“My lord asked his servants, saying: Do you have a father or a brother?” (Genesis 44:19). “My lord asked his servants…” – [Judah] said to him: ‘From the outset you came against us with malice. How many countries descended to Egypt to purchase food? But you did not ask [this of] any of them.
Did we, perhaps, come to take our daughter, or are you planning to marry our sister? Nevertheless, we hid nothing from you.’ [Joseph] said to him: ‘I see that you are a prattler. Is there among your brothers a prattler like you?’27Why are you the only one of the brothers talking? According to Tanḥuma (Vayigash 5), Joseph claimed that he knew through divination that Judah was not the oldest of the brothers, and therefore it was even more surprising that he was doing all the talking. [Judah] said to him: ‘All this that you see is because I became a guarantor for him.’ [Joseph] said to him: ‘Why did you not do so on behalf of your brother when you sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and you brought anguish to your father and said to him: “Joseph was mauled”?’ (Genesis 37:33).
When Judah heard this he screamed and cried in a loud voice.28Judah screamed and cried because Joseph was not giving in to his demand to release Benjamin. He said: “For how will I go up to my father?” (Genesis 44:34). Judah said to Naphtali: ‘Go and see how many marketplaces there are in Egypt.’ He leapt and returned and said to him: ‘Twelve.’
Judah said to his brothers: ‘I will destroy three of them, and each and every one of you take one each, “and no man will be left among them”’ (I Samuel 14:36). His brothers said to him: ‘Egypt is not like Shekhem. If you destroy Egypt you will be destroying the entire world.’ “Joseph could not restrain himself before all those standing before him, and he called: Remove every man from before me.
No man stood with him when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers” (Genesis 45:1). “He raised his voice in weeping; the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard” (Genesis 45:2). “Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph; does my father still live? And his brothers could not answer him because they were alarmed before him” (Genesis 45:3).
“Joseph said to his brothers: Please approach me, and they approached. He said: I am Joseph your brother whom you sold to Egypt” (Genesis 45:4). At that moment, “Joseph could not restrain himself” (Genesis 45:1). When Joseph saw that they had come to an agreement to destroy Egypt, Joseph said to himself: ‘It is preferable that I reveal myself to them and they will not destroy Egypt.’
Joseph said to them: ‘Did you not say that this one’s brother was dead? I will call him and he will come to you.’ He was calling: ‘Joseph son of Jacob, come to me. Joseph son of Jacob come to me.’
They were looking to the four corners of the palace. He said to them: ‘What are you looking for? “I am Joseph your brother”’ (Genesis 45:4). Immediately, their souls departed, as it is stated: “His brothers could not [answer him because they were alarmed before him]” (Genesis 45:3). But they did not believe him until he uncovered himself and showed them his circumcision.