“Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the provider of grain to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came, and prostrated themselves to him, faces to the ground” (Genesis 42:6). “Joseph was the ruler…” – he issued three edicts: That no slave shall enter Egypt; that no man shall enter with two donkeys, and that donkey drivers shall not transport grain from place to place; that a person shall not enter until he writes his name, his father’s name, and his grandfather’s name.37All this was to increase the chances that Joseph’s brothers would come, and to ensure that if they were to come, Joseph would know.
Manasseh was standing there collecting the notes [with the names]. [Joseph’s brothers] said: ‘Let us enter and see. If they make claims against us with a measured rate of taxes, that is fine. If not, in the morning we will see what we will do.’38When Manasseh saw their notes listing their names, he summoned them to appear before Joseph. The brothers thought, if we are being detained on account of the need to pay standard taxes, we will do so; otherwise, we will see what we need to do (Yefeh To’ar).