42:1).</b> Scripture says elsewhere in allusion to this verse: <i>I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread</i> (Ps. 37:25). R. Samuel the son of Nahman said: This verse was spoken by the Prince of the Universe.<sup class="footnote-marker">3</sup><i class="footnote">God appointed Enoch the prince of angels. See Ginzberg, <i>Legends of the Jews</i> 1:129.</i> <i>I have been young:</i> from the time of Adam; <i>Now am old:</i> until the days of the Messiah; <i>yet have I not seen</i> indicates that there is no time in which the Holy One, blessed be He, permits the world to be without righteous ones. In fact righteous men appear in every generation, as R. Tanhuma explained in the name of R. Aha: The world never lacks thirty men as righteous as Abraham, as it is said: <i>And Abraham shall surely become a great nation</i> (Gen. 18:18). The numerical value of the Hebrew letters of the word <i>shall become</i> (<i>yihyeh</i>) adds up to thirty.
Another comment on <i>I have been young, and now am old</i>. This verse suggests that the Holy One, blessed be He, will never abandon the righteous during a time of famine, neither they nor their descendants. In fact, when a disaster envelops the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, decrees how they will survive. You find this to be so in the case of Elijah, whom He told how to survive, as it is said: <i>Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee</i> (I Kings 17:9). Similarly you find: <i>Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there</i> (ibid., vv. 3–4). <i>And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine</i> (Gen. 26:1); <i>and there was a famine in the land; and Abraham descended</i> (ibid. 12:10). Similarly, when the famine came upon Jacob, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to him that Joseph would feed him in Egypt, as it is said: <i>And Joseph fed his father and his brothers</i> (Gen. 47:12). Hence, <i>Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt</i>.
What is written before this verse in Scripture? <i>And all the countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn</i> (ibid. 41:57). They did so because he had devoted himself to accumulating corn, as is said: <i>And Joseph laid up corn … during the seven years of plenty. And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said</i> (Gen. 41:49–53).
What does <i>according as Joseph had said</i> mean? R. Judah the son of Shalum explained: Apparently, fourteen years of famine were first destined to come to the world, for Joseph had said <i>seven poor cows and ill-favored</i>, signifying seven years, and <i>seven withered, thin ears of corn</i>, signifying an additional seven years. This totaled fourteen years in all. However, Joseph decreed that it was to last only seven years, as it is said: <i>There shall be seven years of famine</i> (ibid., v. 27). Hence it is written: <i>According as Joseph had said</i>.
As soon as Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he said to his sons: <i>Get you down thither, and buy for us from them</i>, etc. <i>And Joseph’s ten brethren went down</i> (ibid. 42:2–3). Why did all ten go? Because in that number resides the power to set aside retribution.<sup class="footnote-marker">4</sup><i class="footnote">Because ten comprise a minyan and so they could beseech God as a congregation.</i> For example, when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to destroy Sodom, our patriarch Abraham pleaded for heavenly mercy in their behalf. He spoke first of fifty men, but finally reduced the number to ten, as it is said: <i>Peradventure ten shall be found there</i> (ibid. 18:31). Ten men also comprise a congregation, as is said: <i>How long shall I bear with this evil congregation</i> (Num. 14:27), and <i>God standeth in the congregation of God</i> (Ps. 82:1). Hence Scripture states: <i>Joseph’s ten brethren went down</i> (Gen. 42:3). Just as in the case of Sodom, Scripture speaks here of ten. <i>And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came</i> (Gen. 42:5), in order that no one would recognize them. The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Because you have said: <i>We shall see what will become of his dreams</i> (ibid. 37:20), his dream was fulfilled. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but they did not recognize him, for they had felt no compassion for him, while Joseph recognized them because he pitied them.