Genesis

בייה

Genesis 43 – Consternation

In (Genesis 42.22) Ruben said, ‘Do no sin with בַיֶּלֶד Bah Yeh Lehd – the boy/child.’ Joseph was 17 years old then. Now, in (Genesis 43.3), Judah said to Jacob, הָאִישׁ Haw Eesh – The man did solemnly protest to us, saying…’ Joseph is no longer the boy; He is the man. הָאִישׁ Haw Eesh respectfully notes Joseph’s high position as Viceroy and his level of maturity as a man. The Gematria of הָאִישׁ Haw Eesh – The man is 316.

Let’s Summarize:

There was a famine in our homeland. Grain was in short supply. They needed food.

Joseph’s brothers went down to Egypt for food, (Genesis 42.3,10).

Joseph acted like a stranger to his brothers, (Genesis 42.7).

Joseph accused his brothers of being spies even though he knew differently. (Genesis 42.9,30).

Joseph spoke harshly to his brothers, (Genesis 42.7).

Joseph put his brothers in prison for three days during their first visit. (Genesis 42.17).

Joseph implied that they were not honest men, (Genesis 42.19).

Joseph had Simeon bound before their brother’s eyes, (Genesis 42.24).

Joseph dealt harshly with them, (Genesis 42.30).

Joseph interrogates his brothers. Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother? (Genesis 43.7).

Joseph had the money his brothers paid for the grain placed in the mouth of their grain sacks. Why? So that it would appear that his brothers stole the grain, (Genesis 42.25-28).

On their second visit, Joseph had his brothers come to his home. He invites them to dine with him. He has the dining table set according to his brother’s age, from the oldest to the youngest, (Genesis 43.32,33).

Ha Torah provides us with plenty of emotion. Imagine having a brother like Joseph. How would we feel if we were one of Joseph’s brothers? What would we do? How would we approach Joseph?

The brothers discussed the issues and the accusations against them with their father, Jacob, (Genesis 42.29-35). They sought wise counsel.

Initially, Jacob’s position was firm. Jacob says to his sons, ‘You deprived me of children; Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin.’ (Genesis 42.36).

‘…my son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and only he remains. Should misfortune befall him on the way you are going, you will bring my white head down to the grave in sorrow, (Genesis 42.38).

Jacob was displeased that his sons revealed too much information.

After they consumed all the grain they purchased from Egypt, they spoke again with their father (Genesis 43.1-3).

Jacob advises them to take vessels’ with the best fruits of the land (Genesis 43.11). Remember, they were in a famine. Think about what the best fruits of the land would cost. What would the best fruits look like?

Give the man of balsam an offering, a little honey, gum, labdanum, pistachios, and almonds (Genesis 43.11).

Take double the money. Personally, return the money to your nap sack’s mouth. Jacob understood it might have been an error. He left the door open for failure.

Get up. 

Return to the man.

He gave them a blessing. May the Almighty, Shaddai, Grant, you compassion in the man’s presence so that he will release your brother and Benjamin to you.

What did the Brothers Do?

They brought Benjamin down to Egypt as requested.

They approached the man who was in charge of Joseph’s house.

They spoke to him at the entrance of the house. They explained the problem from their point of view. They wanted to address the issues right away.

They attempted to make it right.

They expressed that they did not know what was going on… They did not do anything wrong. They were innocent of wrongdoing in this instant. Yet, in another instance, they were guilty. They kidnapped their brother, sold him into slavery, and deceived their father into thinking Joseph was dead.

They brought the gifts in their hand (Genesis 43.26).

They prostrated themselves… They were humble…

Manasseh had Simeon brought out. Interestingly, Simeon’s name did not come up until after dealing with the money issues first.

At the meal, they became intoxicated (Genesis 43.34)

What can we learn from Ha Torah’s description of what happened between Joseph and his brothers?

They sought counsel immediately. They followed the advice of Jacob’s wise counsel. They asked for the blessing of compassion while in the presence of Joseph. The brothers were respectful to Joseph. They deferred to Joseph. They cooperated with Joseph’s requests. They discussed misunderstandings. They tried to do the right things as they saw them. They brought gifts. They honored Joseph. Yet, they had plenty of consternation even though they returned the silver cup. Their anxiety was off the charts! They were not the same men as before. They were sad with sorrowful regrets for what they did to Jacob and Joseph. They were righteous men; still, they had to face the consequences of their actions.

Joseph did not like putting his half-brothers through these hoops. Yet, it was necessary to determine their Spiritual Growth. Joseph’s brothers were repentant for their sins against Joseph and their father, Jacob. As the story of Joseph’s brothers unfolds, we see their actual attitudes surface. The Midrash says, ‘AND JOSEPH’S TEN BRETHREN WENT DOWN.’ The Rabbis say that Scripture should have said, Jacob’s sons: Why does Ha Torah refer to Jacob’s sons as Joseph’s brothers? In the beginning, they did not treat [Joseph] with brotherly love but sold him [for twenty pieces of silver]; subsequently, they regretted it. Every day they would say, ‘Let us go and inquire about [Joseph] and restore him to his father.’ And when Jacob bade them go to Egypt, they each resolved to show [Joseph] brotherly love. (Bereisheit Rabba 91.6).

(Genesis 43.29 – 30) says, And [Joseph] lifted his eyes, saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, [to his brothers] Is this your younger brother, of whom you spoke to me? And [Joseph] said [to Benjamin], God be gracious to you, my son.’ [Then, upon seeing Benjamin], Joseph moved briskly because; he was overwhelmed נִכְמְרוּ – Nee Chi Mih Roo – with compassion towards him; and he sought [a private place] to weep, and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.’ And [after that Joseph] washed his face, went out, and controlled himself. and said, Set on bread.’ What did Joseph do? He prepared a great feast for them, and when they reclined [at the meal], he took the cup, struck it, and declared, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun are the sons of one mother; where are they? Bring them and let them sit together. Dan and Naftali are the sons of one mother: bring them and let them sit together. Gad and Asher are the sons of one mother: bring them and let them sit together. Thus Benjamin was left. Said he: He is motherless, and I am motherless, so he and I will sit together. (Genesis 43.33 – 34) says, ‘And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 And he took and sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.’ They sat, ate, drank, became intoxicated, made merry, and argued… In other words, they worked out their differences.

The Gematria for הָאִישׁ Haw Eesh – ‘The man,’ i.e., Joseph and נִכְמְרוּ – Nee Chi Mih Roo – ‘With Compassion’ are each 316. Mystically we are experiencing balance between Joseph and his ten brothers. They showed Joseph respect, and Joseph showed compassion. Like most families, communities, and beliefs, we sat, ate, drank, became intoxicated, made merry, discussed our differences, argued, talk. We work out our differences through much consternation.

May we do our best to defuse situations where tension exists. May HaShem Bless us with compassion in the eyes of those with issues with us. May we be careful to do what is right.

Blessings and peace,

Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk

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