of clothes;” shirts, pants, the undergarments people change frequently. In other words: garments that are worn directly on the skin. Alternate explanation: outer garments. The reason why Joseph gave them these garments as presents was that he had been the cause that made them tear up their clothing when they found out that the goblet had been found in Binyamin’s bag. They had been deeply embarrassed to be walking around in torn garments. ולבנימין, “and to Binyamin;” seeing that he had not participated in his sale, he gave him three hundred silver pieces. As a result of this each of the other ten brothers had been treated as worth a slave, (according to the Torah, 30 pieces of silver. Compare Talmud Gittin 44, where it is stated that if someone sells his slave to a gentile he is penalised ten times his value.) Three hundred silver pieces are ten times the value of an ablebodied slave. וחמש חליפות שמלות, “and five sets of garments.” One on account of the garments that he had caused him to tear, the second one because he was his full brother, son of his mother. The third set as compensation for having made him, appear like a thief. The last two sets as the penalty a thief has to pay, i.e. twice the value of the goods he has stolen. An alternate explanation: The gift Binyamin received was worth five times as much as that given to his brothers.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ולבנימין נתן שלש מאות כסף, “and he gave Binyamin three hundred pieces of silver.” The number 300 is related to the indebtedness of the brothers. When ten brothers sold a slave they each have to pay 30 shekel ransom. This is the value of the life of a slave who has been killed [gored by an ox or otherwise] and the compensation payable by the killer according to Exodus 21,31. When a Jewish master sells his slave to a Gentile he may be required to pay punitive compensation of up to ten times the value of the slave, i.e. three hundred shekel silver (Gittin 44). חמש חליפות שמלות, “five changes of clothing.” He hinted to him that eventually Mordechai would be descended from him who would be distinguished with five garments as mentioned in Esther 8,15.
Tur HaArokh
לכלם נתן לאיש חליפות שמלות, “he gave each one of them a change of clothes.” This was in replacement for his having been the cause of their rending their garments. ולבנימין נתן שלוש מאות כסף, “and to Binyamin he gave 300 pieces of silver;” seeing that the penalty for someone who sells his slave to a gentile outside the land of Israel is subject to a fine of up to 10 times the value of the slave in question, Binyamin was entitled to be 300 pieces of silver better off than his brothers, seeing that an average slave is worth 30 pieces of silver. Although Joseph assessed his brothers a penalty of 300 pieces of silver each, all of which should have gone to Binyamin, he gave Binyamin only 300 pieces of silver. וחמש חליפות שמלות, “and five changes of clothes.” (new outfits). One outfit matching what he had given to the other brothers. The other four were gifts (as opposed to compensation), one outfit each from himself, his two sons and his wife.
And to his father he sent in like manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and victual for his father by the way.
verse value 5408
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 5408 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "grain" (בָּ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·his·father" (וּלְאָבִ֞יו, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·to·his·father" (וּלְאָבִ֞יו), "like·this" (כְּזֹאת֙), "he-donkeys" (חֲמֹרִ֔ים). The root אב appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·his·father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis); "Egypt" (root מצרי, 81x in Genesis); "sent" (root שלח, 72x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Onkelos
And to his father he sent the following: ten donkeys laden with the finest things of Egypt, and ten she-donkeys laden with grain and bread and provisions for his father for the journey.
Rashi
שלח כזאת HE SENT AFTER THIS MANNER — according to this amount. And what was the amount? עשרה חמרים וגו׳ ten asses etc (i.e. as much as ten asses could carry). מטוב מצרים OF THE BEST THINGS OF EGYPT — We find it stated in the Talmud (Megillah 16b) that he sent him old wine which old people like very much. The Midrash states that he sent him split beans. (Genesis Rabbah 94:2). בר ולחם CORN AND BREAD — understand this as the Targum renders it. ומזון means things that are eaten together with bread.
Ramban
AND TO HIS FATHER HE SENT ‘KAZOTH’ (IN LIKE MANNER). I.e., according to this amount. And what was the amount? Ten asses, etc. This is the language of Rashi. It is not correct that kazoth should refer to the amount [for if it refers to cheshbon (amount), it should have said kazeh in the masculine, and not kazoth in the feminine]. But it is possible that Scripture says, in like manner, meaning “according to this gift,” [with the word minchah matching the feminine gender of kazoth] The purport thereof is, “and to his father he sent this gift: ten asses, etc.,” [with the word kazoth being understood as if it were written zoth], and the letter kaph in the word kazoth is considered redundant. However, it is the way of the Sacred Language to express it in this way, just as, And she spoke to him, [saying]: ‘ka’dvarim ha’eileh’ (after the manner of these things) did thy servant do to me. It may be that Scripture is saying: “and to his father he sent provision (tzeidah), [which is also in the feminine gender], which was like this provision which he gave to his brothers.” But the intent of the expression is not to make them equal, but only to say that just as he gave them provision for the road when they went to Canaan, so did he send his father corn and bread and sustenance for his journey towards Egypt. And this is the correct interpretation. Scripture mentions asses and she-asses to inform us that he sent him both the provisions and the animals that carried them, and it was customary to send males and females, as his father had done.
Ibn Ezra
The meaning of "like this" — of changes of garments, from the finest that were in Egypt. "Grain" — grain [dagan]. "Bread" — as it sounds. "And food" — beans, broad beans, lentils, millet, spelt, figs, raisins, and dates; for these alone are called "food" [mazon], apart from grain and barley.
Sforno
ולאביו שלח כזאת, similar to the gifts given to Binyamin. In addition he sent ten donkeys and ten she-asses. In the plural mode the letter ו indicating who else is included appears at the end [the last word in the sequence. Ed.} Examples of such constructions are:. Exodus 1,2 יששכר זבולון ובנימין.
Or HaChaim
ולאביו שלח כזאת, To his father he sent the following: The reason the Torah added the word זאת instead of merely enumerating the list of provisions and gifts which appear in this verse is to tell us that what is described as מטוב מצרים, Egypt's best [produce], something which the Torah had not identified, referred to the quality of the various items listed. The verse therefore says: "Of all the items listed forthwith Joseph sent his father of the best quality available in Egypt." Our sages in Megillah 16 describe the words מטוב מצרים as referring to wine which had been aged for a long time. Bereshit Rabbah 94,2 identifies טוב מצרים as some kind of special white beans, a medication with anti-depression properties. If that were so, the verse should have written בזאת, instead of זאת and has to be understood as if the word עשרה חמורים had a conjunctive letter ו at the beginning. ועשר אתונות נושאות בר, as well as ten she-asses carrying grain and bread, etc. The reason the Torah repeats the word לאביו, for his father, a second time is to tell us that it was not a separate consignment. The Torah meant that apart from the load carried by these she-asses, i.e. the grain and the bread, there were special delicacies for Jacob only. Joseph instructed his brothers that these items were meant only for his father.
