Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and became a slave in Egypt. Then he became the second in command in Egypt. Why didn’t he ever contact his family?
To add to the mystery, when he finally sees his brothers he accuses them of being spies.
6. … and Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed down before him [Joseph] with their faces to the earth.
7. And Joseph saw his brothers, and he knew them, but made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly to them; and he said to them, From where do you come? They said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
8. And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and he said to them, You are spies; to see the nakedness of the land you have come.
Introduction
When Joseph was a young man he had two dreams that he related to his family.
His first dream (Genesis 37:5-8) was about harvesting grain in the field and his brothers’ sheaves bowing to his sheaf.
His second dream (Genesis 37:9-11) was about the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowing down to him.
Genesis 42:9 implies that because Joseph remembered his dreams he accused his brothers of being spies. What is the connection between these two ideas?
Also, why specifically now does Joseph remember his dreams?
Genesis 42:9 – Rashi Explains
And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them – He [Joseph] knew his dreams were fulfilled because they bowed to him. [Rashi]
We know that only ten of Joseph’s brothers bowed to him because Benjamin was not with them at this time.
Some commentators explain that Joseph’s first dream was only about ten of his brothers. They say that Benjamin would not have been in the field with them. Hence, it could be that the first dream was fulfilled.
But Rashi writes that “his dreams were fulfilled” and it’s not possible that the second dream was already fulfilled.
Ramban Versus Rashi
Ramban disagrees with Rashi.
He writes that when Joseph saw his 10 brothers bow to him, he remembered both of his dreams and knew that, so far, neither of them had been fulfilled.
Ramban claims that the first dream involved all 11 of his brothers. When Joseph said “we were binding sheaves” (Genesis 37:7) that means all 12 brothers were together working in the field.
Also, Joseph’s second dream could not have been fulfilled at this time. Benjamin was not with his brothers and neither was his father.
According to Ramban, Joseph’s first dream will be fulfilled when Benjamin comes to Egypt with his brothers (Genesis 43:26). The second dream will be fulfilled when Jacob and the family come down to Egypt (Genesis 46).
It’s not clear to me which verses Ramban has in mind when he writes about Joseph’s second dream being fulfilled.
I examined this issue in some detail in my article Joseph’s Dreams Fulfilled.
Joseph Reacts
According to Ramban, Joseph accusing his brothers of being spies is a reaction to seeing 10 of his brothers bow to him.
Joseph realizes that his first dream was almost fulfilled.
In addition, Joseph believes that his two dreams are separate and should be fulfilled in the order he received them.
Therefore, he conceived this strategy of claiming his brothers were spies to cause them to bring Benjamin to Egypt but not yet bring Jacob.
Identity Concealed
This explains why Joseph did not immediately reveal his identity to his brothers.
So far, neither dream had been completely fulfilled.
Plus, Joseph suspected that if he revealed his identity at this time, that his father would immediately come down to Egypt. This would have prevented the fulfillment of the first dream that only all of his brothers would bow to him.
It was after the first dream was fulfilled that Joseph revealed his identity. This revelation put into motion the events that would lead to the fulfillment of the second dream.
Here’s a snippet of what he said when he revealed himself:
3. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph …
9. Hurry back to my father, and say to him, Thus said your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, delay not.
Did Joseph Sin?
Jacob started mourning for Joseph from the time he saw the blood soaked tunic.
33. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s tunic; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.
34. And Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
In Genesis 42 we read how Joseph added to Jacob’s grief:
19. If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be imprisoned in the place of your confinement; you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
24. … and [Joseph] took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
Joseph allowed nine of his brothers to return home, but kept Simeon as a prisoner.
Ramban suggests that perhaps Joseph wanted to cause his brothers some pain and discomfort.
But, Ramban asks, how could he justify causing any additional pain to his father?
According to Ramban’s approach, everything Joseph did at this time was justified. Joseph believed that his dreams were actually a prophecy that would be fulfilled.
Joseph was not trying to cause pain or suffering to any member of his family. His only desire was to bring about the complete fulfillment of his dreams.
Benjamin and the Goblet
As recorded in Genesis 43, Joseph’s brothers returned to Egypt with Benjamin. At this point, according to Ramban, Joseph’s first dream has been fulfilled.
But Joseph still did not reveal himself to his brothers.
They purchased grain and the journey home. Joseph ordered that his silver goblet should be hidden in Benjamin’s sack of grain.
Joseph uses this as a pretext to keep Benjamin as a slave and allow the other brothers to return home (Genesis 44:17).
Again, Ramban explains that Joseph’s aim was not to cause distress to his brothers.
Benjamin was Rachel’s second son and Joseph’s full brother. He was testing the other brothers to determine if held any hatred toward Benjamin, similar to how they had treated him.
Joseph Never Called Home
It’s easy to understand that when Joseph first arrived in Egypt he was not able to contact his father. He was a slave and had limited freedom of action.
However, once he interpreted Pharoah’s dreams and was made viceroy, he could have and should have contacted his family.
Ramban suggests that from the time Joseph came down to Egypt, he hoped his dreams would be fulfilled there. But he had no idea how it could be.
But, then Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams for him (Genesis 41:25-36).
Joseph realized that the prophesied famine could cause his brothers and father to come to Egypt.
Ramban also writes that Joseph knew his dreams could not be fulfilled in the Land of Canaan.
I have not found in Ramban’s writings or commentaries on his works an explanation of how Joseph knew this. I will suggest once Joseph achieved greatness in Egypt, he realized his family bowing to him would only happen if they saw him in his elevated position.
This is why he said to his brothers when he revealed his identity:
13. And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring down my father here.
In summary, according to Ramban, everything that Joseph did was meant to cause the fulfillment of his dreams in the order of the dreams.
Further Reading
Click here for a summary of Parshat Mikeitz.
This article explores the first time Joseph met Pharaoh.
This article offers an explanation of when Joseph’s dreams were finally fulfilled.