The Bible gives us a glimpse, but the Jewish tradition, particularly in works like Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, really fills in the emotional and narrative gaps.
The reunion, after years of separation and Joseph's rise to power, was intensely emotional. Especially with Benjamin, Joseph's full brother, finally standing before him. Ginzberg paints a picture of Joseph seeing a reflection of their father, Jacob, in Benjamin. He ordered his steward, Manasseh (also his son), to prepare a feast.
But this wasn’t just any meal. Joseph, even before the formal revelation of the Torah, observed the Sabbath! So, this was a special Sabbath meal. To ease their concerns about ritual purity, Joseph made sure his brothers saw the animals slaughtered according to Jewish law – removing the gid hanasheh, the sinew of the hip (Genesis 32:33).
Can you picture the scene? Despite the invitation, the brothers were wary. They suspected a trap, fearing it was a ploy to seize them and their donkeys because of the mysteriously returned money. They were so concerned that they equated the loss of their animals with the loss of their freedom. They told the steward they were in reduced circumstances and now depended on him, offering the money they had found. The steward reassured them, saying God had caused them to find a treasure. He then brought out Simon, who, according to the text, had grown quite stout during his time in Egypt and assured his brothers of the good treatment he was receiving.
When Joseph finally appeared, Judah presented Benjamin, and they all bowed before him. Joseph questioned them about their father and grandfather. From their words, "Thy servant our father is well; he is yet alive," Joseph understood that his grandfather Isaac had passed away. Midrash Rabbah tells us Isaac died when Joseph was released from prison. God’s joy in Joseph's liberation was mingled with sorrow for Isaac’s passing.
Then, Judah handed Joseph a letter from their father. Overcome by the familiar handwriting, Joseph had to excuse himself to weep. Returning, he blessed Benjamin with the words, "God be gracious unto thee, my son." This blessing, Ginzberg suggests, compensated Benjamin for not being included in a previous blessing from Jacob.
The meal itself was divided into three sections: one for Joseph, one for his brothers, and one for the Egyptians. The sons of Jacob hesitated to eat, afraid the food wasn’t prepared according to Jewish law. As a result, the text tells us this was a punishment for Joseph for having previously accused his brothers of not observing the dietary laws. The Egyptians, on the other hand, couldn't eat with the sons of Jacob because they worshipped animals the Israelites consumed.
According to Legends of the Jews, Joseph, feigning knowledge, assigned seats to his brothers according to their age and status. He seated sons of the same mother together. And then came Benjamin. Joseph declared he would sit next to Benjamin, as the youngest had no full brother to sit beside, and Joseph, of course, was in a similar position. The brothers were astonished.
During the meal, Joseph showered Benjamin with extra portions, followed by his wife Asenath, and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Benjamin received four times the portions of his brothers! It was the first time in twenty-two years that Joseph and his brothers tasted wine together. They had been living like Nazarites, those who abstain from wine, the brothers because of their guilt over Joseph, and Joseph because of his grief for his father.
Joseph then engaged Benjamin in conversation. He asked about his family, his wife, and his ten sons, asking the meaning behind their unusual names: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. Benjamin explained each name was a memorial to Joseph and his suffering: Bela, because Joseph disappeared; Becher, because he was their mother’s firstborn; Ashbel, because he was taken from their father; Gera, because he was a stranger in a strange land; Naaman, because he was lovely; Ehi, because they shared both parents; Rosh, because he was the head of the brothers; Muppim, because he was beautiful; Huppim, because he was slandered; and Ard, because he was as beautiful as a rose.
Then, Joseph used his magic astrolabe, a device that revealed hidden truths, and asked Benjamin if he knew anything about this type of wisdom. Benjamin revealed that he was also skilled in wisdom, taught to him by their father. Looking at the astrolabe, Benjamin shockingly realized the man on the throne was Joseph.
"What hast thou seen?" Joseph asked, noticing Benjamin's astonishment.
"I can see by this that Joseph my brother sitteth here before me upon the throne," Benjamin replied.
Joseph confirmed his identity but cautioned Benjamin to secrecy. He planned to test his brothers’ loyalty. He would send them home, then have them brought back, and see if they would fight for Benjamin’s freedom. If they did, Joseph would know they had truly repented. He then inquired about what they had told their father after selling him into slavery, hearing the story of the coat dipped in blood. Joseph recounted his own experience after being sold: being stripped, given an apron, and driven off by the Ishmaelites after being sold.
Finally, Joseph dismissed his brothers. He let them start their journey home, but not at night. He feared they would get into a fight with his servants, and knew the sons of Jacob were like wild beasts at night, according to the text.
What does this extended reunion story tell us? It’s more than just a family drama. It's a story about repentance, reconciliation, and the enduring bonds of brotherhood. It shows us how even after years of pain and separation, forgiveness and love can still triumph. And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there's always the potential for a new beginning.