Chizkuni
שלח כזאת “he sent a corresponding amount;” he sent his father ten sets of garments of the best quality available in Egypt ten donkeys, ten sheasses, for his ten brothers. Each one was to lead two animals. Even though Binyamin would also travel with them, he did not want to burden him with this.
Rabbeinu Bahya
.ולאביו שלח כזאת “and to his father he sent the following:” The word מנחה, “gift” is missing here. The meaning of the verse is that Joseph sent his father a gift consisting of the items mentioned in our verse. He sent both male and female donkeys just as Yaakov had done when he sent a number of gifts to Esau [though Yaakov had sent twice as many female donkeys as males. Ed.] בר ולחם ומזון, “grain, bread, and food.” The word בר includes the five major cereals fit to bake into bread. The word לחם in this instance refers to kitniyot, pulses. The word מזון, refers to dried fruit such as figs, dates, raisins, etc. Whereas every kind of בר is suitable raw material to make into bread, the same does not apply to the term לחם. Similarly, whenever we encounter the word לחם, it is definitely a kind of food, whereas the word מזון does not necessarily refer to something which can be converted into bread.
Tur HaArokh
ולאביו שלח כזאת, “and to his father he sent the following:” Rashi explains that the word כזאת here is short for כחשבון הזאת: “the following amounts.” What did these “amounts consist of?” 10 donkey loads, etc., etc. Nachmanides feels that the word כזאת refers to the food for the extended family of Yaakov, which would sustain them on the journey to Egypt. He had, after all, provided his brothers with rations to sustain them on their homeward trip, also. (verse 21). The Torah mentions to Joseph’s credit that he did not only give them the supplies in question but also the means of transporting them, i.e. donkeys and she asses. According to Ibn Ezra the word כזאת refers to the quality of the new clothes Joseph handed out, i.e. the best quality available in Egypt. Some commentators claim that Joseph did not send Binyamin back with the other brothers, and they prove their point by the fact that he sent only ten donkeys to his father and not eleven. In other words, Joseph gave each of the ten brothers a donkey that would be led by him; if Binyamin had also returned to Canaan he would have had to give them eleven donkeys. Some say that this is no proof as Joseph simply did not want to burden Binyamin with the task of leading a donkey all the way back to Canaan.
So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them: "See that you fall not out by the way."
verse value 2058
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (אֲלֵהֶ֔ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "do·not·quarrel" (אַֽל־תִּרְגְּז֖וּ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "do·not·quarrel" (אַֽל־תִּרְגְּז֖וּ). The root אל appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "to·them" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "his·brothers" (root אח, 164x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·went', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְשַׁלַּ֥ח [and·sent] (354) + אֶת־אֶחָ֖יו [his·brothers] (426) + וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ [and·they·went] (72) + וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲלֵהֶ֔ם [to·them] (76) + אַֽל־תִּרְגְּז֖וּ [do·not·quarrel] (647) + בַּדָּֽרֶךְ [on·the·way] (226) = 2058.
Onkelos
He sent his brothers off and they went, and he said to them: Do not quarrel on the way.
Rashi
אל תרגזו בדרך BE NOT AGITATED BY THE WAY — Do not busy yourselves with Halachic discussions lest the road become unsteady for you (i.e. lest you lose your way). Another explanation is: Do not take very long steps and enter the town where you will stay over night while the sun is still shining (Taanit 10b). According to the plain sense of the verse, however, it must be explained thus: Because they felt ashamed he feared that they might quarrel on the way about his having been sold, arguing one with another. One would say: “It was through you he was sold”. Another: “It was you who made slanderous statements about him and caused us to hate him”.
Ramban
DO NOT ‘TIRG’ZU’ BY THE WAY. Rogez is an expression of trembling and movement, and is usually applied when the trembling is a result of fear, as for example, a heart ‘ragaz’ (that is trembling); ‘V’ragzu’ (and they shall tremble), and be in anguish; And where I stand ‘ergaz’ (I tremble); And drink thy water ‘b’ragzah’ (with trembling) and with anxiety. Therefore, the correct interpretation of this verse is, in my opinion, that Joseph said to them, “Do not fear by the way,” and the purport thereof is that since they were carrying corn and bread and sustenance here. and the best of Egypt in the days of the famine, they might fear lest robbers attack them while they travelled on their journey to Canaan, and the moreso when they return to Egypt with all their possessions, and thus they will not hasten the matter. Therefore he told them that they should go quickly and hurry to come there, as it is said, Hasten ye, and go up to my father, here. and they should have no fear at all on the way as his name is upon them. Since he is the ruler of the entire land of Egypt, and the lives of the peoples of those countries are in his hand, and all are fearful of his awe, they will travel and arrive in peace.
Ibn Ezra
The meaning of "do not quarrel" — that no man should grow angry at his brother on account of having sold him.
Sforno
וישלח את אחיו, he gave them permission to leave, as when the angel had said to Yaakov (after the wrestling match) שלחני כי עלה השחר, “let me go for dawn has risen.” (32,27) and שלחוני ואלכה לאדוני “let me go, that I may go back to my lord.” (24:56).
Or HaChaim
וישלח את אחיו, He sent off his brothers, etc. This means that Joseph sent everybody home, including Benjamin. Benjamin's testimony would convince Jacob most of all; this is why Joseph had already stressed previously (45,12) that Benjamin was a witness that he was Joseph. Now that Yehudah had fulfilled the conditions of his guarantee it is clear that if his bones rattled in his coffin during the years Israel travelled in the desert this was only because he failed to have his vow annulled, as pointed out in Megillah 11.
