18Judah approached Joseph and said, “Please, my lord, let me, your servant, speak a word that will enter my lord’s ear, i.e., that will move you, for since you hold our lives in your hands, you are the equal of Pharaoh in this regard. Do not become angry at your servant. |
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יחוַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֘ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִי֒ יְדַבֶּר־נָ֨א עַבְדְּךָ֤ דָבָר֙ בְּאָזְנֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י וְאַל־יִ֥חַר אַפְּךָ֖ בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ כִּ֥י כָמ֖וֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹֽה: |
וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו וגומר … דָבָר בְּאָזְנֵי אֲדֹנִי - [Judah] approached [Joseph…]. (lit.) A word in my lord’s ears. here this expression means “may my words enter your ears.” |
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וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו וגומר … דָבָר בְּאָזְנֵי אֲדֹנִי.
יִכָּנְסוּ דְּבָרַי בְּאָזְנֶיךָ:
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וְאַל־יִחַר אַפְּךָ - Do not become angry. From here you learn that Judah spoke to him harshly. |
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וְאַל־יִחַר אַפְּךָ.
מִכָּאן אַתָּה לָמֵד שֶׁדִּבֵּר אֵלָיו קָשׁוֹת:
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כִּי כָמוֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹֽה - For you are the equal of Pharaoh - i.e., in my eyes, you are as important as the king. This is the straightforward meaning of this phrase. But its Midrashic explanation is: You will eventually be stricken with tzara’at on account of Benjamin, just as Pharaoh was stricken through my grandmother Sarah for the one night he detained her. Another explanation: Just as Pharaoh issues decrees but does not fulfill them, makes promises but does not carry them out, so, too, do you. Is this the “taking a look” of which you said that you would take a look at him?! Another explanation: “for you are like Pharaoh”; if you anger me, I will kill both you and your master! |
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כִּי כָמוֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹֽה.
חָשׁוּב אַתָּה בְעֵינַי כְּמֶלֶךְ, זֶהוּ פְשׁוּטוֹ. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ סוֹפְךָ לִלְקוֹת עָלָיו בְּצָרַעַת כְּמוֹ שֶׁלָּקָה פַרְעֹה עַל יְדֵי זְקֵנָתִי שָׂרָה עַל לַיְלָה אַחַת שֶׁעִכְּבָהּ (בראשית רבה). דָּבָר אַחֵר מַה פַּרְעֹה גוֹזֵר וְאֵינוֹ מְקַיֵּם, מַבְטִיחַ וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה, אַף אַתָּה כֵן; וְכִי זוֹ הִיא שִׂימַת עַיִן שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לָשׂוּם עֵינְךָ עָלָיו? דָּבָר אַחֵר, כִּי כָּמוֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹה, אִם תַּקְנִיטֵנִי אֶהֱרֹג אוֹתְךָ וְאֶת אֲדוֹנֶךָ (בראשית רבה):
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19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ |
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יטאֲדֹנִ֣י שָׁאַ֔ל אֶת־עֲבָדָ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר הֲיֵשׁ־לָכֶ֥ם אָ֖ב אוֹ־אָֽח: |
שָׁאַל אֶת־עֲבָדָיו - My lord asked his servants. From the beginning you sought some pretext against us. Why did you have to ask us all these questions? Were we asking for your daughter in marriage, or were you asking for our sister? Nevertheless, “we answered my lord” and held nothing from you. |
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שָׁאַל אֶת־עֲבָדָיו.
מִתְּחִלָּה בַעֲלִילָה בָאתָ עָלֵינוּ, לָמָּה הָיָה לְךָ לִשְׁאֹל כָּל אֵלֶּה? בִּתְּךָ הָיִינוּ מְבַקְּשִׁים? אוֹ אֲחוֹתֵנוּ אַתָּה מְבַקֵּשׁ? וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא כִחַדְנוּ מִמְּךָ דָּבָר (בראשית רבה)
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20We answered my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, so he is the only surviving child of his mother, and his father loves him dearly.’ |
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כוַנֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֔י יֶשׁ־לָ֨נוּ֙ אָ֣ב זָקֵ֔ן וְיֶ֥לֶד זְקֻנִ֖ים קָטָ֑ן וְאָחִ֣יו מֵ֔ת וַיִּוָּתֵ֨ר ה֧וּא לְבַדּ֛וֹ לְאִמּ֖וֹ וְאָבִ֥יו אֲהֵבֽוֹ: |
וְאָחִיו מֵת - His brother is dead - Out of fear he uttered this untruth. He said to himself: If I tell him that he is alive, he will say: “Bring him to me.” |
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וְאָחִיו מֵת.
מִפְּנֵי הַיִּרְאָה הָיָה מוֹצִיא דְּבַר שֶׁקֶר מִפִּיו, אָמַר אִם אוֹמַר לוֹ שֶׁהוּא קַיָּם, יֹאמַר הֲבִיאוּהוּ אֶצְלִי:
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לְבַדּוֹ לְאִמּוֹ - (lit.) Alone to his mother - i.e., from that mother he has no other brother. |
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לְבַדּוֹ לְאִמּוֹ.
