NOW JACOB SAW. Scripture interchanges¹ the way the senses² are referred to because they are all perceived in one central place.³ Thus Scripture says, See the smell of my son (Gen. 27:27);⁴ and And the light is sweet (Eccles. 11:7).⁵ Now Jacob saw is similar,⁶ for afterward Scripture states, Behold I have heard that there is corn in Egypt (v. 2).

footnotes: ¹ Scripture occasionally uses hear for see and see for smell. ² The five senses. ³ I.E. in his commentary on Eccles. 11:7 says that there is a place on the forehead where the senses are perceived. ⁴ Rather than smell the smell of my son. ⁵ Even though light cannot be tasted. ⁶ Now Jacob saw means, now Jacob heard.

WHY DO YOU LOOK ONE UPON ANOTHER. Lammah titra’u (why do you look one upon another) means, don’t show yourselves as having an abundance of food.⁷ Or it may mean, do not quarrel with each other, as in Come, let us look one another (nitra’eh) in the face (II Chron. 25:17).⁸ in II Chron. 25:17 as fight. Thus the root resh, alef, heh which usually means to see, at times also means to fight or quarrel. Hence titra’u is similar to nitra’eh, i.e., it means to quarrel.

footnotes: ⁷ Cf. Rashi, “Why do you show yourselves before the children of Ishmael and the children of Esau as having plenty to eat?” Why do you show yourselves is thus short for, why do you show yourselves as having an abundance of food. ⁸ I.E. translates nitra’eh

AND BUY FOR US. Ve-shivru lanu means, and buy corn for us.⁹ means to buy grain. He points this out because in Gen. 41:56 it means to sell grain.

footnotes: ⁹ I.E. notes that shivru

HARM. Death.

THAT SOLD. Ha-mashbir (that sold) comes from the same root as shever (corn). It means the seller. It is a causative verb.¹⁰. He caused the wheat to be sold (Weiser).

footnotes: ¹⁰ That is, it is a hifil

BUT MADE HIMSELF STRANGE UNTO THEM. Va-yitnakker (but made himself strange) comes from the same root as nokhri (stranger). Its meaning is, he showed himself to be a stranger.

ROUGHLY. Kashot (roughly) is an adjective. Its meaning is rough words.¹¹) is short for rough words (Weiser). The Hebrew literally reads: and spoke rough (kashot) with them. Answereth impudent (Prov. 18:23) is similar.¹²

footnotes: ¹¹ The word “words” has to be added to the text Thus rough (kashot ¹² Here, too, the word “words” is missing in the Hebrew. The verse should be understood as if written, answereth impudent words.

AND HE KNEW THEM. When Joseph first saw the group he recognized them as his brothers. ¹³. He then looked at each one of them and recognized them individually. The latter is the meaning of And Joseph knew his brethren (v. 8).¹⁴. Verse 8 states, And Joseph knew his brethren. I.E. interprets our verse as referring to the brothers as a group and verse 8 to each individual brother.

footnotes: ¹³ This is the meaning of and he knew them ¹⁴ Our verse reads, And He knew them

THE NAKEDNESS OF THE LAND. Nakedness is a figure of speech for shame, since it is customary to hide one’s nakedness because of its unseemliness.¹⁵ Or nakedness refers to secrets, since one’s nakedness is covered. Joseph thus said to them, “You have come to learn the secrets of the land.” I prefer the latter interpretation.

footnotes: ¹⁵ Nakedness thus means shame. Weiser takes I.E.’s comment at face value and explains that shame refers to the shame of the country. Cherez explains that shame refers to the areas of the country open to invasion. Be that as it may, according to this interpretation, the nakedness of the land means the shame of the land.

