(Referece for Genesis 42:9)

Ramban on Genesis 42:9

וַיִּזְכֹּר יוֹסֵף אֵת הַחֲלֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם לָהֶם עֲלֵיהֶם וְיָדַע שֶׁנִּתְקַיְּמוּ, שֶׁהֲרֵי הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית מ"ב:ט'). וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי שֶׁהַדָּבָר בְּהֵפֶךְ, כִּי יֹאמַר הַכָּתוּב כִּי בִּרְאוֹת יוֹסֵף אֶת אֶחָיו מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לוֹ, זָכַר כָּל הַחֲלֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם לָהֶם, וְיָדַע שֶׁלֹּא נִתְקַיֵּם אֶחָד מֵהֶם בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת, כִּי יוֹדֵעַ בְּפִתְרוֹנָם כִּי כָל אֶחָיו יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ בַּתְּחִלָּה מִן הַחֲלוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן "וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים", כִּי "אֲנַחְנוּ" יִרְמֹז לְכָל אֶחָיו אַחַד עָשָׂר, וּפַעַם שֵׁנִית יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְאַחַד עָשָׂר כּוֹכָבִים מִן הַחֲלוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה בִּנְיָמִן עִמָּהֶם, חָשַׁב זֹאת הַתַּחְבּוּלָה שֶׁיַּעֲלִיל עֲלֵיהֶם כְּדֵי שֶׁיָּבִיאוּ גַּם בִּנְיָמִין אָחִיו אֵלָיו, לְקַיֵּם הַחֲלוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן תְּחִלָּה, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא רָצָה לְהַגִּיד לָהֶם אֲנִי יוֹסֵף אֲחִיכֶם וְלֵאמֹר מַהֲרוּ וַעֲלוּ אֶל אָבִי וְיִשְׁלַח הָעֲגָלוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה עִמָּהֶם בַּפַּעַם הַשְּׁנִיָּה, כִּי הָיָה אָבִיו בָּא מִיָּד בְּלֹא סָפֵק. וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁנִּתְקַיֵּם הַחֲלוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן, הִגִּיד לָהֶם, לְקַיֵּם הַחֲלוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי. וְלוּלֵי כֵן הָיָה יוֹסֵף חוֹטֵא חֵטְא גָּדוֹל לְצַעֵר אֶת אָבִיו וּלְהַעֲמִידוֹ יָמִים רַבִּים בִּשְׁכוֹל וְאֵבֶל עַל שִׁמְעוֹן וְעָלָיו. וְאַף אִם הָיָה רְצוֹנוֹ לְצַעֵר אֶת אֶחָיו קְצָת, אֵיךְ לֹא יַחְמֹל עַל שֵׂיבַת אָבִיו. אֲבָל אֶת הַכֹּל עָשָׂה יָפֶה בְעִתּוֹ לְקַיֵּם הַחֲלוֹמוֹת, כִּי יָדַע שֶׁיִּתְקַיְּמוּ בֶּאֱמֶת. גַּם הָעִנְיָן הַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁעָשָׂה לָהֶם בַּגָּבִיעַ, לֹא שֶׁתִּהְיֶה כַּוָּנָתוֹ לְצַעֲרָם, אֲבָל חָשַׁד אוּלַי יֵשׁ לָהֶם שִׂנְאָה בְּבִנְיָמִין, שֶׁיְּקַנְאוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּאַהֲבַת אֲבִיהֶם כְּקִנְאָתָם בּוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא הִרְגִּישׁ בִּנְיָמִין שֶׁהָיָה יָדָם בְּיוֹסֵף וְנוֹלְדָה בֵּינֵיהֶם קְטָטָה וְשִׂנְאָה, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא רָצָה שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ עִמָּהֶם בִּנְיָמִן אוּלַי יִשְׁלְחוּ בּוֹ יָדָם עַד בָּדְקוֹ אוֹתָם בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ. וְלָזֶה נִתְכַּוְּנוּ בּוֹ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה צ"ג:ט'), אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּא בר' אַבָּא, כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאַתָּה קוֹרֵא שֶׁדִּבֵּר יְהוּדָה בִּפְנֵי אֶחָיו עַד שֶׁאַתָּה מַגִּיעַ "וְלֹא יָכֹל יוֹסֵף לְהִתְאַפֵּק", הָיָה בּוֹ פִּיּוּס לְיוֹסֵף, פִּיּוּס לְאֶחָיו, פִּיּוּס לְבִנְיָמִין, פִּיּוּס לְיוֹסֵף – רְאֵה הֵיאַךְ נוֹתֵן נַפְשׁוֹ עַל בָּנֶיהָ שֶׁל רָחֵל וְכוּ'. וְכֵן אֲנִי אוֹמֵר שֶׁכָּל הָעִנְיָנִים הָאֵלֶּה הָיוּ בְּיוֹסֵף, מֵחָכְמָתוֹ בְּפִתְרוֹן הַחֲלוֹמוֹת, כִּי יֵשׁ לִתְמֹהַּ, אַחַר שֶׁעָמַד יוֹסֵף בְּמִצְרַיִם יָמִים רַבִּים וְהָיָה פָּקִיד וְנָגִיד בְּבֵית שַׂר גָּדוֹל בְּמִצְרַיִם, אֵיךְ לֹא שָׁלַח כְּתָב אֶחָד לְאָבִיו לְהוֹדִיעוֹ וּלְנַחֲמוֹ, כִּי מִצְרַיִם קָרוֹב לְחֶבְרוֹן כְּשִׁשָּׁה יָמִים, וְאִלּוּ הָיָה מַהֲלַךְ שָׁנָה הָיָה רָאוּי לְהוֹדִיעוֹ לִכְבוֹד אָבִיו, וְיֵקַר פִּדְיוֹן נַפְשׁוֹ וְיִפְדֶנּוּ בְּרוֹב מָמוֹן. אֲבָל הָיָה רוֹאֶה כִּי הִשְׁתַּחֲוָיַת אֶחָיו לוֹ וְגַם אָבִיו וְכָל זַרְעוֹ אִתּוֹ אִי אֶפְשָׁר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַרְצָם, וְהָיָה מְקַוֶּה לִהְיוֹתוֹ שָׁם בְּמִצְרַיִם בִּרְאוֹתוֹ הַצְלָחָתוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה שָׁם, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אַחֲרֵי שֶׁשָּׁמַע חֲלוֹם פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁנִּתְבָּרֵר לוֹ כִּי יָבֹאוּ כֻּלָּם שָׁמָּה וְיִתְקַיְּמוּ כָּל חֲלֹמֹתָיו:

