“Joseph saw his bothers [and he recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them]” (Genesis 42:7) – Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya said: He became like a stranger to them. “Joseph recognized his brothers…” (Genesis 42:8) – Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: When they fell into his hands: “Joseph recognized his brothers.” When he fell into their hands: “But they did not recognize him.”48He treated them as brothers when they descended to Egypt; they did not treat him as a brother when he came to them in Dotan.
The Rabbis say: He parted from them when they were bearded, so “Joseph recognized his brothers.” “But they did not recognize him,” as they parted from him when he was not bearded. “Joseph remembered…and said to them…[They said to him:] We are all the sons of one man” (Genesis 42:9–11) – they had a spark of the Divine Spirit. They said to him: ‘We and you are the sons of one man.’
“Joseph said to them: That is what I spoke to you, saying: You are spies” (Genesis 42:14). “They said: We, [your servants,] are twelve [brothers, sons of one man…and one is absent]” (Genesis 42:13) – He said to them: ‘Where is he?’ [They said:] ‘We sold him.’ He said to them: ‘For how much did you sell him?’ They said to him: ‘For five sela.’
He said to them: ‘And if a person would say to you: Give me five sela for him, and I will give him to you, would you do it?’ They said to him: ‘Yes.’ And if a person would say to you: ‘Give me double for him and I will give him to you, would you do it?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ ‘And if a person would say to you, even if you would give one thousand for him, we will not give him to you, what would you do?’
They said to him: ‘It is for that purpose that we descended, either to kill or to be killed.’ He said to them: “That is what I spoke to you, [saying: You are] spies.” “With this you shall be put to the test: As Pharaoh lives, you shall not depart from here, unless your youngest brother comes here” (Genesis 42:15). “Dispatch one of you and he will take your brother, and you shall be incarcerated, that your statements may be verified, whether there is truth with you; and if not, by Pharaoh’s life, you are spies” (Genesis 42:16).
“With this you shall be put to the test: As Pharaoh lives” – when he would seek to take a false oath, he would take the oath by Pharaoh’s life. Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a goat that fled from the pasture and went to a widowed woman. What did she do? She stood, slaughtered it, flayed it, placed it in the bed, and covered it with a sheet.
They came and sought it from her. She said: ‘This woman will tear from the flesh of this one and eat it if she knows about it.’49She placed the goat on a bed as though it were a child, and swore that if she knew anything about the whereabouts of the goat, she would tear the flesh of “this one” and eat it. So, “as Pharaoh lives, you shall not depart…dispatch one of you.” “He gathered them into custody for three days” (Genesis 42:17).
“He gathered them into custody for three days” – the Holy One blessed be He never leaves the righteous in distress for three days, and likewise they learned from Joseph, Jonah, Mordekhai, and David, and likewise it says: “He will revive us after two days; on the third day” (Hosea 6:2) of the tribes “He will raise us” (Hosea 6:2)50Meaning, “one the third day He will raise us,” just as Joseph released his brothers, the progenitors of the tribes, on the third day. – “Joseph said to them on the third day.”