Shmot - Darkest Before the Dawn


'O L-rd, why do You mistreat Your people? Why did You send me? As soon as I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he made things worse for these people. You have done nothing to help Your people.'
G-d said to Moshe, 'Now you will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh. He will be forced to let them go.'
וַיָּשָׁב משֶׁה אֶל ה  וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנָי לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתָה לָעָם הַזֶּה לָמָּה זֶּה שְׁלַחְתָּנִי וּמֵאָז בָּאתִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה לְדַבֵּר בִּשְׁמֶךָ הֵרַע לָעָם הַזֶּה וְהַצֵּל לֹא הִצַּלְתָּ אֶת עַמֶּךָ וַיֹּאמֶר ה אֶל משֶׁה עַתָּה תִרְאֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה לְפַרְעֹה כִּי בְיָד חֲזָקָה יְשַׁלְּחֵם וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה יְגָרְשֵׁם מֵאַרְצוֹ
(Shmot 5:22 - 6:1)



Moshe shows his frustration and disappointment after his initial confrontation with Pharaoh. Not only did Pharaoh not give any regard to Moshe's request to let the slaves leave and sacrifice to G-d in the desert, but even worse, Pharaoh then made the work of the Hebrews even harder, by no longer providing straw for bricks, requiring the Hebrews to gather their own straw (Shmot 5:1-7).

In the verses at hand, from the end of the parsha, we see that Moshe questions G-d on two counts: why allow the Jewish people to be mistreated, and why was Moshe sent as the primary representative. In responding, G-d says "Now you will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh" as opposed to just 'You will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh'

Why Now
What is the significance of Moshe's questions? Would it not have been enough to just question the treatment of the Jewish People, and why does G-d respond by starting with the word 'Now'? How does Moshe's questions reflect on his level of faith, especially with the injunctions and directives handed down directly from G-d, does this show a weakness in faith?

Rashi notes the exchange that occurs in these verses and comments, "He questions [G-d's] character, unlike Avraham, "G-d said to Avraham, 'Do not be troubled because of the boy and your slave. Do everything that Sarah tells you. It is through Isaac that you will gain posterity.'" (Breisheit 21:12) and after that G-d said "'Take your son, the only one you love - Isaac - and go away to the Moriah area. Bring him as an all-burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will designate to you.'" (Breisheit 22:2). Avraham did not consider questioning G-d's character. Therefore the verse "Now you will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh" is coming to describe what Moshe will see done to Pharaoh and that he will not see what will be done to the kings of the 7 nations when Am Yisrael conquers the land of Caanaan."

Rashi illuminates these questions, yet in a cryptic way. He starkly contrasts the unfailing faith of Avraham to the seeming hesitancy of Moshe, but how does the plight of the 7 nations at the hands of Am Yisrael answer the issue of using the word 'Now'?

Moshe's Mission
The Siftei Chachmim expands on Rashi's points, noting that this encounter follows Moshe's earlier assertions to G-d, questioning his own suitability for confronting Pharaoh and for conveying the word of G-d to the Jewish people (Shmot 4:1). 
"If Moshe would not have said 'Why did You send me?' and only said 'why do You mistreat Your people?' this would not have angered G-d.
"Rather, Moshe seemed to make everything dependent on whether his mission was worthwhile or just for nothing and was embarrassed to think his mission was seemingly meaningless. Otherwise he wouldn't have appeared to question the character of G-d."

This clarifies the situation and Rashi by adding that G-d was angry as a result of Moshe's questions. But what was making Him angry and  how did He express his anger. It is almost like the conversation between G-d and Moshe is much longer and more involved and the Torah has only showed the highlights.


The Kli Yakar expands on Moshe's concern about his part in the mission. "At least if his mission was just  meaningless, then  it shouldn't be harmful. But that is exactly what Moshe saw, that out of his own actions the conditions for the Jewish People got worse. And Moshe could have thought to himself 'Maybe I was the cause of all this, since representatives sent to Pharaoh had a heavy mouth and language like me and this what angered Pharaoh even more. This is why Moshe asks 'Why did You send me?' or in other words what was the point of sending me.

The Plight of the 7 Nations
This shows the concerns, doubts and fears of Moshe. The Gemara that Rashi referenced brings in the missing pieces and fills out the dialog.