AND JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS WHICH HE DREAMED OF THEM. [That is, he remembered the dreams which he dreamed] concerning them, and now knew that they had been fulfilled, for they had bowed down to him. This is the language of Rashi.

In my opinion, the matter is the reverse. Scripture states that when Joseph saw his brothers bowing down to him, he remembered all the dreams which he had dreamed concerning them and he knew that in this instance, not one of the dreams had been fulfilled. He knew that it was inherent in their interpretation that according to the first dream, at first all his brothers would bow down to him, as it says, And, behold, we were binding sheaves, for “we” refers to all eleven of his brothers. The second time, in accordance with the second dream, the sun, the moon and eleven stars would bow down to him.

 Now since he did not see Benjamin with them, he conceived of the strategy of devising a charge against them so that they would also bring his brother Benjamin to him, in order to first fulfill the first dream. It is for this reason that he did not wish to tell them at this time, I am Joseph your brother, and to say, Hasten and go up to my father, and send wagons, as he did to them the second time, for in that case his father would undoubtedly have come at once.

 It was only after fulfillment of the first dream that he told them, I am Joseph your brother, etc., in order to fulfill the second dream. Were it not for this consideration, Joseph would indeed be regarded as having committed a great sin: bringing anguish to his father, leaving him for many days in the position of being bereft and mourning for Simeon and him. Even if it was his intention to cause his brothers minor anguish, how did he not have compassion for his elderly father? But he assigned each to its proper time in order to fulfill the dreams, knowing that they would truly be fulfilled. 

