בראשית, פרק מ״ג, פסוק ז׳

Faced with their father's deep frustration, the brothers find themselves firmly on the defensive, desperate to explain why they revealed such sensitive family information to the Egyptian ruler. They clarify that exposing these details was not voluntary but the result of a calculated and thorough interrogation [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. The ruler did not immediately launch into direct questions about their youngest brother. He began with a general conversation regarding their origins [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This line of questioning seemed entirely natural, given that they were clearly foreigners and not local Canaanites [קונטרס חיבה יתירה].

The primary approach among commentators is that the ruler was simply asking standard questions about them and their families [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר]. However, a deeper Midrashic perspective suggests the ruler displayed an astonishing level of familiarity with their lives. He revealed intimate details to them, demonstrating knowledge as specific as the exact type of wood used to make their children's cradles [רש״י, גור אריה, שפתי חכמים, ברכת אשר על התורה]. Practically, this detailed inquiry helped him determine the size of their family for the distribution of food and money. At the same time, it provided him with a pretext to accuse them of being spies if he found any demographic inconsistencies in their story [פענח רזא]. This intimidating display of seemingly mystical knowledge left the brothers feeling that they had no choice but to tell the absolute truth. They feared that if they lied, this ruler, who appeared to be someone capable of seeing hidden things, would easily frame them [משכיל לדוד]. In contrast, a minority viewpoint argues that the brothers actually altered the truth, exaggerating the extent of the ruler's questions merely to excuse their actions and deflect their father's anger [שד״ל].

Feeling cornered, the brothers were forced to state explicitly that they had a father and another brother [רש״י, גור אריה]. They maintain that they answered the ruler exactly according to his questions [רש״י, שפתי חכמים], reflecting reality precisely without altering a single detail [ביאור יש״ר]. Some commentators note that they delivered these answers with profound seriousness, speaking as though they were testifying before witnesses [קיצור בעל הטורים]. Another perspective offers a different emotional dynamic, suggesting that after initially judging them harshly, the ruler shifted to speaking with grace and affection, which led the brothers to respond naturally and pleasantly [העמק דבר].

Jacob was particularly upset that they had even mentioned Benjamin. The brothers explain the logic behind their transparency. Because the ruler had first asked about their elderly father, they reasoned that he obviously had no intention of taking an old man as a slave. Consequently, they innocently assumed that his interest in their other brother was merely conversational and posed no actual danger [דברי דוד].

The brothers finalize their defense with a cry of absolute disbelief. They ask how they could have possibly anticipated that the ruler would demand they bring their brother down to Egypt [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their defense expresses total uncertainty and deep shock at such an unthinkable demand [רש״ר הירש]. Finally, while the earlier narrative does not explicitly record the ruler asking these specific questions, it is a common biblical feature for details omitted in the initial account to be revealed later through the dialogue of the characters involved [ברכת אשר על התורה].