Chizkuni
וישלח את אחיו, “he sent off his brothers;” [the following refers to the difference between vayishlach and vayeshalach. Ed] the former means “to send something along,” whereas the latter means simply: “to send someone, or something.” In order to identify which is which, the former has a dot, dagesh in the letter ל. (based on Rash’bam) אל תרגזו בדרך, “do not worry of dangers on the way;” Joseph reassured the brothers that although they would migrate with great herds and flocks, something that would draw attention to them all over, his status in the region was such that no one would dare to attack them as they were his brothers. We have encountered the meaning of “nervousness” as being רגז, also in Deuteronomy, 28,65, לב רגז. An alternate exegesis: even though I have loaded you with great wealth in a time of famine when everyone else suffers from possessing very little, you have no reason to be nervous about its implications.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וישלח את אחיו וילכו “he sent off his brothers and they went on their way.” All his brothers, Reuven, Shimon and the rest, including Binyamin so that Yehudah kept his promise to his father. Why then did the sages (Sotah 7) say that Yehudah was punished for his guarantee so that the bones in his coffin rattled during all the 40 years the Israelites wandered through the desert? The reason is that his vow and its fulfilment depended on the goodwill of others. It is sinful to make such promises unless the factors relating to fulfilment of the promise are all under the control of the person making the promise. Yehudah had known from the outset that it would depend on the ruler of Egypt if he could make good on his guarantee. Our sages (Makkot 11) used this incident to formulate a halachah concerning conditional excommunication, saying that the threat of excommunication even if conditional, requires a retroactive annulment even if in the meantime the party who had been threatened with such excommunication had fulfilled the conditions imposed upon him. This explains why Yehudah qualified for punishment for having guaranteed Binyamin’s safe return. אל תרגזו בדרך, “do not become agitated on the journey.” The word may mean: “do not be afraid,” based on Deut 28,65 ולב רגז, “a trembling heart,” or on Deut. 2,25 ורגזו וחלו מפניך, “they will tremble and be anxious before you.” It is customary that during periods of famine people who are loaded with grain and food are constantly afraid of being attacked. How much more so would this apply when the whole clan of the Hebrews including all their chattels would travel to Egypt. This is also why Joseph told his brothers to rush home and not to have any fear at all as his reputation and the fact that they were under his protection would suffice to frighten off marauders. Thus far Nachmanides on the subject. Our sages in Taanit 10 understand the words אל תרגזו בדרך, as an instruction not to get involved in halachic discussions while they were traveling as this would slow them down. He did not mean to stop them from discussing such matters; he only did not want them to go into them at depth as this would prove time-consuming. He could not in good conscience have told them not to discuss Torah as we have a statement in Sotah 49 that when even two Torah scholars travel together without discussing matters of Torah they deserve to be burned at the stake. Our sages base this on Kings II 2,11: “as they kept on walking (Elijah and Elisha), a fiery chariot with fiery horses suddenly appeared and separated one from the other.” They needed to be separated because they were engaged in Torah-discussions. Had they not been engaged in discussing Torah they would both have been burned to death.
Kli Yakar
Do not become agitated on the way. Rashi explains this to mean “do not engage in a matter of halakha.” Another explanation is “do not take large steps and make sure to enter the city before sunset.” This version appears in Tractate Taanit (10b): Rabbi Elazar said that Joseph told his brothers, “Do not engage in a matter of halakha lest the journey become unstable for you.” Rashi explains this to mean “lest you lose your way.” But isn’t it true that Rabbi Ilai said that two Torah scholars who walk together without discussing words of Torah deserve to be burned? This is not a contradiction — one refers to basic review while the other refers to deep analysis. Rashi explains that on the road one should engage in basic review but not in deep analysis. A different teaching states: “Do not take large steps and enter the city before sunset.” Our Talmud differs from Genesis Rabbah (90:5) which concludes “do not take large steps, do not cease from words of Torah, and enter the city before sunset.” Now, there is room for me to reconcile these two interpretations, as there is no real contradiction between them. For “basic review” refers to verbal discussion of straightforward matters whose laws are clearly explained in the Torah — these are called “words of Torah” as they deal with the fundamental laws of the Torah. However, “analysis” refers to detailed legal discussion [halakha, which means walking], because the entire Torah is called a “path,” as it is written Fortunate are those who are perfect in their path, who walk with the Torah of God (Psalms 119:1). This walking represents moving from place to place, which is common in the study of Torah wisdom, as one who delves deeply into it moves from one level to another — from wisdom to understanding, and from understanding to knowledge. According to this we can resolve the difficulty: What is concluded in Genesis Rabbah “do not remove yourselves from words of Torah” refers to reviewing basic Torah laws to discuss them while walking on the road. And what is written in the Gemara “do not engage in a matter of halakhah” refers to in-depth analysis, because this is called “halakhah” as the one who delves deeply moves and transfers from one level to another. And what is questioned from Rabbi Ilai who said “two Torah scholars who walk on the road and do not have words of Torah between them…” — this is because [the one who asked the question] had not yet thought to distinguish between the language of “matter of halakhah” and “words of Torah,” until it was resolved for him that one refers to basic review and one refers to in-depth analysis. The precise language supports this resolution as mentioned, and they only disagree about the meaning of the verse do not become agitated on the way — whether the intent is that they should not compromise their analytical study and err in it due to the burden of travel, or conversely that they should not compromise their journey by not engaging in Torah study. For Rabbi Elazar’s opinion is that Joseph warned them not to engage in detailed halakhic analysis that requires concentration like a clear day, because there is concern that “the road may become agitated at you” — due to the burden of travel you will have an agitated and unsettled heart, and through this you will come to make mistakes in analyzing divine matters. This is what Rashi explained “you will err” — meaning you will come to make mistakes in intellectual analysis. But in Genesis Rabbah, he wanted to explain the opposite — that Joseph came to warn them to engage in Torah on the road with simple matters, so that they would not err on the regular road, because the Torah that one engages in while traveling will guide him to his desired destination safely, as it says When you walk, it shall guide you (Proverbs 6:22). And the explanation of the verse do not become agitated means “do not fear” — as in the phrase nations heard and became agitated, where the meaning is fear. In other words, if you engage in Torah then you will not need to fear either bandits or getting lost on the road, because the Torah will guide you and save you from all fear and error. It is as if he said to them: “Be careful with that which saves you from the agitation and fear common on the road” — namely the Torah, for at the time one is engaged in it, it protects and saves. Another explanation: The view of the Bereishit Rabbah is to interpret al tirgezu [do not become agitated] in its literal sense of anger and fury. However, it raised a difficulty for him: why should they specifically not become angry on the journey — should they then become angry at home? Rather, certainly his intention was that on the journey you need to be especially careful with Torah study, not to cease from words of Torah even for a single hour, in order to protect yourselves from all calamities that may occur and come on the road. Anger disrupts learning because all anger leads to mistakes, and if you become angry then you will necessarily need to stop from words of Torah lest you come to make mistakes due to the anger. Therefore, do not become agitated on the way so that you won’t need to cease from words of Torah and interrupt during times of anger. And since in a place of danger a person needs extra encouragement, therefore he specifically mentioned on the way, but at home there isn’t such strict concern, even though in truth anger is harmful in all places. Some commentators explain [that al tirgezu means] “do not engage in matters of halakha [Jewish law],” based on the Rabbis’ expression (Zevachim 47) that one who is merely ‘engaging’ with sacred offerings [without proper intent] invalidates them. This refers to someone who studies without proper depth, but rather like someone merely going through the motions without intention. Perhaps their interpretation means that anger would bring them to this state, making them prone to errors. However, in the baraita [external teaching] it was taught [that al tirgezu means] “do not take large steps and make sure to enter the city while the sun is still shining.” Their interpretation understands “rogez” as referring to hastiness and rushing, similar to the term pachaz kamayim [unstable as water] which speaks of the hastiness of anger. This is because Joseph had told them hurry and go up to my father — meaning, hurry to leave from here and don’t remain standing. He was concerned that they might interpret the word hurry to mean that they should not walk at a measured pace even on the journey, but rather rush in order to quickly bring the news to their father. This could lead them to take unnecessarily large steps beyond what is normal, and to travel until evening, even after sunset. Therefore, he told them al tirgezu baderech [do not be agitated on the way] — specifically from here they should hurry and go up, but on the journey itself, they should not be hasty but rather walk at a measured pace with moderate steps, and enter the city while the sun is still shining, for one should always enter [a city] when it is still light. And there are those who say: Based on what is stated Indeed, my wisdom remained with me (Ecclesiastes 2:9) — referring to that which I learned through anger and fury. Regarding this, he [Joseph] said Do not become agitated on the way — meaning don’t learn wisdom through anger. Perhaps they were referring to a matter that requires deep contemplation, as mentioned. And I add a good lesson of reason and knowledge: since all anger leads to error, and our Sages of blessed memory said (Gittin 43a) “A person does not fully grasp a matter of Jewish law unless they first stumble in it.” Therefore, they said that the wisdom I learned through anger and fury, which led me to error, is what ultimately remained with me. For one who makes a mistake in something once will be especially careful about it in the future.
