(32) Now your servant has pledged himself for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I shall stand guilty before my father forever.’

(9) I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible: if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I shall stand guilty before you forever.

§ Rav Huna said: From where is it derived that a guarantor becomes obligated to repay a loan he has guaranteed? As it is written that Judah reassured his father concerning the young Benjamin: “I will be his guarantor; of my hand shall you request him” (Genesis 43:9). This teaches that it is possible for one to act as a guarantor that an item will be returned to the giver. Rav Ḥisda objects to this: This incident involving Benjamin is not a case of a standard guarantor, but a case of an unconditional guarantee, as it is written, also in the context of Benjamin, that Reuben said: “Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you” (Genesis 42:37). One who undertakes unconditional responsibility for a loan has a different status than a standard guarantor, as will soon be elaborated. Therefore, a biblical source has yet to be adduced to teach that one can become a standard guarantor. Rather, Rabbi Yitzḥak said that the source is from here: “Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; and hold him in pledge that is surety for an alien woman” (Proverbs 20:16). The verse advises a creditor to take the garment of the debtor’s guarantor as payment for the loan. And it is stated: “My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, if you have shaken your hands for a stranger, you have become ensnared by the words of your mouth, you have been caught by the words of your mouth. Do this now, my son, and save yourself, seeing that you have come into the hand of your neighbor: Go, humble yourself [hitrappes], and assemble your neighbors” (Proverbs 6:1–3). This last part of the passage means: If your neighbor’s money is in your possession, as you owe it as a guarantor, open up [hatter] the palm [pissat] of your hand and repay him. And if it is not money that you owe him, but rather “you have become ensnared by the words of your mouth” and owe him an apology for a personal slight, gather together many neighbors through which to seek his forgiveness.

(17) Jesse said to his son David, “Take an ephah of this parched corn and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers, and carry them quickly to your brothers in camp. (18) Take these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand. Find out how your brothers are and bring some token from them.”

(1) Another interpretation (of Gen. 44:18): THEN JUDAH DREW NEAR UNTO HIM. He drew near to fight with him. Now this language is nothing but the language of warfare. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 10:13): SO JOAB AND {ALL} THE PEOPLE < WHO WERE WITH HIM DREW NEAR TO THE BATTLE >…. Our masters have said: When Judah was filled with wrath, his hairs would stand up and break through his garments. There are also those who say that he would take iron beans, put them in his mouth, and crunch them in it when his wrath would arise. It is therefore stated (in Gen. 44:18): THEN < JUDAH > DREW NEAR {AND SAID: PRAY (bi), MY LORD, you are bringing injustice (biyah) upon us. Yesterday you told us: You shall bring your younger brother unto me; so we have brought him. Now you have taken him. Is this not injustice?}