Sanhedrin 111A
And for this Moses was punished, as he said, 'As soon as I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he made things worse for these people. You have done nothing to help Your people.'
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘Alas for those who are gone and no more to be found! For how many times did I reveal Myself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name of El Shad-dai, and they did not question my character, nor say to Me, What is Your name?
'I said to Abraham, Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the breadth of it,’ for I will give it to you: yet when he sought a place to bury Sarah, he did not find one, but had to purchase it for four hundred silver shekels; and still he did not question My character.
'I said to Isaac, Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee: yet his servants sought water to drink, and did not find it without its being disputed, as it is said, And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen saying, The water is our's; still he did not question My character.
'I said to Jacob, The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed: yet he sought a place to pitch his tent and did not find one until he purchased it for an hundred kesitah; nevertheless he did not question My character; nor did they say to me, What is Thy name?
'And now you say to Me, You have done nothing to help Your people.
[Therefore] "Now you will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh." You will see the war against Pharaoh, but not the war against the thirty one kings.’
And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

This piece of Gemara clears up the situation, showing that G-d was clearly angered by this absolute lack of faith. The greatness of the patriarchs was their ability to remain faithful even when facing incredible strife and hardship in their lives. The commentators cover this Gemara and we learn here that this is the beginning of Moshe's punishment, not just at the point where he hit the rock. (Bamidbar 20:1-13). At this point Moshe's punishment is not to see the full conquering of Eretz Yisrael, but only to enter and be buried there.

Weren't the Jewish People Suffering
But wasn't Moshe's question valid. Didn't he have a point to question the negative impact his appearance before Pharaoh had on the enslaved Jewish people? This situation was entirely different than with the patriarchs. With the patriarchs, they were each given a promise from G-d, but when they themselves faced hardship, they remained steadfast. However Moshe's concern isn't about G-d keeping His promises to Moshe about Moshe's future, but Moshe's concern is how the Jews have now been affected.

The Kli Yakar addresses this side as well. He explains that "There is a well known phenomena that every day at the moment before dawn, it is the darkest darkness from all the night. And in the winter, just before the sun rises the cold worsens, but is eventually overcome by the rising sun. Since everything in the natural order feels a resistance from the opposite side that wants to nullify it. And likewise when Pharaoh worsened the conditions for the Jews he was acting out a natural force, resisting the end that was growing closer. And when the time of redemption grows close and will nullify all of the activities of Pharaoh. This is why G-d says, "Now you will begin to see what I will do to Pharaoh. He will be forced to let them go." Pharaoh was forced to release them, and so we see this miraculous action of Pharaoh intensifying the work for Am Yisrael as he senses the end.

We are not Moshe and do not have direct dialogs with G-d. Yet we can also slip in our faith, and feel like everything we are doing is for nothing, a waste. Sometimes life sends extremely difficult circumstances and challenges and we may question, is it worth it. Yet we must push forward, and remain firm in our faith and our commitment to Torah and Mitvot. For at this moment if may feel the coldest as cold can be, and may seem as dark as ever, but we don't realize that the powerful morning sun is just around the corner, waiting to push away all these troubles.

Vayahi - Tshuva and the End of Days

Yaacov called for his sons. [When they came,] he said, 'Gather in, and I will tell you what will happen in the course of time. Come together and listen, sons of Yaacov; listen to your father Yisrael.'
וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר הֵאָסְפוּ וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִיםהִקָּבְצוּ וְשִׁמְעוּ בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב וְשִׁמְעוּ אֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲבִיכֶם
Breisheit 49:1-2
In this parshah there is an interesting use of language.
The consecutive verses use dual terms for the same thing. First it says 'Gather in' then followed by 'Come together', why not use the same language consistently?

Dual Terms
The Kli Yakar comments on this verse. "Here the term 'Gather in' (האספו) refers to someone who is standing outside and exposed, and is gathered into the house, a place of privacy.

"But the term 'Come together' (הקבצו) describes a people that are scattered around all over and gather together at one spot, even an exposed area where many pass by."

Rashi also comments on this verse, noting the phrase 'I will tell you.'
Rashi says "Yaacov requested to reveal the end and the shechinah departed from him, and he started to say other things.[quoting the Talmud Mesechaet Pesachim 56A]"

Reveal the End
The Talmud states
Yaacov wished to reveal the ketz, the end of days, but the Shechinah (God's presence) left him. He said, 'Perhaps, G-d forbid, there is an inadequacy in my bed (offpsring) like Avraham who fathered Yishmael, or my father Yitzhak who fathered Esau. ' His sons said back to him 'Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One'
Pesachim 56A

The Kli Yakar also notes this in explaining the double language used. "Thus he requested to reveal the end and it is not appropriate to reveal something so secret in public lest someone who is not honest hear this."

The Kli Yakar reads the original verses as:
"Yaacov called for his sons. [When they came,] he said, 'Gather in, and I will tell you what will happen in the course of time - at the end of time. And immediately he felt that 'the end' was closed from him. And so he diverted from the language of  'gather in' and said:
Come together and listen, sons of Yaacov;  to hear things that are not secret and can talk about in public. "

Technically this explains the significance of the change in language. The spirit that moved Yaacov to bring his sons together was no longer with him. But what was the morale significance?

