הם יצאו את העיר, “when they had barely left the gates of the city,” not having covered any distance as yet. Joseph had reasoned that once they had reached beyond a certain distance it would be impossible to exercise any control over them [without violence. Ed.] as they had been compared to wild beasts. (Compare Yaakov’s blessing of Yehudah in Genesis 49 9 where he compared Yehudah alone to a ferocious lion.) In verse 21 in that chapter the tribe of Naftali is described by Yaakov as a hind let loose, suggesting again that militarily the sons of Yaakov were feared by their contemporaries. They would inspire fear in their adversaries.

הלא זה אשר ישתה, “is not this that which he (my lord) drinks out of?” Joseph’s messenger expresses utter amazement how of all things worth stealing, the thief should have concentrated on this highly individual property of his master? Surely the thief must have been aware that this goblet would be missed immediately and every effort would be made to find the thief? The owner would employ his supernatural powers immediately in order to divine where it was presently. He had demonstrated already that he possessed such powers. Alternately, he would instruct others to use their powers of divination to locate this goblet for him.

'גם עתה כדבריכם כן הוא וגו, “also now I accept what you have said;” this appears very difficult, as the brothers had suggested that the thief if found among them should be given the death penalty, whereas they as relatives of the thief would become slaves were prepared to become slaves. Joseph’s messenger had only been concerned with punishing the thief himself, and even at that not to execute him. We must therefore interpret the messenger’s words as meaning that he accepted the brothers’ suggested punishment for themselves, if and when one of them were to be found guilty. Joseph’s messenger said that he would be more generous with them than they would be with themselves if it turned out that they were not guilty. An alternate interpretation of the line quoted: “I accept what you said concerning that you had already proved your innocence, and that you are not thieves. However, this applies only to nine of you. Neither Binyamin nor Shimon had brought back any money.” Binyamin had not been in Egypt, ad Shimon had not returned to the land of Canaan, having been in jail during your absence. He must therefore search the sacks of these two.

יהיה לי עבד, “shall be a slave for me.” This is very strange, as the man saying these words was only a servant of Joseph himself. He should have said: “will be a servant to my master.” Perhaps we can understand this wording as the servant (messenger) said that seeing he is the messenger, he is responsible to his master for anything that he has not carried out correctly in his mission. Therefore, in the first instance, the brothers are his responsibility to deal with. Legally, therefore, the guilty brother becomes his slave initially.

כי נחש ינחש איד אשר כמוני, “for a man of my stature surely is able to divine things?!” He meant that seeing that he was a man in an exalted position, he would investigate thoroughly if someone accused was indeed guilty of the crime he has been accused of.

ויגש אליו וגו'...בי אדוני, “he came near to him;....oh my lord.” Yehudah”s logic in challenging Joseph’s punishment for Binyamin was as follows: normally when a slave owner buys additional slaves and finds out that they steal from him, he demands his money back from the seller and returns such slaves to him. Why, do you do the opposite, by preferring to have a thief as your slave?

כי כמוך כפרעה, “for you are just like Pharaoh;” just as an earlier Pharaoh lusted after the founding mother of the Hebrews, because of her physical beauty, our matriarch Sarah, you lust after our brother because you are attracted by the fact that he is so handsome.” An alternate interpretation: “just as you are great and mighty in your country, so we are great and mighty in the region which we call our home.” (Compare B’reshit Rabbah 93,6 and Tanchuma on this portion section 5)

ואשימה עיני עליו, “so that I can see him personally.” Rashi understands this line as a metaphor, as if Yehudah challenges Joseph: ”is this what you call meeting him personally?” We must therefore explain the reason for Joseph having expressed the wish to meet Binyamin personally as a promise to protect him from harm. We certainly did not understand you to mean that you plan to cause him harm.