Realizing what their subconscious knew all along
T his week’s Torah reading brings us to Yaakov’s sons who find themselves in a baffling situation. While crowds of hungry people are descending on Egypt eager to buy food from that land of plenty no one but these ten men are suspected of spying. They have no idea what led to this accusation and why it is directed specifically at them.
And their encounter with the Egyptian viceroy? That was the strangest thing of all. It left them feeling utterly confused and helpless. His insistence that they had come to Egypt to spy without even so much as circumstantial evidence shook their self-confidence and made them lose their equilibrium.
To add to the absurdity after they spend three days in prison the viceroy offers them this bizarre deal: “If you are honest your one brother will remain in prison… and you may go and bring relief to your houses’ hunger. Then bring your youngest brother to me and your words will be confirmed” (Bereishis 42:19–20).
But rather than address the terms of the viceroy’s offer strangely enough they express a sudden realization: “And they said to one another ‘In truth we are guilty for our brother for we saw his distress when he pleaded with us but we did not listen and this is why this trouble has come upon us.’ ”
Create a free account to keep reading.