Tur HaArokh
אל תרגזו בדרך, “do not engage in recriminations while on the journey.” He told them not to be concerned over the fact that they, as opposed to everyone else, traveled in style, equipped with luxuries at a time when the rest of the population had to make do with a very austere lifestyle due to the famine. He assured them that potential robbers and men of violence would be in awe of him when they found out that they traveled under Joseph’s special protection.
And they told him, saying: "Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." And his heart fainted, for he believed them not.
verse value 2110 — ל֜וֹ = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֜וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֜וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "he·did·not·believe" (לֹא־הֶאֱמִ֖ין, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·that·he" (וְכִֽי־ה֥וּא), "is·ruler" (מֹשֵׁ֖ל), "and·went·numb" (וַיָּ֣פׇג). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "in·all·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "that" (root כי, 167x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Onkelos
They told him, saying: Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. But the tidings stood faint upon his heart, for he did not believe them.
Rashi
וכי הוא משל — the word וכי is used here in the sense of אשר “that”: AND THAT HE WAS RULER. ויפג לבו AND JACOB’S HEART CONTINUED COLD — his heart passed away (נחלף) and ceased to believe — his heart took no notice of their words. The word ויפג has the same meaning as (Beitzah 14a) “all spices let their taste pass away (מפיגין)” (i.e. lose their taste) in Mishnaic Hebrew. Similar is (Lamentations 3:49) “without (הפגות) intermission”. The words (Jeremiah 48:11) “and his scent is not changed (נמר)” is rendered in the Targum by “and his scent has not את כל דברי יוסף.
Ramban
‘VAYAPHAG’ HIS HEART. His heart passed away and ceased to believe; his heart took no notice of their words. The word vayaphag has the same meaning as the Mishnaic expression: “The fragrance of all spices m’phigin (escape).” Similar is the verse, Without any ‘haphugoth’ (intermission). The verse, And his scent is not ‘namar,’ is rendered in the Targum: “and his scent is not pag (passing away).” This is the language of Rashi. But it is not correct, for phugah is an expression of cessation and abolition, just as: give thyself no ‘phugath’ (respite). So also, Mine eye is poured out, and ceaseth not, without any ‘haphugoth,’ meaning “mine eye pours out tears steadily without cessation or intermission.” And so likewise, “m’phigin (their fragrance)” means that the spices scatter the fragrance and it is voided. So also, Therefore the law is ‘taphug,’ that is, voided and ceased. In this verse also, ‘vayaphag’ his heart [thus means that the beat of] his heart was suspended and his breathing ceased, for the movement of the heart ceased and he was as dead. This condition is known when joy suddenly comes upon one, and it is mentioned in the books of medicines that old or feeble persons cannot withstand the shock, for many of them faint when joy comes to them very suddenly. The heart widens and opens suddenly, and its natural heat goes out and scatters throughout the outer parts of the body, and the heart thus ceases to function because of its coolness. Thus the patriarch fell as dead. Scripture says, for he believed them not, in order to relate that he remained in that condition a great part of the day, and he lay so without movement because he did not believe them. Concerning such fainting it is known that people shout to the fainting person and accustom him to that joyful event gradually until he accepts it with a tranquil spirit. And this is the meaning of the verse, And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them, and when he saw the wagons [which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived], here. for they shouted into his ears the words of Joseph and brought the wagons before him. Then did his spirit return to him, and his breathing began and he was revived. It is this which Scripture says, And the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Now Onkelos translated: “The Divine Presence, [which had departed from him when he was in mourning], again rested upon him.” Onkelos added this because the thing is true, and he expounded this interpretation from the word ruach (spirit), since Scripture does not say, “and Jacob their father revived,” [but rather, and the spirit of Jacob their father revived]. He thus explained the verse here as being analogous to these verses: The spirit of the Eternal G-d is upon me; And now the Eternal G-d hath sent me and His spirit; A man in whom is spirit.
Ibn Ezra
"His heart grew numb" — from the root of: "give yourself no respite" (Lamentations 2:18). The meaning is that his heart stopped and fell silent, like: "his heart died within him" (1 Samuel 25:36), for he did not believe. But when he saw the wagons, his spirit revived. Do not be troubled by the word va-yafug, for such is the manner of the prophets to speak; as in: "no breath was left in me" (Daniel 10:17).
Sforno
ויפג לבות, he passed out. His heart stopped beating briefly, something common when people have a fainting spell. This occurred at the moment Joseph’s name was mentioned by the brothers. כי לא האמין להם. so that he had no chance to believe them. Therefore, ותחי רוח יעקב, once his spirit revived he never fainted again so that he was able to believe them. It had been the sudden joy that had been the cause of his fainting. Spirit has a habit of contracting when one suffers worry, etc., whereas it expands when one experiences joy, sometimes even beyond the boundaries of one’s body so that the body faints.