When Yisrael is Worthy
The Kedushat Levi quotes the Zohar on this verse as well. But first, I think it is noteworthy to bring a little background about who the author of the Kedushat Levi was and what he was known for. The author was Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, best known as The Defender of Israel. One story they say about him (Hasidic Masters - Aryeh Kaplan page 71) "According to one anecdote his wife and family were once cruelly offended by the opponents of the Hasidism, and the latter were hailed before leaders of the community. After the matter had been investigated and the culprits were about to be sentenced, the gentle rabbi was found praying in a corner. When people leaned over to hear his words, they discovered that he was praying that G-d might forgive those who had wronged him."

His love for his fellow Jews was boundless, and he would go to incredible lengths to explain the behavior of his fellow Jew (no matter how far from observance) was another form of love of G-d. And, as shown by the story above, when he couldn't find merit in their actions, he took it upon himself to pray on their behalf, even on matters that were directed against him.

"When Yisrael is worthy, then they come together (מתקבצים) and hear an uplifted voice that announces give the dear children of Yaacov, and this is what Yaacov said to them 'Come together and listen, sons of Yaacov; listen...' The explanation of this verse is:  Listen to an uplifted voice that says to you, children of Yaacov my servent.

Doing Tshuva
And the coming together of Israel, brings the hearts of Israel together so they can do tshuva and purify the hearts of Israel.  'Listen to your father Yisrael' means that you should listen and understand the words that I am hinting to you now - the secret of the end of days, the redemption."

So that when we apply the words of the Kedushat Levi to this verse, we come away with that 'come together' is not just a technical differentiation from the previous verse, when Yaacov was ready to reveal the end, but that 'come together' is literally a directive for all of Israel to come together and become close to their fellow Jew. This language not only brings as closer to each other, but ultimately closer to the days of Moshiach.

Vayigash - Judging for Merit

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me," and they drew closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that G-d sent me before you."
 וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו גְּשׁוּ נָא אֵלַי וַיִּגָּשׁוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי יוֹסֵף אֲחִיכֶם אֲשֶׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי מִצְרָיְמָהוְעַתָּה | אַל תֵּעָצְבוּ וְאַל יִחַר בְּעֵינֵיכֶם כִּי מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי לְמִחְיָה שְׁלָחַנִי אֱלֹקים לִפְנֵיכֶם 
Breisheit 45:4-5
Why does the verse where Yoseph finally reveals himself to his brothers emphasize that Yoseph was sold to Egypt, repeating that event twice in consecutive verses? What importance is being emphasized by this point?

Remarkable Turn of Events
The Ohr HaChaim comments on "Now don't worry or feel guilty because you sold me" saying, why use the double language of 'worry' and 'guilty' - can't one of these words suffice? Also these are two opposite ideas where 'worry' focuses on a broken heart, and 'guilt' is connected to haughtiness?

Yoseph says to his brothers, 'You are worried because of the sale [of me to Egypt]' since they had said [when they came to Egypt to request food] "but we are guilty of our brother's misfortune" (Breisheit 42:21). Now that Yoseph reveals himself, he uses the language "don't worry" to announce to them that their feelings are close to his heart and that he knows they are still worried about what they did to him even to this very day.

The Ohr HaChaim continues by saying the reason for saying "guilty" is to point out that the sale itself brought about a remarkable turn of events.

Still a Brotherhood
The Netivot Shalom notes that the verse states "You sold me" adjacent to "Your brother" in order to show that even at the time of the sale, nevertheless Yoseph was their brother, and that even at this time darkness had still not clouded the eyes of the brotherhood.

And on the next verse "Now don't worry or feel guilty because you sold me," why shouldn't they worry and feel guilty about what they did? Even though things turned out good in the end, nevertheless they committed a horrible act in selling their own brother  - their own flesh and blood - and they should be judged negatively and be expected to repent.

So then why say to them "don't worry"? It is because they don't have to repent at all! Essentially they didn't do anything at all. As it says later "You might have meant to do me harm, but G-d made it come out for good" (Breisheit 50:20). And the Ohr HaChaim says on this verse 'This is like someone who intends to pour his friend a glass filled with poison, but actually pours a glass of wine - he is not guilty of anything! And so the brothers are likewise  free of guilt - both between their fellow man and with heaven.

How Can You Sell Your Brother
And what about the repetition in the verses about the sale of Yoseph to Egypt?

The Netivot Shalom continues noting that the original sale of Yoseph to Egypt is a mystery. How could 11 holy and pure sons of Yaacov (the staff) and without a single blemish to their name, and yet from out of them come the Community of Israel, how could they reach such depths to come to sell their own brother - their flesh and blood?

