Literary Devices – Bereshit 43/0
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Literary Devices – Bereshit 43
Parallels and Contrasts
Key Words
אִישׁ (man)
Allusions
Through the use of allusions, the Torah presents the brothers’ journey to Egypt as a symbolic reenactment (and perhaps corrective) of Yosef’s journey to Egypt after they sold him:
- When trying to convince his father to let them bring Binyamin to Egypt, Yehuda refers to Binyamin as “הַנַּעַר” (verse 8), which is the word with which Yosef is introduced in 37:2.1
- The balsam, spices, and ladanum that Yaakov instructs his sons to bring to Egypt as a gift (verse 11) call to mind the same items that were being carried on the caravan that carried Yosef into slavery (see Bereshit 37:25).2 These are the only two mentions of these three items together in Tanakh, strengthening the allusion.
Character Titles
Binyamin The text refers to Binyamin in several ways (in addition to using his proper name):
- "Brother" – In Yehuda's speech to his father, he does not refer to Binyamin by name, but rather as "our brother", perhaps reflecting that, in contrast to the sibling's earlier feelings towards Yosef, they felt a brotherly bond with Binyamin. Yaakov, too, refers to him as "your brother".
- הַנַּעַר – The other term used by Yehuda to describe Binyamin is "הַנַּעַר", the lad. See "Allusions" above, that this is the same term used to describe Yosef when he is first introduced to the reader, perhaps suggesting that the experience of bringing Binyamin to Egypt is a reenactment of the emotional experience of sending their other brother, the "lad" Yosef, to Egypt.
- בִּנְיָמִין אָחִיו בֶּן אִמּוֹ – When Binyamin appears before Yosef, he is described as “Binyamin, his brother, the son of his mother”, with the text stressing that they are full siblings and reflecting Yosef’s feelings of closeness to him.
Yosef
- Yosef – The narrator consistently refers to Yosef by his proper name.
- "האיש" – When the brothers and Yaakov speak of Yosef, however, they call him simply "האיש" highlighting their lack of knowledge of the identity of Yosef; in their eyes the individual with whom they have interacted is simply a powerful and inscrutable man.
The Brothers
In contrast to earlier (and later) chapters where the siblings are often identified as "Yosef's brothers" or Yaakov’s sons, throughout the brothers’ journey to Egypt and experience there, they are referred to as “הָאֲנָשִׁים”.
- See R. Bachya that the brothers are so called because, in their fear, they took care to enter Egypt disguised so no one would know that they were brothers, but would instead think they were individual men.
- See Professor Y. Grossman suggests that the lack of relational epithets suggests that the text is presenting them as independent players in the unfolding drama, with the free will to decide how they will act – as Yosef's brothers and Yaakov's sons, or not.
- Alternatively, this might reflect their lack of awareness of the family dynamics at play as they descend to Egypt, and their unawareness that their identity as "brothers" is about to be significant.
Hashem
- Yaakov uses Hashem’s name of El Shaddai when he blesses the brothers before their journey.
- Commentators discuss his use of this name.
- Tanchuma notes that the name contains the word "", enough and that Yaakov is praying "He who said to the Universe, "Enough!", may He say "Enough!" to my troubles.
- Ibn Ezra and Abarbanel suggest that this word means "God Almighty", stressing Hashem’s unlimited power, which Yaakov believes will be necessary to protect his sons.