Or HaChaim
ויגדו לו לאמור. They told him, saying, etc. The word ויגדו indicates the difficulty the brothers had telling their father what had transpired in Egypt. What was good news for their father involved a confession of the evil the brothers had perpetrated and how they had caused their father unnecessary anguish. It is also possible that the use of the word ויגדו [especially the missing letter י ] alluded to the ensuing exile of the Jewish people and the hard times their descendants would experience there eventually. We do indeed find that Jacob was afraid to travel to Egypt until reassured by G'd in a dream (46,3). The reason the Torah uses the expression לאמור is to tell us that the brothers were astute in the manner they conveyed the good news to their father. It is well known that sudden good news may shock a person and cause cardiac arrest. The brothers therefore led up to what they had to say in stages; first they mentioned that they were the bearers of good tidings, ויגדו לו לאמור; after Jacob had been thus prepared they told him that Joseph was still alive. At that point this news was not liable to endanger Jacob's life. It is also possible that we should read the verse thus: ויגדו לו לאמר עוד, "they told him saying: furthermore," etc. They said: "Not only have we all returned safely but we still have more to say." Once they had conditioned Jacob's mind they informed him that Joseph was still alive. Having said this they added a little later that Joseph had achieved a position of great stature in Egypt. I have been troubled by the fact that Joseph did not communicate with his father during all these years. Did he not realise that his father must have been in terrible anguish concerning what had happened to him? While it is true that as long as Joseph was a slave he may not have been able to communicate with his father, nonetheless during the nine years since his appointment as viceroy surely he could have done so? Why did he not at least write his father a letter to temper his father's pain and to stop him from mourning him? Not only this, why did he not at least send a message to his father during the year of famine when there was a constant stream of travellers between Egypt and Canaan? Who had given Joseph permission not to tell his father that he was alive after the brothers arrived in Egypt the first time? Whereas we can understand why Jacob had to suffer twenty two years in order that G'd's plan could be executed, this is all well and good from G'd's point of view. Since Joseph was not aware of G'd's plans, who gave him the right to let his father suffer longer than necessary? We have good reason to believe that Joseph had perfectly good reasons for preferring not to communicate with his father until he did. No doubt he would have liked to communicate with his father ever since he came to Egypt until he was appointed as viceroy. Even assuming that an opportunity had presented itself prior to his sudden and dramatic promotion, he was afraid that as soon as his brothers would hear about his whereabouts they would try and murder him so that he could not testify against them. The brothers would therefore have a vested interest in disposing of Joseph if they heard that he was still alive somewhere. It is also possible that as soon as Jacob would receive such a communication he would curse the brothers for what they had done to Joseph; as a result the brothers would die and he would indirectly be responsible for their deaths. Once Joseph had been released from prison and become viceroy he no longer had to fear for his life if a letter from him would be intercepted or the brothers would attempt to kill him to prevent their father from learning the truth. On the other hand, he considered a statement by our sages in Baba Metzia 59 that it is preferable to be burned in a fiery oven than to cause a fellow human being to go pale with shame. Joseph was concerned for his brothers' dignity as human beings, something they would lose if their father would find out at that point what the brothers had done to his favourite child. He decided therefore that the anguish of one man, i.e. his father, was preferable to discrediting his brothers. Besides, Joseph may well have felt that the brothers still wanted him out of this world and would confer how to bring this about. When Bereshit Rabbah 91 described the brothers as taking a great deal of money to Egypt in order to ransom Joseph, this merely means that they hoped to succeed in order to demonstrate that they were sorry for what they had done. Only then would they no longer feel threatened by him and plan to dispose of him. Joseph, of course, was unaware that the brothers had undergone a change of heart until he had personally tested them in the presence of Benjamin. Only after that experience did Joseph realise that he was no longer in danger from his brothers. Until all the pieces of the puzzle came together at the time Joseph decided to reveal himself to his brothers it would have been premature to risk identifying himself. Until Joseph was able to put the brothers at ease by attributing all that had happened to G'd's planning, he would have been risking his life by revealing himself. You will recall that Yehudah had resorted to a confrontational stance when he found out that Joseph had included innocent Reuben in his treatment of the brothers. Tanchuma item 5 on our Parshah even reports the brothers as planning to kill Joseph [not in his capacity as Joseph, of course, but in his capacity of a ruler who had framed Benjamin, Ed.], and that it had taken an angel to save Joseph from their hands. Considering all the foregoing Joseph can hardly be faulted for allowing events to run their course without informing his father prematurely.
Chizkuni
ויפג לבו, “Yaakov’s heart was standing still, stopped beating; (as in Lamentations 2,18, פוגת לך) he could not even react as he refused to believe the brothers. He only reacted after seeing the carriages that Joseph had sent along. An alternate exegesis: the words: ויפג לבו, mean that he reacted joyfully, seeing that in the Talmud we see it used in this sense in tractate Yuma, folio 19, אישי כהן גדול עמוד והפג אחת על הרצפה, “my lord the High Priest, arise and demonstrate joy,” (according to Rashi there). [According to this the High Priest rejected the implication that he was going to sleep as ridiculous; Ed.] In our case, Yaakov considered the claims by his sons as ridiculous, not worth even thinking about. The latter explanation is supported by Onkelos, who writes: פיגו.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויפג לבו, “his heard went numb.” The word ויפג is related to Lamentations 3,49 מאין הפוגות, “without respite.” The meaning is that Yaakov’s tears went on flowing without interruption. The meaning of the expression here is: “his heart stopped beating, he became like dead.” It is not unusual for someone to faint when he is the recipient of unexpected good news. The physiological explanation is a sudden expansion of the arteries of the heart which causes the heat inside the heart to suddenly dissipate and to cover the outside of the body. As a result, the heart itself is left cold, or at least too cold to perform its task. This causes fainting. These phenomena are more common among the elderly and among people with a weak constitution. The Talmud in Ketuvot 62, when discussing the frequency or otherwise of marital relations between Torah scholars and their wives, reports that after an absence of twelve years from his home, the wife of Rabbi Chanina ben Chachinai suddenly saw (according to Rashi thought she saw) her husband standing in the doorway. Her heart gave such a leap that she died from the shock. Her husband was stunned that this should be the reward of a pious woman who had enabled him to study Torah all these years. He prayed for her revival and she was restored to life.
Tur HaArokh
ויפג לבו, “his heart stopped beating;” according to Rashi this means that his heart refused to accept this as true. According to Nachmanides the word is similar to the word ביטול, as in Lamentations 2,18 אל תתני פוגת לך, “give yourself no respite.” The word פוג always means that something active suddenly ceases to be so and becomes inert, like dead. Yaakov’s heart became cold and his blood circulation stopped. This is a well known phenomenon when someone suddenly receives unexpected good news and is overwhelmed by it. Yaakov fainted and lay on the floor as if dead. The Torah reports that it took Yaakov a long time to recover from his shock and to believe what the brothers had told him. The standard remedy used to bring someone who fainted at the receipt of good news to recover from his fainting spell, is to dance around him and make noise and display joy and elation. When the brothers repeated their conversation with Joseph, and when upon opening his eyes he beheld the carriages Joseph had sent, he began to believe them and to react accordingly.
And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
verse value 6024
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·words·of" (אֵ֣ת כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 156: Joseph, Joseph. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "all·the·words·of" (אֵ֣ת כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י), "the·wagons" (אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "to·him" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "father" (root אב, 196x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'him', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Onkelos
They spoke to him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, and the spirit of prophecy rested upon their father Jacob.
