The dramatic moment of Joseph revealing his identity to his brothers is accompanied by a profound shift in how he treats them. Rather than seeking revenge against those who sold him into slavery, he showers every single one of them, without exception, with gifts, honor, and new clothing [רד״ק, ביאור יש״ר].
These garments are understood in various ways. They may have been complete sets of different clothes [אבן עזרא], or practical undergarments that people change frequently [חזקוני, מחוקקי יהודה]. Alternatively, they were prestigious, finely woven Egyptian garments intended to replace the brothers' simple shepherd attire, ensuring they appeared as distinguished men worthy of being the ruler's brothers [הכתב והקבלה, ביאור יש״ר, נתינה לגר]. Beyond their physical value, providing these clothes serves as a profound act of restitution. It compensates the brothers for the anguish that caused them to tear their own garments when the missing goblet was discovered in Benjamin's sack [טור, ריב״א, חזקוני]. Furthermore, it represents the ultimate act of repaying cruelty with kindness: while the brothers once stripped Joseph of his special tunic, he now dresses them in garments of honor [תולדות יצחק, ביאור יש״ר, אלשיך].
Amidst this generosity, Joseph displays a glaring preference for his younger brother, Benjamin, giving him three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes. This obvious favoritism raises a critical question: how could Joseph risk reigniting the very same jealousy that originally led to his own downfall, which was sparked by the gift of a single special tunic? One perspective suggests this disparity was a deliberate test. Joseph wanted to see if his brothers had achieved complete repentance for selling him, placing them in the exact same situation to see if they could now conquer their envy [פרדס יוסף]. Conversely, another approach argues that there was actually no reason for jealousy at all; Benjamin’s five garments were of a simpler make, and their combined value was exactly equal to the single luxurious outfit given to each of the other brothers [תורה תמימה].
The specific gift of three hundred pieces of silver carries deep legal and symbolic weight. The primary approach among commentators links this sum to the financial penalty for selling a person. Under Jewish law, selling a slave to gentiles incurs a fine of ten times the slave's standard value of thirty shekels, totaling three hundred shekels. Joseph essentially fined the ten brothers who participated in his sale by withholding this amount from them, while giving it to Benjamin, who was innocent of the crime. Alternatively, Joseph forgave the ten brothers their debt, and since Benjamin owed nothing, he received the value in cash [רבנו בחיי, רא״ש, תורה תמימה, חתם סופר]. Other commentators suggest Joseph was actually fining himself, using the money to compensate Benjamin for the trauma of being declared a slave [אלשיך] or for being falsely accused of theft [תולדות יצחק]. The sum also serves as a prophetic nod to the future Temple, which would be built in Benjamin's tribal territory on land partially purchased by King David for three hundred shekels [ריב״א, הדר זקנים].
The specific number of five garments given to Benjamin acts as a multi-layered compensation for the distress Joseph put him through. He received one garment like his brothers, and four additional ones to atone for the tearing of his clothes, to honor his status as Joseph's full brother from the same mother, to soothe the shame of the false theft accusation, and to mirror the double penalty a thief is traditionally required to pay [ריב״א, חזקוני, פענח רזא]. Beyond the immediate context, many commentators agree that these five garments carry a prophetic vision. They foreshadow Benjamin’s future descendant, Mordechai, who would one day emerge from the palace of King Ahasuerus arrayed in five distinct garments of royal apparel [רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, ריב״א, צרור המור].