Parshat Miketz 5786 – "למה תתראו"

This week, we read פרשת מקץ, a פרשה focused largly on יוסף. In this פרשה, Yosef interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, stating that there will be 7 years of abundance, followed by 7 years of famine. Because of his knowledge, פרעה puts יוסף in charge of the preparation for the famine, where he imposes large crop taxes, in order to store food for the future. As a result of his new authority, יוסף’s social status skyrockets, from being פוטיפר’s lowly slave to becoming the second most powerful person in all of Egypt. No display of his power is greater than when the famine begins, where Pharaoh commands the Egyptians to do all that יוסף says - as if יוסף is king. This famine then spread throughout the entire world, causing everyone to go to מצרים to buy food. Afterwards, תורה informs us of יעקב’s seeing this, stating: “וירא יעקב כי יש־שבר במצרים ויאמר יעקב לבניו למה תתראו - and Ya’akov saw that Egypt had grain, and he said to his children, why do you look at one another?” יעקב then commands the brothers to go down to Egypt, where they listen immediately with the Torah illustrating: “וירדו אחי־יוסף עשרה לשבר בר ממצרים - And 10 of יוסף’s brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.” However, these פסוקים raise three questions: firstly, the תורה first refers to the שבטים (tribes) as בני יעקב (children of Ya’akov), but later calls them the אחי-יוסף (Yosef’s brothers) - why this change? Additionally, יעקב asks the brothers, למה תתראו - why do you look at each other - a very confusing and seemingly out of place question; what is the meaning of it? Lastly, the שבטים have no response to יעקב’s question; instead are just silent and leave to מצרים - why don’t they respond? Recorded in Ramot