Illustration credit: Rivka Tsinman
Yosef has become a very important person in מִצְרַיִם (Mitzrayim, Egypt). He’s in charge of selling food from Pharaoh’s storehouses.
Back in כְּנַעָן (Canaan), the people are suffering from famine. Yaakov sends his sons from Canaan to Mitzrayim to buy food. Here’s what happens when they arrive:
וַיַּכֵּר יוֹסֵף אֶת אֶחָיו
וְהֵם לֹא הִכִּרֻהוּ׃
וַיִּזְכֹּר יוֹסֵף אֵת הַחֲלֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר חָלַם לָהֶם
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם
לִרְאוֹת אֶת עֶרְוַת הָאָרֶץ בָּאתֶם׃
Yosef recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.
Yosef remembered the dreams he had dreamt about them, and he said to them,
“You are spies. You have come to see the land look bad.”
- What do you notice? What sticks out to you?
- Why do you think Yosef is able to recognize his brothers, but they can’t recognize him?
- Why is it important that Yosef remembers his dreams? What might he have been remembering about them? How does that connect to what Yosef says next?
- If Yosef recognizes his brothers and knows they aren’t spies, what’s his goal when he accuses them? What do you think he was trying to accomplish? If you could talk to Yosef right now, what do you think he would tell you?
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