מֵאוֹתוֹ הָאֵם אֵין לוֹ עוֹד אָח:
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21You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down here to me, so that I can see him.’ |
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כאוַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ הֽוֹרִדֻ֖הוּ אֵלָ֑י וְאָשִׂ֥ימָה עֵינִ֖י עָלָֽיו: |
22We said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he leaves his father’s side, he might die.’ |
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כבוַנֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֔י לֹֽא־יוּכַ֥ל הַנַּ֖עַר לַֽעֲזֹ֣ב אֶת־אָבִ֑יו וְעָזַ֥ב אֶת־אָבִ֖יו וָמֵֽת: |
וְעָזַב אֶת־אָבִיו וָמֵֽת - If he leaves his father he might die - means: If he leaves his father we are worried that he might die during the journey, because his mother died on a journey. |
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וְעָזַב אֶת־אָבִיו וָמֵֽת.
אִם יַעֲזֹב אֶת אָבִיו, דּוֹאֲגִים אָנוּ שֶׁמָּא יָמוּת בַּדֶּרֶךְ, שֶׁהֲרֵי אִמּוֹ בַּדֶּרֶךְ מֵתָה:
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23You said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down to Egypt with you, you will never again appear before me.’ |
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כגוַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֔יךָ אִם־לֹ֥א יֵרֵ֛ד אֲחִיכֶ֥ם הַקָּטֹ֖ן אִתְּכֶ֑ם לֹ֥א תֹֽסִפ֖וּן לִרְא֥וֹת פָּנָֽי: |
24When we went back up to Canaan, to your servant, my father, we told him what my lord had said. |
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כדוַֽיְהִי֙ כִּ֣י עָלִ֔ינוּ אֶל־עַבְדְּךָ֖ אָבִ֑י וַנַּ֨גֶּד־ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי: |
25Then, when our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food,’ |
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כהוַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָבִ֑ינוּ שֻׁ֖בוּ שִׁבְרוּ־לָ֥נוּ מְעַט־אֹֽכֶל: |
26we replied, ‘We cannot go down to Egypt on our own terms. We can go down to Egypt only if our youngest brother is with us, for we cannot appear before the man without our youngest brother.’ |
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כווַנֹּ֕אמֶר לֹ֥א נוּכַ֖ל לָרֶ֑דֶת אִם־יֵשׁ֩ אָחִ֨ינוּ הַקָּטֹ֤ן אִתָּ֨נוּ֙ וְיָרַ֔דְנוּ כִּי־לֹ֣א נוּכַ֗ל לִרְאוֹת֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָאִ֔ישׁ וְאָחִ֥ינוּ הַקָּטֹ֖ן אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אִתָּֽנוּ: |
27Your servant, my father, then said to us, ‘You well know that my wife Rachel bore me two sons. |
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כזוַיֹּ֛אמֶר עַבְדְּךָ֥ אָבִ֖י אֵלֵ֑ינוּ אַתֶּ֣ם יְדַעְתֶּ֔ם כִּ֥י שְׁנַ֖יִם יָֽלְדָה־לִּ֥י אִשְׁתִּֽי: |
28One of them left me and never returned, and I said that he must have been devoured by a beast. I have not seen him since. |
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כחוַיֵּצֵ֤א הָֽאֶחָד֙ מֵֽאִתִּ֔י וָֽאֹמַ֕ר אַ֖ךְ טָרֹ֣ף טֹרָ֑ף וְלֹ֥א רְאִיתִ֖יו עַד־הֵֽנָּה: |
29If you take this one from me as well, and he meets with disaster, you will cruelly bring my white-haired head down to the grave.’ |
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כטוּלְקַחְתֶּ֧ם גַּם־אֶת־זֶ֛ה מֵעִ֥ם פָּנַ֖י וְקָרָ֣הוּ אָס֑וֹן וְהֽוֹרַדְתֶּ֧ם אֶת־שֵֽׂיבָתִ֛י בְּרָעָ֖ה שְׁאֹֽלָה: |
וְקָרָהוּ אָסוֹן - And he meets with disaster - for Satan prosecutes at a time of danger. |
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וְקָרָהוּ אָסוֹן.
שֶׁהַשָּׂטָן מְקַטְרֵג בִּשְׁעַת הַסַּכָּנָה (בראשית רבה):
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וְהֽוֹרַדְתֶּם אֶת־שֵֽׂיבָתִי וגו' - You will bring my white-haired head… Now, when he is with me, I am consoled by him over the loss of his mother and brother, but if he dies, it will be to me as if the three of them had died on the same day. |
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וְהֽוֹרַדְתֶּם אֶת־שֵֽׂיבָתִי וגו'.
עַכְשָׁו כְּשֶׁהוּא אֶצְלִי, אֲנִי מִתְנַחֵם בּוֹ עַל אִמּוֹ וְעַל אָחִיו, וְאִם יָמוּת זֶה, דּוֹמֶה עָלַי שֶׁשְּׁלָשְׁתָּן מֵתוּ בְּיוֹם אֶחָד:
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30So now, when I come back to your servant, my father, and the lad is not with us—and being that his soul is bound up with his soul— |
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לוְעַתָּ֗ה כְּבֹאִי֙ אֶל־עַבְדְּךָ֣ אָבִ֔י וְהַנַּ֖עַר אֵינֶ֣נּוּ אִתָּ֑נוּ וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹ קְשׁוּרָ֥ה בְנַפְשֽׁוֹ: |