Rashi
.(פג ALL THE WORDS OF JOSEPH — As evidence that it was Joseph who was sending this message he had informed them of the religious subject he had been studying with his father at the time when he left him, viz., the section of the Heifer (עגלה) that had its neck broken (Deuteronomy 21:6). It is to this that Scripture refers in the words “And he saw (i.e comprehended the meaning of) the עגלות (here to be taken in sense of Heifer) which Joseph had sent — and it does not state “which Pharaoh had sent” (as one would expect if עגלות meant wagons) (Genesis Rabbah 94:3). ותחי רוח יעקב THE SPIRIT OF JACOB [THEIR FATHER] REVIVED — The Shechinah that had departed from him, rested again upon him (cf. Onkelos).
Ramban
AND THEY TOLD HIM ALL THE WORDS OF JOSEPH. It is my opinion, in line with the plain meaning of Scripture, that it was never told to Jacob throughout his entire lifetime that the brothers had sold Joseph. Rather he thought that Joseph had strayed in the field, and those who found him took him and sold him into Egypt. The brothers did not want to tell him of their sin, being afraid for their lives lest he be wroth and curse them as he did to Reuben, Simeon and Levi, while Joseph in his good ethical conduct did not want to tell him. It is for this reason that it is said, And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying: Thy father did command before he died, etc. And had Jacob known of this matter, it would have been proper for them to plead before their father at the time of his death to command Joseph by word of his mouth, for he would have granted his father’s request and not rebelled against his word, and they would not have been in danger, nor would they need to feign words out of their own hearts.
Sforno
They told him all the words. They informed him that there would be another five years of famine in order that he would not faint from excessive joy. ותחי רוח יעקב, he recovered from his fainting spell now that the joy had been tempered by a worrisome element.
Chizkuni
את כל דברי יוסף, “all that Joseph had said.” According to Rash, i the reference is to Joseph having sent the carriages, not to Pharaoh having sent them. Only before the arrival of the family in Egypt, were these carriages attributed to the generosity of Pharaoh. (46,5.).אשר שלח יוסף, “that Joseph had sent.” Yaakov reasoned that if the sender had not been my son, no one else would have gone to the trouble to send me carriages to be riding in on my journey. Rashi adds that the consonants in the word עגלה have a dual meaning; they can mean eglah, “a heifer,” or they can mean agalah, “carriage.” Joseph wished to remind his father that the last subject that they had discussed together were the laws pertaining to the heifer that is thrown off a cliff to atone for a murder committed by persons unknown. (Deuteronomy chapter 21) If you were to ask how these carriages were a memorable symbol of their discussion? When the Torah reports Yaakov as having accompanied Joseph part of the descent from the mountain on which Chevron is situated, Joseph is reported to have said to him that he should go back. In other words, there could not have been a connection to the subject of the eglah arufah, where our sages assume that the murdered person had not been accompanied, or he would have become the object of murder. His father had then told him that the subject of accompanying a departing guest would rank highly in the Torah in the future. The reason that Joseph reminded him of that was that it was something to which no one else could have been privy. The almost unbelievable text in Deuteronomy has the Supreme Court members proclaiming that it was not they who had murdered the unknown victim. Who could have dared to accuse them of having done so? No one could have dreamt up such a paragraph in the Torah! Joseph made use of the play on words: eglah/agalah. A different explanation: Joseph had placed heifers on the carriages, which would remind his father of their last conversation in case he had forgotten. Concerning the carriages being once described as Pharaoh’s, and once as Joseph’s: it was forbidden to export cows unless their wombs had been removed so that they could not multiply in other countries. (Talmud, Bechorot, 28). In this instance, an exception was made and express permission from Pharaoh was granted. When the carriages were described as having been sent by Pharaoh, the meaning is that Pharaoh had given his permission, but the animals were owned by Joseph. ותחי רוח יעקב, “the holy spirit which had departed from Yaakov since Joseph’s disappearance now returned to him.” (Compare Midrash Hagadol 47,47.) As a result, although Joseph was only four or five days’ journey away from them they had no clue where he was for 22 years.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וידברו אליו את כל דברי יוסף אשר דבר אליהם, “they told him all the words Joseph had said to them.” According to Nachmanides what they told Yaakov was as follows: “Your son Joseph has said: ‘G’d appointed me as ruler over the whole land of Egypt, etc. etc. G’d has sent me to be the provider of my whole family, etc.’,” When they told Yaakov all this they failed to mention that Joseph had added the words “you who have sold me to Egypt.” Yaakov was never told of this. He was left under the impression that Joseph had lost his way at the time he tried to locate his brothers at or near Dothan, and that the members of some caravan who had found him had kidnapped him and sold him to Egypt. The brothers on their part did not tell their father about their part in the sale of Joseph as they did not want to incriminate themselves. In addition, they were afraid that if they would tell their father about their share in Joseph’s disappearance he would curse them as he did on his deathbed when he referred to the sins of Reuven, Shimon and Levi. Joseph, in his humility and dedication to maintaining peaceful relations with his brothers, never told his father either. This leaves us with the problem of why the brothers claimed after Yaakov’s funeral that the latter had asked them to tell Joseph to forgive them (Genesis 50,14). Actually, these words were proof that Yaakov had never known about who had sold Joseph. Had he known about it surely the brothers would have begged their father to intercede with Joseph while he was still alive and to beg Joseph personally to forgive his brothers. Surely Joseph would not have refused such a request by his father. ותחי רוח יעקב אביהם, “the spirit of their father Yaakov revived.” Onkelos renders this as ושרת רוח נבואה על יעקב אבוהון, “a prophetic spirit came to rest on their father Yaakov.” The reason Onkelos added this dimension to the meaning of the word is clearly that the Torah could have simply written: “their father Yaakov revived.”