WE. Nachnu (we) is spelled without an alef. This is the correct form of the word.¹⁶ is primary, anachnu secondary, as the alef of anachnu is superfluous (Filwarg, Weiser, Cherez). Cf. I.E. on Lam. 3:42.

footnotes: ¹⁶ According to I.E. nachnu

UPRIGHT. Kenim means truthful. It is possible that kenim comes from the same root as ken (so) in So (ken) do, as thou hast said (Gen. 18:5).¹⁷ (we are upright men) is we are so, we are as we appear, that is, people who came to buy grain. Or kenim comes from the same root¹⁸ as ken (truth) in The daughters of Zelophehad speak right (ken) (Num. 27:7).¹⁹ means, we are truthful men.

footnotes: ¹⁷ The meaning of kenim anachnu ¹⁸ “Comes from the same root” means akin to or the same. ¹⁹ According to this interpretation kenim anachnu

AND YE SHALL BE BOUND. He’aseru²⁰ is an imperative meaning bind yourselves. Now one cannot bind oneself, that is, put oneself in prison (Krinsky). Also, Simeon was bound, he did not bind himself (Filwarg). Hence I.E. points out that even though he’aseru is an imperative, here it has the meaning of an imperfect. should be rendered: ye shall be bound. It is similar to u-mot (and die) in and die in the mount (Deut. 32:50).²¹ is an imperative, but it has the meaning of an imperfect; i.e., it means you will die. See I.E.’s comments on Gen. 1:22.

footnotes: ²⁰ He’aseru ²¹ Die

FAMINE OF YOUR HOUSES. Needed because of the famine of your houses.²² (com famine). This makes no sense, so I.E. interprets, com because of the famine. The meaning of havi’u shever ra’avon batekhem (carry corn for the famine of your houses) is, carry to your houses the corn needed because of the famine.²³ (carry com famine your houses). I.E. says that havi’u (carry) is to be connected to batekhem (your houses). Thus the meaning of the clause is: carry to your houses the com needed because of the famine (Krinsky, Cherez).

footnotes: ²² The verse literally reads, shever ra’avon ²³ The verse literally reads, havi’u shever ra’avon batekhem

VERILY. Aval (verily) has the same meaning as aval in Verily (aval) Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son (Gen. 17:19). It means verily (Gen. 28:16).²⁴ also means but, however. Hence I.E. points out that here it means verily.

footnotes: ²⁴ The word aval

THE INTERPRETER. Ha-melitz means the interpreter. It is related to melitzah (figure of speech) (Prov. 1:6).

Joseph imprisoned Simeon because when many sin, the oldest is punished more severely than the others. He did not punish Reuben because he (Reuben) saved him.²⁵

footnotes: ²⁵ Reuben was the eldest. However, he saved Jospeh and Joseph had no reason to imprison him. Hence he punished Simeon who was second to the eldest.

Rabbi Moses Ha-Kohen says that the words zahav (gold) and kesef (silver) are never encountered in the plural.²⁶ 42a; Shemot Rabbah 35. However, he forgot that Scripture employs the term kaspehem (money) (v. 25).²⁷ (Filwarg).

footnotes: ²⁶ The reference must be to Scripture since we find plurals for gold and silver in Rabbinic literature. See Baba Metzia ²⁷ The singular would be kaspam

[AND THEY LADED THEIR ASSES WITH THEIR CORN.] Which they had bought.

AND AS ONE OF THEM OPENED. Va-yiftach ha-echad means, and one of them opened. The reference is possibly to Reuben, as he was the first born. In this case ha-echad (one of them) means the first in number.²⁸) has the definite article prefixed to it. Thus it means the number one or the first one, that is, the eldest. If Scripture had meant one of them, it would have read echad.

footnotes: ²⁸ The term one (ha-echad

THE FAMINE OF YOUR HOUSES. Needed for the famine that is in your houses.²⁹

footnotes: ²⁹ See I.E.’s comment on verse 19 and the notes thereto.

ALL THESE THINGS. AU these troubles.

[THOU SHALT SLAY.] Some say that thou shalt slay means thou shalt punish.³⁰ is hyperbolic. Reuben did not expect Jacob to kill his grandchildren. Others say that this was a prayer to God.³¹ to God, as if to say, Lord strike my sons dead if I bring not him to thee (to Jacob). This interpretation, too, seeks to get around the problem of Reuben telling his father to kill his grandchildren if he fails to return Benjamin safely. The sum of the matter is this, if Reuben would have spoken correctly Jacob would not have ignored him.³² (Krinsky).

footnotes: ³⁰ Thou shalt slay ³¹ Reuben directed the words Thou shalt slay ³² Had Reuben made sense, Jacob would have responded affirmatively to him (Weiser). Or we should render, if Reuben had spoken correctly then Jacob would not have shushed him by saying, My son shall not go down with you