The food they'd bought in Egypt was gone, and the children, their tiny voices filled with hunger, cried out, "Give us bread, that we die not of hunger before thee." Can you picture the scene? According to Legends of the Jews, by Louis Ginzberg, these words brought "scorching tears" to Jacob's eyes.
He knew what he had to do. He summoned his sons and told them to go back to Egypt for more food. But there was a catch, a major sticking point. Judah, ever the pragmatist, reminded his father of the stern warning they'd received: "The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying that we should not see his face, except our brother Benjamin be with us."
Now, Benjamin was Jacob's youngest, born of his beloved Rachel. Understandably, Jacob was fiercely protective of him, especially after having already lost Joseph. So, you can imagine his frustration when he retorted, "Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?"
Legends of the Jews tells us this was a rare moment. It was the first and only time Jacob indulged in what Ginzberg calls "empty talk." And the text suggests this didn't sit well with the Almighty. It says, "God said, 'I made it My business to raise his son to the position of ruler of Egypt, and he complains, and says, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me?'"
Judah, however, wasn't backing down. He countered Jacob's reproach, pointing out the Egyptian viceroy seemed to know everything about them. "Why, he knew the very wood of which our baby coaches are made!" Judah exclaimed, according to Ginzberg. He went on to make a difficult but logical plea: "Father, if Benjamin goes with us, he may, indeed, be taken from us, but also he may not. This is a doubtful matter, but it is certain that if he does not go with us, we shall all die of hunger. It is better not to concern thyself about what is doubtful, and guide thy actions by what is certain."
Judah then launched into a detailed description of the Egyptian king's power and wisdom, trying to impress upon his father the seriousness of the situation. "The king of Egypt is a strong and mighty king, and if we go to him without our brother, we shall all be put to death. Dost thou not know, and hast thou not heard, that this king is very powerful and wise, and there is none like unto him in all the earth?"
He paints a vivid picture. Judah says, "Father, thou hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him. Thou hast not seen that king upon his throne, in all his magnificence and with his royal insignia, arrayed in his royal robes, with a large golden crown upon his head. Thou hast not seen the honor and the glory that God hath given unto him, for there is none like unto him in all the earth."
It wasn't just about pomp and circumstance, though. Judah emphasized the king's intelligence and control. "Thou hast not seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated by him, for none asketh his lord Pharaoh about them. Thou hast not seen the awe and the fear that he imposes upon all the Egyptians." He admits that even though they had initially threatened Egypt, "yet when we came again before him, his terror fell upon us all, and none of us was able to speak a word to him, great or small."
Therefore, his conclusion was firm: "Now, therefore, father, send the lad with us, and we will arise and go down into Egypt, and buy food to eat, that we die not of hunger."
Think about the weight of that decision for Jacob. Could he risk losing another son? Or could he risk the lives of his entire family? It’s a classic parent's dilemma, amplified by famine and political intrigue. What would you do in his place?