Kli Yakar
And he saw the wagons that Joseph sent, etc. Rashi explained that Joseph gave them a sign regarding what they were studying when he separated from him — the passage of the broken-necked heifer [eglah arufa]. Therefore, it says he saw the wagons that Joseph sent and not “that Pharaoh sent.” However, this interpretation seems very distant from the plain meaning, for is it Rashi’s way to completely remove the verse from its simple meaning? After all, the verse explicitly states that Joseph sent to carry him, and furthermore, why would multiple wagons be needed when one wagon would suffice? Therefore, I say that Rashi also understood wagons in its literal sense. However, when it says that Joseph sent rather than “that Pharaoh sent,” Rashi understood that sent here means “accompanied” — that Joseph accompanied those wagons that were sent. This is similar to where it says and he sent his brothers and they went, where this “sending” means accompaniment. Joseph learned the law of accompaniment from Jacob, as it is written Go, and I will send you to them (Genesis 37:13) — for how could he send him after he had already gone? What would the verse be missing if it had simply said “Go to them”? Rather, it means he said he would accompany him. Jacob learned the law of accompaniment from Abraham, as it is written And Abraham went with them to send them off (Genesis 18:16) — which Rashi explains as “to accompany them.” This is also the meaning of and he sent him from the valley of Hebron — this “sending” means accompaniment, and he learned the law of accompaniment from that righteous one buried in Hebron, for Abraham initiated the practice of accompaniment when he planted an eshel — an acronym for eating, drinking, and accompaniment. When Jacob accompanied Joseph, he presumably told him about the mitzvah of accompaniment, whose source is from the passage of the broken-necked heifer, where the elders of the city say our hands did not spill this blood — meaning we did not send him away without accompaniment (Sotah 45b). Similarly, when Joseph accompanied his brothers, he presumably parted from them with words of Torah law — the ways of the world — to tell them the law of accompaniment with which he was occupied. And it is written and they told him all of Joseph’s words that he had spoken to them, which included all the matters — both the words he spoke to them in his house and the words he spoke to them when he accompanied them, where he discussed with them the law of the broken-necked heifer. “And he saw the wagons.” This seeing refers to contemplation, for Jacob contemplated what they told him about how Joseph practically implemented the law by accompanying those wagons. Through this, Jacob knew it was Joseph, for in all of Egypt there was no one who did good, not even one person who observed God’s commandments. Therefore, the spirit of Jacob their father was revived. However, from the words that Joseph had put in their mouths there was no proof, for perhaps Joseph had taught this law to others. Rather, he took evidence from the action itself. And regarding why the text connects the accompaniment specifically to the wagons — when surely Joseph’s accompaniment was for his brothers and not for the wagons — and it should have said “and he saw that he sent his brothers off.” The explanation is as follows: It is known that when they said “we did not send him away without accompaniment,” this is not a law without reason. For what connection is there between accompaniment and our hands did not spill this blood? The reasoning behind this is that anyone who leaves a city without accompaniment is at risk, for perhaps robbers will see that he is walking alone and think he has no redeemer or relative, since no one seems to care about his departure and he has no blood redeemer, neither son nor brother. Therefore, anyone who finds him might kill him, thinking there is no one who would seek revenge for his blood. And even for robbers who didn’t see him leaving the city, the accompaniment still provides at least minimal protection, as it protects from robbers who see that he has people accompanying him and has redeemers, so they become afraid to harm or kill him, lest his relatives or friends investigate and seek after him, and the avenger of blood will find them and demand his blood from their hands. It’s also reasonable to say that typical robbers won’t harm him except after investigating whether someone accompanied him or not. According to this reasoning, one could say that this mitzvah [of accompanying travelers] is among the logical commandments. If so, there would be no proof from the fact that Joseph accompanied his brothers that he was indeed Joseph — perhaps that ruler of the land was simply a righteous man who performed the escort out of logical necessity, since one who does not accompany travelers is considered like a murderer. Therefore, it would be proper to do this for anyone traveling. However, when Jacob saw the wagons that were sent and accompanied [his sons], then Jacob said Indeed, now I know — because this man fulfilled the mitzvah of accompaniment from the perspective of Torah law rather than mere logical necessity. This is because throughout Egypt, wagons were only given out by Pharaoh’s permission, as they were symbols of royal authority, as it is written And Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharaoh’s command. This indicates that these wagons were specifically designated for the king’s chariot. One who travels with these distinct and recognizable royal wagons does not require an escort for protection from bandits, because either way the fear of the kingdom is upon them, both in Egypt and in Canaan, as everyone was dependent on the master of grain during the years of famine. If so, what purpose was there for the ruler to escort the brothers who were traveling with the viceroy’s royal carriages? For who would dare to come against the king or against His chariot and camp? Rather, it must be that this man performed the escort out of Torah law, as it is an [absolute] biblical decree that does not distinguish between one accompaniment and another. Therefore, when Jacob saw and contemplated the wagons that Joseph sent and accompanied, he knew that it was done due to God’s commandment, and there was no one in all of Egypt who kept God’s charge except for Jacob’s descendants. For this reason, the spirit of Jacob their father was revived. And in my work Olelot Ephraim, article 533, we explained that Jacob learned that Joseph was alive from the section about the eglah arufah [broken-necked heifer]. Just as they would take physical measurements to determine which city was closest to the corpse and attribute the guilt to that city, similarly, they would make intellectual measurements and assessments to determine through which sin this person died — whether through their own sin, the sin of their relatives, or the sin of their townspeople. And whoever is closest to the corpse in terms of responsibility requires atonement. Therefore, Joseph sent him [the wagons alluding to] the section of eglah arufah so that through it, Jacob would reflect upon which sin caused him to be in distress all these years. Upon searching, he would find that the sin of not fulfilling the commandment of honoring one’s father and mother for 22 years caused him to be in distress for 22 years, whereby he too would not be honored by his most beloved son. From this, he reflected that Joseph must certainly be alive, because if he had died, Jacob would have been in distress for more than 22 years and would have suffered beyond what he had sinned, and the punishment would not have been measure for measure. Therefore, when he saw the wagons and immediately remembered the section of eglah arufah, the spirit of their father Jacob was revived (Genesis 45:27).
Tur HaArokh
וירא את העגלות, “he saw the carriages, etc.” then he believed the brothers as he told himself that no one else but a ruler would have been able to send these carriages out of Egypt, and all these precious gifts of food, etc. in the midst of a famine, except if it had been with the full consent of the government. Once he felt joy in his life once more, the holy spirit that had been absent since Joseph’s disappearance overcame him again According to the Midrash which understands the gift of carriages as a reminder by Joseph to his father that after all these years he had not forgotten that the last subject in which his father had instructed him had been the subject known as עגלה ערופה, the heifer which is killed by the judges of the Supreme Court in expiation of any indirect guilt in a unresolved murder on holy soil, we must understand our verse in terms of the two principles known as יש אם למקרא, ויש אם למסורה, that (normally) the unusual spelling of a word draws attention to a double meaning intended by the author. No one would argue that the carriages had not been sent for transporting Yaakov and family. But these “carriages” had an additional significance. This is why the Torah, instead of describing them as having been sent by Pharaoh, describes them as having been sent by Joseph, a slight but significant inaccuracy. It was to alert Yaakov that his son had not forgotten, in spite of his position at the Egyptian court, what had been the last lesson his father had taught him before he had sent him on the errand to see how his brothers were doing in Shechem. [in this instance it is not the spelling but the change in the description of the sender of the carriages. Joseph had actually sent heifers, עגלות, also, a double entendre of the word עגלות. Clearly, these had not been intended to pull the carriages. Ed.] Some commentators believe that the brothers did not transport grain in carriages but on their donkeys, [in small quantities. Ed] for if they had transported wagon-loads of grain, it would have looked as if they were depleting Egypt of its reserves of grain. In order to do this, special permission from Pharaoh himself was needed.