Great was the joy of Joseph when his brethren stood before him and Benjamin was with them. In his youngest brother he saw the true counterpart of his father. He ordered his son Manasseh, the steward of his house, to bring the men into the palace, and make ready a meal for them. But he was to take care to prepare the meat dishes in the presence of the guests, so that they might see with their own eyes that the cattle had been slaughtered according to the ritual prescriptions, and the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh had been removed. The dinner to which Joseph invited his brethren was a Sabbath meal, for he observed the seventh day even before the revelation of the law. The sons of Jacob refused the invitation of the steward, and a scuffle ensued. While he tried to force them into the banqueting hall, they tried to force him out, for they feared it was but a ruse to get possession of them and their asses, on account of the money they had found in their sacks on their return from their first journey to Egypt. In their modesty they put the loss of their beasts upon the same level as the loss of their personal liberty. To the average man property is as precious as life itself. Standing at the door of Joseph's house, they spake to the steward, and said: "We are in badly reduced circumstances. In our country we supported others, and now we depend upon thee to support us." After these introductory words, they offered him the money they had found in their sacks. The steward reassured them concerning the money, saying, "However it may be, whether for the sake of your own merits, or for the sake of the merits of your fathers, God hath caused you to find a treasure, for the money ye paid for the corn came into my hand." Then he brought Simon out to them. Their brother looked like a leather bottle, so fat and rotund had he grown during his sojourn in Egypt. He told his brethren what kind treatment had been accorded unto him. The very moment they left the city he had been released from prison, and thereafter he had been entertained with splendor in the house of the ruler of Egypt. When Joseph made his appearance, Judah took Benjamin by the hand, and presented him to the viceroy, and they all bowed down themselves to him to the earth. Joseph asked them concerning the welfare of their father and their grandfather, and they made reply, "Thy servant our father is well; he is yet alive," and Joseph knew from their words that his grandfather Isaac was no more. He had died at the time when Joseph was released from prison, and the joy of God in the liberation of Joseph was overcast by His sorrow for Isaac. Then Judah handed his father's letter to Joseph, who was so moved at seeing the well-known handwriting that he had to retire to his chamber and weep. When he came back, he summoned Benjamin to approach close to him, and he laid his hand upon his youngest brother's head, and blessed him with the words, "God be gracious unto thee, my son." His father had once mentioned "the children which God hath graciously given Thy servant," and as Benjamin was not among the children thus spoken of, for he was born later, Joseph compensated him now by blessing him with the grace of God. The table was set in three divisions, for Joseph, for his brethren, and for the Egyptians. The sons of Jacob did not venture to eat of the dishes set before them, they were afraid they might not have been prepared according to the ritual prescriptions—a punishment upon Joseph for having slandered his brethren, whom he once charged with not being punctilious in the observance of the dietary laws. The Egyptians, again, could not sit at the same table with the sons of Jacob, because the latter ate the flesh of the animals to which the former paid divine worship. When all was ready, and the guests were to be seated, Joseph raised his cup, and, pretending to inhale his knowledge from it, he said, "Judah is king, therefore let him sit at the head of the table, and let Reuben the first-born take the second seat," and thus he assigned places to all his brethren corresponding to their dignity and their age. Moreover, he seated the brothers together who were the sons of the same mother, and when he reached Benjamin, he said, "I know that the youngest among you has no brother borne by his own mother, next to whom he might be seated, and also I have none, therefore he may take his place next to me." The brethren marvelled one with another at all this. During the meal, Joseph took his portion, and gave it to Benjamin, and his wife Asenath followed his example, and also Ephraim and Manasseh, so that Benjamin had four portions in addition to that which he had received like the other sons of Jacob. Wine was served at the meal, and it was the first time in twenty-two years that Joseph and his brethren tasted of it, for they had led the life of Nazarites, his brethren because they regretted the evil they had done to Joseph, and Joseph because he grieved over the fate of his father. Joseph entered into conversation with his brother Benjamin. He asked him whether he had a brother borne by his own mother, and Benjamin answered, "I had one, but I do not know what hath become of him." Joseph continued his questions: "Hast thou a wife?" Benjamin: "Yes, I have a wife and ten sons." Joseph: "And what are their names? " Benjamin: "Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard." Joseph: "Why didst thou give them such peculiar names?" Benjamin: "In memory of my brother and his sufferings: Bela, because my brother disappeared among the peoples; Becher, he was the first-born son of my mother; Ashbel, he was taken away from my father; Gera, he dwells a stranger in a strange land; Naaman, he was exceedingly lovely; Ehi, he was my only brother by my father and my mother together; Rosh, he was at the head of his brethren; Muppim, he was beautiful in every respect; Huppim, he was slandered; and Ard, because he was as beautiful as a rose." Joseph ordered his magic astrolabe to be brought to him, whereby he knew all things that happen, and he said unto Benjamin, "I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, but dost thou know aught of this?" Benjamin answered, "Thy servant also is skilled in all wisdom, which my father hath taught me." He then looked upon the astrolabe, and to his great astonishment he discovered by the aid of it that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother Joseph. Noticing Benjamin's amazement, Joseph asked him, "What hast thou seen, and why art thou astonished?" Benjamin said, "I can see by this that Joseph my brother sitteth here before me upon the throne." And Joseph said: "I am Joseph thy brother! Reveal not the thing unto our brethren. I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take thee away from them. If they risk their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make myself known unto them. But if they forsake thee, I will keep thee, that thou shouldst remain with me. They shall go away, and I will not make myself known unto them." Then Joseph inquired of Benjamin what his brethren had told their father after they had sold him into slavery, and he heard the story of the coat dipped in the blood of a kid of the goats. "Yes, brother," spoke Joseph, "when they had stripped me of my coat, they handed me over to the Ishmaelites, who tied an apron around my waist, scourged me, and bade me run off. But a lion attacked the one that beat me, and killed him, and his companions were alarmed, and they sold me to other people." Dismissed by Joseph with kind words, his brethren started on their homeward journey as soon as the morning was light, for it is a good rule to "leave a city after sunrise, and enter a city before sundown." Besides, Joseph had a specific reason for not letting his brethren depart from the city during the night. He feared an encounter between them and his servants, and that his men might get the worst of it, for the sons of Jacob were like the wild beasts, which have the upper hand at night.