Also, the second matter, which he effected against them in connection with the goblet, is not to be interpreted as if his intention was to cause them anguish, but rather because he suspected that they might hate Benjamin as a result of their jealousy of him on account of his father’s love for him, just as they were jealous of Joseph. Perhaps Benjamin had sensed that they had harmed Joseph, thus causing a quarrel and hatred to erupt between him and his brothers. Therefore, Joseph did not wish Benjamin to travel with them until he had tested their love for him, lest they harm him.

It is to this matter that our Rabbis in Bereshith Rabbah referred when they said: “Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba said, ‘When you read the entire plea which Judah made in the presence of his brothers, until you reach the verse, Then Joseph could not refrain himself, [you can see that] there was in it an attempt to win the sympathy of Joseph, the sympathy of his brothers, and the sympathy of Benjamin. Joseph’s sympathy [would be gained since Joseph would think], ‘See how he is ready to give his life for Rachel’s children, etc.’”

Similarly I say that all these acts of Joseph are accounted for by his wisdom in the interpretation of the dreams. Otherwise, one should wonder: After Joseph stayed in Egypt for many years and became chief and overseer in the house of a great lord in Egypt, how was it possible that he did not send a single letter to his father to inform him of his whereabouts and comfort him, as Egypt is only about a six-day journey from Hebron? 

Even if it were a year’s journey, out of respect to his father, he should have notified him, in which case even if the ransom of his person would be ever so costly, he would have redeemed him. But it was because Joseph saw that the bowing down of his brothers, as well as his father and all his family, could not possibly be accomplished in their homeland, and he was hoping that it would be effected in Egypt when he saw his great success there. This was all the more so after he heard Pharaoh’s dream, from which it became clear to him that all of them were destined to come there, and all his dreams would be fulfilled.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם הָעֲלִילָה הַזֹּאת יִצְטָרֵךְ לִהְיוֹת בָּהּ טַעַם אוֹ אֲמַתְלָא, כִּי מָה עָשׂוּ לִהְיוֹת אוֹמֵר לָהֶם כָּכָה, וְכָל הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ אֵלָיו וְהֵם בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּאִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "לִשְׁבֹּר בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּאִים כִּי הָיָה הָרָעָב בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן". וְאוּלַי רָאָה אוֹתָם אַנְשֵׁי תֹּאַר וְנִכְבָּדִים לְבוּשֵׁי מִכְלוֹל כֻּלָּם, וְאָמַר לָהֶם, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֲנָשִׁים נִכְבָּדִים כָּכֶם לָבֹא לִשְׁבֹּר אֹכֶל, כִּי עֲבָדִים רַבִּים לָכֶם. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁהָיוּ בִּתְחִלַּת הַבָּאִים מֵאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, וְהוּא טַעַם "וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִשְׁבֹּר בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּאִים כִּי הָיָה הָרָעָב בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן", כִּי עַתָּה בָּאוּ מִשָּׁם הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, "וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם יוֹסֵף מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם", כִּי מֵאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לֹא בָּא אֵלַי אָדָם לִשְׁבֹּר אֹכֶל. וְזֶה טַעַם "מֵאַיִן בָּאתֶם" שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם בַּתְּחִלָּה:

AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, YE ARE SPIES. This accusation requires some reason or some plausible explanation, for what did they do that he should so accuse them? People from every country came to him to buy grain, and they were “among those who came,” just as it says, To buy grain among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Perhaps [the reason for the accusation was that] they had the appearance of men of stature and prominence, all of them clothed most gorgeously, whereupon he said to them, “It is not customary for prominent people as you to come to buy food, having as you do many servants.”

It is possible that they were the first ones to come from the land of Canaan. This is the meaning of the verse, And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan, meaning that now they were the first who came from there. So Joseph said to them, “You are spies, since no one has come from the land of Canaan to buy food.” This is the intent of the question, “Where have you come from?” which he addressed to them at the outset.

Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976