בראשית, פרק מ״ד, פסוק כ״ד

Judah's speech reconstructs the tense moment the brothers returned to their father, revealing Jacob's initial reaction to the harsh demands of the Egyptian ruler. The primary approach among commentators is that upon returning, the brothers immediately reported that they could not see the ruler's face again without their youngest brother. Despite hearing the full report, Jacob firmly refused to send Benjamin. In doing so, he essentially accepted that Simeon would remain in an Egyptian prison. This context clarifies Jacob's later request for his sons to return and buy a little food. He hoped they could somehow secure enough rations to prevent starvation without having to bring Benjamin along, and he only agreed to part with his youngest son when the severe famine left him with absolutely no other choice [רמב״ן, ספורנו, מלבי״ם].

A different perspective examines Judah's rhetorical strategy during this plea. It raises the question of why Judah completely ignores the severe accusations of espionage, the planted money, and the discovered goblet, choosing instead to focus solely on the demand to bring Benjamin. In reality, the brothers had given their father a long and detailed account of the entire ordeal, including the spying charges. By framing the story this way, Judah points out that Jacob, a father who normally would be terrified for his sons' safety, heard these severe accusations but completely ignored them. Jacob did not address the mortal danger they were supposedly in; his only response was a simple request to return and buy more food. Through this description, Judah subtly hints to the Egyptian ruler that the spying accusation was so absurd and baseless that even their highly anxious father dismissed it as nonsense. The family recognized that the only actual threat they faced was the strict ban on seeing the ruler to purchase grain [אלשיך].