Take the story of Joseph and his brothers in Egypt.
In Genesis 47:2, we read, "From among his brothers he took five men, and he presented them before Pharaoh." Okay, seems simple enough, right? But the rabbis of old, in the Midrash Bereshit Rabbah, didn't think so. They zoomed in on the phrase "from among [miktze] his brothers." Miktze – it suggests a selection, a picking and choosing. But why this specific wording?
The Midrash asks, why does the verse state “from among [miktze] his brothers”? It's not just saying he picked five random guys. It's "to teach you that they were not mighty." The term katze, it explains, indicates those on the periphery, the relatively weak. So, who were these five chosen brothers? Reuben, Levi, Benjamin, Simeon, and Issachar.
Now, why would Joseph, the shrewd and powerful vizier of Egypt, present the least mighty of his brothers to Pharaoh? Bereshit Rabbah gives us a fascinating insight into Joseph's thinking: "It is because he knew each and every mighty one among his brothers, and he acted wisely." Joseph, ever the strategist, knew exactly what he was doing.
He reasoned, "If I present the mighty ones before Pharaoh, he will see them and make them his warriors." Can you picture it? A pharaoh, always on the lookout for strong soldiers, immediately impressed by, say, Judah's strength. Joseph wasn't about to risk his family being conscripted into the Egyptian army!
But how did Joseph know who was mighty and who wasn't? Here's where it gets really interesting. The Midrash connects it to Moses's blessing in Deuteronomy 33. Anyone whose name was repeated in that blessing was considered mighty. Judah, for example: "This is for Judah, and he said: Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah" (Deuteronomy 33:7). See the repetition? Naphtali, Asher, Dan, Zebulun, Gad – all of them get the double mention.
So, Joseph, knowing this tradition or perhaps having his own way of assessing strength, deliberately left those brothers out of the lineup for Pharaoh. Those whose names weren't repeated, the ones deemed "not mighty," were the ones he presented. The Midrash emphasizes, "It does not mention their names here because they were not mighty." It's a subtle, almost hidden, act of protection.
And then, the Midrash takes a turn, seemingly unrelated, but perhaps offering another layer of Joseph's shrewdness. "Joseph said: Give your livestock, and I will give you for your livestock, if silver has run out" (Genesis 47:16). The Midrash interprets this as Joseph saying, "Your horse is before me. You are exposed as a peeled onion."
What does that mean? Well, the commentary suggests Joseph is calling them out. They might claim poverty, but Joseph sees their horses. He knows they still have resources. This little addition suggests Joseph wasn't just protecting his family from conscription; he was also a savvy negotiator, aware of their true situation.
So, what do we take away from this deep dive into a single verse? It reminds us that even seemingly simple stories in the Torah are packed with layers of meaning, waiting to be uncovered. It shows us Joseph not just as a dreamer and a leader, but as a shrewd strategist, protecting his family in ways both obvious and subtle. And it highlights the brilliance of the rabbinic tradition, finding profound truths in the smallest details. Next time you read a familiar story, ask yourself: what's hiding just beneath the surface?