“Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons: Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” (Genesis 42:1). “Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt” – “Happy is he whose help is from the God of Jacob, whose hope [sivro] is in the Lord his God” (Psalms 146:5). “Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt” – “Behold, He demolishes, and it will not be rebuilt” (Job 12:14) – once the Holy One blessed be He stymied the intention of the tribes,1The plan of Joseph’s brothers to kill him. it was not restored.
“He shuts a man in, and it will not be opened” (Job 12:14) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive. But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive, as it is stated: “Jacob saw that there was shever in Egypt” – “that there was disaster [shever]”2The word shever, generally translated in Genesis 42:1 to mean grain, can also mean disaster; see, e.g., Lamentations 2:11. – this is the famine; “that there was hope [sever]”3The midrash interprets the verse as though it said “hope [sever],” because the letters shin and sin are interchangeable. – this is the plenty.
“That there was disaster [shever]” – “Joseph was taken down to Egypt” (Genesis 39:1); “that there was hope [sever]” – “Joseph was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6). “That there was disaster [shever]” – “they will be enslaved to them and they will oppress them” (Genesis 15:13); “that there was hope [sever]” – “then they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14). “Who says to the sun and it does not shine” (Job 9:7) – this is Jacob; “and seals the stars” (Job 9:7) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive.4The verse in Job is thus understood to mean that God withheld the full “shine” of the divine spirit from Jacob, and although he had a sense that Joseph was alive, he did not have clear knowledge of the matter.
On the other hand, God withheld this sense entirely from Joseph’s brothers (Etz Yosef). But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive.