Joseph Interrogates His Brothers as Spies

(Genesis 42:13-14) "And they said, your servants are twelve." He said to them: where is the other one? They said to him: we sold him. He said to them: for how much did you sell him? They said: for five sela. He said: and if a man came and said, give me five sela and I will give him back to you, would you do it? They said: yes. And if a man said, give me double and I will give him back to you, would you do it? They said: yes. And if a man said, even if you give me however much, I will not give him to you—what would you do? They said to him: for this purpose we came down, either to kill or to be killed. He said to them: this is what I spoke to you, saying, you are spies. (Genesis 42:15) "By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place." When he wished to swear falsely, he would say "by the life of Pharaoh." A parable: a kid that fled the pasture and entered the house of a widow, and she covered it with a sheet. People came searching at her place. She said: may that woman so eat of this meat if I know anything of it. So too, "by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place." (Genesis 42:18) "And Joseph said to them on the third day." The Holy One, blessed be He, does not leave the righteous in distress more than three days. (Genesis 42:21) "And they said one to another, truly we are guilty." "Aval" is the southern dialect for "truly": "in that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us." Is it possible that Joseph, seventeen years old, watched his brothers selling him and stayed silent? Rather it teaches that he threw himself at the feet of each one so that they would be filled with mercy for him, and they were not filled with mercy. (Genesis 42:22) "And Reuben answered them, saying, his blood too is now required"—his blood and the blood of the aged one [their father, who would die of grief]. (Genesis 42:23) "And they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them"—this was Manasseh. (Genesis 42:24) "And he turned away from them and wept, and took Simeon." Joseph reasoned within himself: if I imprison Simeon and Levi together, perhaps the tribes will be aroused on Levi's behalf, for he is wise and a high priest, and they will do to Egypt as they did to Shechem. Rather, I shall imprison Simeon, whom they do not love so much, and they will go to their father. When he sought to seize him, the tribes rushed to help him. Simeon said: I do not want you to help me. Joseph sent to Pharaoh and said: send seventy mighty men, for I have found men I wish to put in prison. When they came, he said to them: take these chains and put them on his neck—and the tribes were at a distance. As they drew near to Simeon, he cried out at them, and they all fell before him and their teeth were broken. Manasseh was standing beside his father; he said to him: take that chain and put it on his neck and struck him a single blow and set it upon him. Simeon said: this blow is from my father's house.