Huh? | Sefaria

Huh?

Everything looks peachy by the middle of Perek Mem Heh- the problems have been worked out, Yehudah has had a 'Masada' moment where he chooses to save Binyamin rather than himself, and everyone seems to be on good terms after 15 years of estrangement.

בראשית מ״ה:כ״ד

(כד) וַיְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־אֶחָ֖יו וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אַֽל־תִּרְגְּז֖וּ בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃

Genesis 45:24

(24) So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them: ‘See that ye fall not out by the way.’ (the implication is that they will be mad/jealous of Binyamin, who, like Yosef, is a favored daughter of Rachel).

When one reads this, one can only think, Wait, what? Haven't the brothers reconciled, haven't they grown and realized their mistakes? After an amazing display of loyalty to Binyamin, does Yosef really think that the brothers willl take such a sudden downturn?
Rashi, using the opinion of Rabbi Elazar in Ta'anit 10b, gives a feel-good answer:

רש"י על בראשית מ״ה:כ״ד:א׳

(א) אל תרגזו בדרך אַל תִּתְעַסְּקוּ בִּדְבַר הֲלָכָה שֶׁלֹּא תִרְגַּז עֲלֵיכֶם הַדֶּרֶךְ דָּ"אַ אַל תַּפְסִיעוּ פְסִיעָה גַסָּה, וְהִכָּנְסוּ בַחַמָּה לָעִיר; וּלְפִי פְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ נִכְלָמִים, הָיָה דוֹאֵג, שֶׁמָּא יָרִיבוּ בַדֶּרֶךְ עַל דְּבַר מְכִירָתוֹ, לְהִתְוַכֵּחַ זֶה עִם זֶה וְלוֹמַר עַל יָדְךָ נִמְכַּר, אַתָּה סִפַּרְתָּ לָשׁוֹן הָרָע עָלָיו, וְגָרַמְתָּ לָנוּ לִשְׂנֹאתוֹ:

Rashi on Genesis 45:24:1

(1) אל תרגזו בדרך BE NOT AGITATED BY THE WAY — Do not busy yourselves with Halachic discussions lest the road become unsteady for you (i.e. lest you lose your way). Another Explanation: Do not take very long steps and enter the town where you will slay over night while the sun is still shining. According to the plain sense of the verse, however, it must be explained thus: Because they felt ashamed he feared that they might quarrel on the way about his having been sold, arguing one with another. One would say: “It was through you he was sold”. Another: “It was you who made slanderous statements about him and caused us to hate him”.

תענית י׳ ב:כ״ג-כ״ד

ר'אלעזר: אמר להם יוסף לאחיו אל תתעסקו בדבר הלכה שמא תרגזו עליכם הדרך

Taanit 10b:7

Rabbi Elazar:Yosef said to his brothers, Do not busy yourselves with Halachic discussions lest the road become unsteady for you (i.e. lest you lose your way).

However, this doesn't seem to be peshat, especially when one sees this pasuk within its context- right after the extra gifts of 300 silver pieces and two sets of clothes, in addition to the one that all of the brothers got, to Binyamin. Enter Ibn Ezra:

אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ה:כ״ד:א׳

(א) וטעם אל תרגזו. שיכעוס איש על אחיו בעבור מכירתו

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 45:24:1

And the meaning of 'Do not get mad/agitated'- That they might become angry at each other because of his (Yosef's) sale.

Ibn Ezra shines a whole new light on this pasuk. Rather than being ruminating on the unfairness of Binyamin's gifts, as they had done back at the sale of Yosef, the brothers are fixated on their own guilt and shame. This can be gleaned from one of Yosef's main focuses in his speech to the brothers:

בראשית מ״ה:ג׳-ח׳

(ג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֤ף אֶל־אֶחָיו֙ אֲנִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף הַע֥וֹד אָבִ֖י חָ֑י וְלֹֽא־יָכְל֤וּ אֶחָיו֙ לַעֲנ֣וֹת אֹת֔וֹ כִּ֥י נִבְהֲל֖וּ מִפָּנָֽיו׃ (ד) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יוֹסֵ֧ף אֶל־אֶחָ֛יו גְּשׁוּ־נָ֥א אֵלַ֖י וַיִּגָּ֑שׁוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֲנִי֙ יוֹסֵ֣ף אֲחִיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ (ה) וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ אַל־תֵּעָ֣צְב֗וּ וְאַל־יִ֙חַר֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם כִּֽי־מְכַרְתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֣י לְמִֽחְיָ֔ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֱלֹהִ֖ים לִפְנֵיכֶֽם׃ (ו) כִּי־זֶ֛ה שְׁנָתַ֥יִם הָרָעָ֖ב בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָ֑רֶץ וְעוֹד֙ חָמֵ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵין־חָרִ֖ישׁ וְקָצִּֽיר׃ (ז) וַיִּשְׁלָחֵ֤נִי אֱלֹהִים֙ לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם לָשׂ֥וּם לָכֶ֛ם שְׁאֵרִ֖ית בָּאָ֑רֶץ וּלְהַחֲי֣וֹת לָכֶ֔ם לִפְלֵיטָ֖ה גְּדֹלָֽה׃ (ח) וְעַתָּ֗ה לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם אֹתִי֙ הֵ֔נָּה כִּ֖י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִֽי לְאָ֜ב לְפַרְעֹ֗ה וּלְאָדוֹן֙ לְכָל־בֵּית֔וֹ וּמֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

Genesis 45:3-8

(3) And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?’ And his brethren could not answer him; for they were affrighted at his presence. (4) And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘Come near to me, I pray you.’ And they came near. And he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. (5) And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life... (8) So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

The fact that Yosef tries so hard to alleviate their concerns shows how heavy the guilt is upon them.
However, like normal human beings, they would naturally not be thrilled with feeling guilty, and so, like normal human beings, one could expect them to try shifting the blame- "Oh, it was Yissachar's fault... No, it was Gad's, or Shimon's..." Such a smorgasbord of accusation is the opposite of productive, and petri-dish for hate.

Yosef, who knows all too well the outcome of such hatred and fighting, sees the problem in advance. He does two things: Number #1, he warns his brothers; and number #2, he sends along ten donkeys holding grain- much in the same manner that the shevatim themselves brought back food- to remind them that when someone starts a fight so bitter, that they turn their back on the other person and refuse to regard them as that-- a person-- they are the one who ends up being the donkey.