(2) (Gen. 44:18:) AND < JUDAH > SAID: PRAY, MY LORD…. FOR YOUR SERVANT HAS BECOME SURETY FOR THE LAD. When did Judah discharge his surety? In the days of Goliath. At that time, when Israel was in trouble, what is written (in I Sam. 17:16)? THEN THE PHILISTINE DREW NEAR AT DAWN AND IN THE EVENING. < He was > cursing and reviling. Saul began sending out a herald < to proclaim > (as implied in I Sam. 17:25): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS FOR THE MAN WHO KILLS HIM THAT THE KING SHALL ENRICH HIM < WITH GREAT RICHES >…. Now you find that anyone who curses is liable for death, as stated (in Lev. 24:16): AND THE ONE WHO BLASPHEMES THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH … but that wicked man had been cursing (according to I Sam. 17:16): FOR FORTY DAYS. Moses said (in Deut. 7:10): AND < GOD > INSTANTLY REPAYS THOSE WHO HATE HIM WITH DESTRUCTION. In the case of someone wicked who performs a righteous act, the Holy One renders it unfit < by giving him his reward > during his life in this world in order to destroy him in the world to come; but for the righteous, he sets aside their righteous acts for the world to come. What < righteous act > did this wicked man (i.e., Goliath) do for him to curse for forty days? R. Isaac and R. Levi differ. R. Levi said: Because his mother, Orpah ('RPH), walked four miles with her mother-in-law (cf. Ruth 1:7, 14), [the Holy One repaid her for it]. So from her the Holy One raised four heroes. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 21:22): THESE FOUR WERE BORN TO THE GIANT (HRPH) OF GATH. R. Isaac said: She walked forty paces with her; therefore, the Holy One granted her her reward and gave her Goliath. So he was cursing before the Holy One forty days, as stated (in I Sam. 17:16): AND HE (the Philistine) TOOK HIS STAND FOR FORTY DAYS. Jesse said to his son David: Now is the time to make good on the surety of your ancestor who became surety for Benjamin under the hand of his father, as stated (in Gen. 43:9): I MYSELF WILL BE SURETY FOR HIM. Now go and discharge him from his surety. Thus it is stated (in I Sam. 17:18): SEE ALSO TO THE WELFARE OF YOUR BROTHERS, AND TAKE THEIR TOKEN. Now THEIR TOKEN ('RBH) is nothing but a surety ('RBWT). What did David do? He went and made good on the surety by killing Goliath. The Holy One said to him: By your life, just as you have risked your life for Saul, since he is from the tribe of Benjamin, even as your ancestor Judah did for Benjamin < himself >, as stated (in Gen. 44:33): AND NOW PLEASE LET YOUR SERVANT REMAIN AS A SLAVE TO MY LORD INSTEAD OF THE LAD … so I am placing the Sanctuary < both > within your territory and within the territory of Benjamin. And where is it shown that the Sanctuary is < both > within the inheritance of Benjamin and within the inheritance of Judah? Where one text (Gen. 49:27) says: BENJAMIN IS A RAVENOUS WOLF; IN THE MORNING HE CONSUMES PREY, i.e., the dawn tamid (sacrifice), AND IN THE EVENING HE DIVIDES THE SPOIL, i.e., the twilight tamid; while another text (Ps. 48:3 [2]) says: BEAUTEOUS LANDSCAPE, JOY OF THE WHOLE EARTH, < EVEN MOUNT ZION >. By your life, moreover, when all the tribes are going into exile, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin are not going into exile along with them. Why? Because these two tribes believed in me and sanctified my name in the sea with Moses. R. Abba bar Kahana said in the name of R. Levi: When the sea was split open for Israel, there was mire in it. Now the tribe of Reuben said to the tribe of Simeon: From mud you have come and to mud you are going. Thus it is stated (in Hos. 12:1): EPHRAIM SURROUNDS ME WITH DECEIT, THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL WITH FALSE-HOOD…. What did the tribes of Judah and Benjamin do? They sanctified the name of the Holy One, as stated (in Ps. 68:28 [27]): LITTLE BENJAMIN IS THERE RULING OVER THEM, THE PRINCES OF JUDAH IN THEIR GLORY….

(3) Another interpretation (of Gen. 44:18): PRAY, MY LORD. (Vs. 19:) MY LORD ASKED. It is also stated (in vs. 20): UNTO MY LORD. (Vs. 33:) AND NOW PLEASE LET YOUR SERVANT REMAIN < AS A SLAVE TO MY LORD INSTEAD OF THE LAD >…. The Holy One said to him: Behold, you have now let go of your former power, and spoken supplications. By your life, in spite of what I said (in Hos. 12:3 [2]): THE LORD HAS A LAWSUIT WITH JUDAH, I will instead be gracious and have compassion on you. It is so stated (in Is. 57:16): FOR I WILL NOT CARRY ON A LAWSUIT FOREVER. And the EVER (in FOREVER) is nothing but a reference to Judah, since it is stated (in Joel 4:20 [3:20]): BUT JUDAH SHALL BE INHABITED FOREVER.

(1) My son, if you have stood surety for your fellow, Given your hand for another, (2) You have been trapped by the words of your mouth, Snared by the words of your mouth. (3) Do this, then, my son, to extricate yourself, For you have come into the power of your fellow: Go grovel—and badger your fellow;

(1) My son, if you have stood surety Our Sages explained this as referring to surety in monetary matters, according to its apparent meaning. (1) go, humble yourself Heb. התרפס [a combination of two words, התר פס], open the palm of your hand for him to pay him his money. (2) and give your fellow superiority Heb. ורהב. And if he has no money with you, only that you were trapped with the sayings of your mouth by speaking harshly to him, bring many friends to him to beg him to forgive you. (3) Another explanation: [1] My son, if you stood surety for your Friend After you stood surety for the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is your “friend,” as it is written (Song 5:16): “This is my beloved and this is my friend”; you undertook at Sinai and in the plains of Moab with a curse and with an oath to observe His commandments. (4) have given your hand to a stranger You have repented and turned from His ways and clung to the disbelievers to go in their ways. (5) [2] you have been trapped by the sayings of your mouth You have given your hand to cling to strangers. (6) [3] Do this, then, my son, and be saved Since you have come into the palm of your Friend at Sinai and you have accepted His Godliness over you, (7) go, humble yourself Heb. התרפס. Humble yourself before Him like a threshold, which is trodden (נרפסת) and stepped on. (8) and increase your friends Bring many friends who will pray for you before Him. In this manner it is expounded on in Midrash Psalms.