פרשת מקץ תשכ"ו - הירידה הראשונה למצרים

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto them: ‘Whence come ye?’ And they said: ‘From the land of Canaan to buy food.’

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not.

'ויכר יוסף וגו AND JOSEPH RECOGNISED HIS BRETHREN etc. — because, when he left them they were full-bearded (Yevamot 88a).

והם לא הכירהו BUT THEY RECOGNISED HIM NOT — because when he left them he had no beard whereas now he had grown a beard.

A Midrashic explanation is: ויכר יוסף את אחיו JOSEPH RECOGNISED HIS BRETHREN — Now that they were in his power he recognised them as his brothers and had pity on them, והם לא הכירהו but when he fell into their power, “they did not recognize him” as their brother, by acting towards him in brotherly manner (Genesis Rabbah 91:7).

You are spies. He argued that such men of distinction could have sent their servants to buy the grain in their stead. Alternatively, since they were among the first to arrive from Canaan they must have come to spy.

ערות הארץ means THE NAKEDNESS OF THE LAND — from which side it might easily be conquered. Of similar meaning are, (Leviticus 20:18) “He hath made naked (הערה) her fountain”; (Ezekiel 16:7), “naked and עריה) bare”. Indeed all forms of this root ערה signify “uncovering”). Onkelos renders it by “the breach (בדקא) of the land”, similar to (2 Kings 12:6), “the breach (בדק) of the house”— the defective places in the house — but he was not particular to translate according to the wording of the text (i.e. literally).