And Israel said: "It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die."
verse value 2334 — חָ֑י = 18 (chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "alive" (חָ֑י) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "enough" (רַ֛ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "Joseph·is·still" (עוֹד־יוֹסֵ֥ף, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "Joseph·is·still" (עוֹד־יוֹסֵ֥ף), "I·will·go" (אֵֽלְכָ֥ה), "and·see·him" (וְאֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "my·son" (root בן, 248x in Genesis); "Joseph·is·still" (root יוסף, 156x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'alive', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + רַ֛ב [enough] (202) + עוֹד־יוֹסֵ֥ף [Joseph·is·still] (236) + בְּנִ֖י [my·son] (62) + חָ֑י [alive] (18) + אֵֽלְכָ֥ה [I·will·go] (56) + וְאֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ [and·see·him] (264) + בְּטֶ֥רֶם [before] (251) + אָמֽוּת [I·shall·die] (447) = 2334.
Onkelos
Israel said: Great is my joy — my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.
Rashi
רב ENOUGH or MUCH — Much joy and pleasure is still in store for me, since my son Joseph is yet alive.
Ibn Ezra
"It is still great — Joseph" — [meaning:] it is more than enough for me, this joy.
Sforno
רב... אלכה ואראנה, I will go and see him, but will not remain there as he has said.
Chizkuni
רב, עוד יוסף בני חי, “it is plenty;” Yaakov meant that when the brothers told him that Joseph was alive, and that he was a ruler in Egypt, the second part of the sentence was unnecessary, as long as he knew that Joseph was alive. He was totally unconcerned with Joseph’s standing politically.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויאמר ישראל, “Yisrael said.” As long as his prophetic spirit had not been restored to him, the Torah referred to him only as Yaakov. Now that he had regained this additional spiritual dimension he is once more referred to as Yisrael. We have 18 instances from here until the end of the Book of Genesis where Yaakov is referred to as ישראל, such as 46,1; 46,5; 46,8; 46,29; to name but a few. The reason that G’d called him “Yaakov” in 46,2 whereas the Torah (G’d Himself) had referred to him as ישראל in the same verse was because the journey to Egypt was a voluntary exile on the part of Yaakov and it was not appropriate that the name Yisrael which denotes authority, victory, etc., should be applied to someone who exiles himself and subordinates himself to a human ruler. Once G’d had called him by the name Yaakov, it is not surprising to see that the Torah reverts to use of that name (compare 46,5, 46,6, 46,8, 46,19, 46,26, 46,27, etc.). When the Torah (46,5) nonetheless speaks of וישאו בני ישראל את יעקב אביהם, “the sons of Israel carried their father Yaakov, etc.,” the message of the Torah is that Yaakov’s descent to Egypt involved both his names, i.e. although at this stage he had become an exile, ultimately, -through the exile experience in Egypt- he (his people) would be redeemed there and would emerge as more deserving of the name בני ישראל than before. This is the reason that in the verse mentioned the sons of Yaakov are referred to as בני ישראל rather than as the בני יעקב. The Torah could have simply written that “Yaakov’s sons carried him, etc.” We have this concept repeated at the beginning of the Book of Exodus where the Torah speaks of: “these are the children of Israel who came down to Egypt.” The same verse goes on naming them as “Yaakov and his sons.” These are the very ones who in the future would be called “the children of Israel.” רב, עוד יוסף בני חי, “it is indeed great! My son Joseph is still alive!” According to the plain meaning of the text the two separate exclamations by Israel refer to the two separate pieces of information that the brothers had brought with them. 1) The information that Joseph was alive. 2) The news that he occupied such a lofty position in Egypt. When Israel exclaimed רב!, he meant that the news that Joseph was alive was already sufficient good news. The fact that he occupied such a lofty position was an added bonus to the principal news that he was alive. A Midrashic approach to this verse is that the exclamation רב, was meant to acknowledge Israel’s satisfaction at having been granted such a reward in his life on earth, whereas the second exclamation עוד, “in addition,” refers to the meta-physical dimension of this news, i.e. that his standing in the world to come would remain unimpaired, not as he had been afraid that the fact that he lost a child during his own lifetime was a sign that he had forfeited his claim to that world. Technically speaking, the use of both these exclamations in this sense is found in Psalms 31,20 מה רב טובך, whereas the word עוד in this sense is found in Psalms 84,5 עוד יהללוך סלה, “forever (even in the hereafter) they will praise You.” I believe that this is also what Onkelos alluded to when he translated סגי לי חדוא, “great joy for me.” This kind of joy is of a type reserved for the hereafter. Joy in this life is something finite and only in the hereafter do we encounter something enduring. This in spite of the fact that Yaakov had experienced more than his fair share of disappointments during his life on earth [ — Compare his own words in Genesis 47,9. Ed.] Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 76,2 state that “promises made to the righteous by G’d are not ironclad as to their validity during the terrestrial life of the recipient (my translation).” When Yaakov had thought that he had lost Joseph and had said (37,35) “for I will go down to my grave mourning for my son,” this expressed his fear that he had forfeited eternal life. He had come to believe that both Joseph and he himself were slated for purgatory due to sins they had committed. Now that he heard that Joseph was alive he was certain that both he and his son would merit life in the hereafter.
Kli Yakar
“My son Joseph is still alive — how great!” Since the Holy One, Blessed be He, promised him that if none of his sons would die during his lifetime, he would not see the face of Gehenna and would merit what is written How abundant is Your goodness that You have stored away for those who fear You (Psalms 31:20). Therefore he said here rav [great/abundant] — from now on I will merit the reward of the World to Come which is called “rav,” for it is a world that is entirely long, unlike the life of this world which is brief and filled with troubles, for one does not remember many days of their life. Furthermore, he had already received punishment for neglecting the commandment of honoring his father in this world, and from now on he will receive his complete reward in the World to Come. Therefore it says and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. It does not mention Abraham as well, rather he wanted to rectify what he had damaged and returned to practicing honor towards his father Isaac. Another explanation of “My son Joseph is still alive — how great!”: Why are you telling me that he rules over all the land of Egypt? It is great and sufficient for me that he is alive. This gives me satisfaction, and I do not care whether he rules or not.
Tur HaArokh
רב, עוד יוסף בני חי, “it is much; my son Joseph is still alive!” Seeing that at first he did not want to believe them, he asked after the original owners of the עגלות, only to be told that just as a ship is steered by a captain, so the owner of these carriages, i.e. Joseph, is still very much alive. [who else but the “captain,” i.e. Joseph, could have sent all this to Yaakov? Ed]
Onkelos
Rashi
Ramban
Ibn Ezra
Sforno
Or HaChaim
Rabbeinu Bahya
Tur HaArokh