And that is why the Torah includes these verses here! The Torah comes to clarify what Yoseph was thinking when the sale took place. Yoseph knew the righteousness and holiness of his brothers, so he would be puzzled on how  they can come to carry out such a cruel action?

Judging for Merit
The Netivot Shalom explains that a truly righteous individual does not see even the slightest blemish of evil in his fellow man, and only judges them for merit. Yoseph understood intrinsically that these actions absolutely must have a greater good connected to them, and they can't just be doing this out of a sense of spite or pure evil, heaven forbid. Yoseph thus concludes that for these holy and righteous individuals to do this act, it must be to make something greater.

Ultimate Will
Yet the question still remains, how could the brothers do this? The fact that Yoseph judges them for merit means that this must be the will of G-d that he be sold, and that really the actions of the brothers are out of  force majeure.

The actual purpose of this act was for good, since the actions of the righteous (tzadikim) are always for good.  So actually the very act of his brothers was to sort of send Yoseph on a mission on their behalf, and that they had no choice in this matter, that their very limbs betrayed them and ultimately were carrying out the  will of G-d to have Yoseph sold and brought down to Egypt.

In the end they see that everything was for the best, and for Yoseph, even at the seemingly dark time of the sale, the spirit of brotherhood had not gone dark.

True Tzadik
Here is where we see the greatness and righteousness of Yoseph, that he is a true tzadik. Since typically with people, everything that one finds despicable in his fellow man and then judges them detrimentally, these very characteristics are actually present within, and are his own deficiencies [and the criticism he puts forth is about those characteristics within himself that he dislikes]. A holy and pure Jew will only see goodness in his fellow Jew.

Internal Character Flaws
Ultimately regarding the matter of faith by a Jew, this is tied to his level of purity and dedication to G-d. That if a Jew has doubts in his faith, this creeps out through character flaws. These internal deficiencies can boil one's blood and literally contaminate one's blood, and this contaminated blood then goes up to the brain and into the heart, creating deficiencies in faith.

I want to add my own addition to the words from Netivot Shalom. There is an expression in English that goes 'Makes my blood boil' which can refer to a number of circumstances. Anger, bitterness or jealousy can all make a person's blood boil, and these are all profound character flaws. As Pirkei Avot notes  (Ch 4 Mishna 27):
Jealousy, lust, and honor remove a man from this world.

True Faith
The Netivot Shalom continues. Yoseph was a tzadik to his very base, and his faith was on a very high level. When a Jew's faith is very high, then nothing can influence him negatively. He knows that when a man harms him, the Faithful Jew knows that this pain was not from the man inflicting it. This is like the metaphor of a dog that is hit by a rock. The dog barks at the rock thinking that the rock carried out the attack. As opposed to man, who knows that a rock has no will, and that the rock was actually thrown by someone. Likewise for the Faithful Jew, when harm befalls him, he knows that this is straight from heaven. And when it is decreed by heaven that he should suffer, then it will either be by one way or another, and that every action is a matter of heavenly supervision (השגחת פרטית).

This is what Yoseph was saying to his brothers "I am  Yoseph your brother!" (Breisheit 45:4), that even at the moment of selling him, the sense of brotherhood did not go dark, since he knew that this was all a matter of heavenly supervision, and that the brothers didn't do anything. "He that believes shall not make haste" (Yeshayahu 28:16) since the true believer understands that no man has the power to do anything to him and that everything that happens is from heaven and under divine supervision.

Miketz - Reading Between the Lines

After the brothers unknowingly encounter Yosef in Egypt and return home to Yaacov/Yisrael their father, but without Shimon, they share their experience with Yaacov/Yisrael. The brothers explain to their father that in order to release Shimon they must return to Egypt and bring the youngest of the brothers, Binyamin.
"Yisrael said, 'Why did you do such a terrible thing to me, telling the man that you had another brother?' The brothers replied, 'The man kept asking about us and our family. He asked, Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother? We simply answered his questions.'" 

וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתֶם לִי לְהַגִּיד לָאִישׁ הַעוֹד לָכֶם אָח.וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׁאוֹל שָׁאַל הָאִישׁ לָנוּ וּלְמוֹלַדְתֵּנוּ לֵאמֹר הַעוֹד אֲבִיכֶם חַי הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם אָח וַנַּגֶּד לוֹ עַל פִּי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה הֲיָדוֹעַ נֵדַע כִּי יֹאמַר הוֹרִידוּ אֶת אֲחִיכֶם
Breisheit 43:6-7

Is that true? Were the brothers 'caught' by Yosef and had no choice but to share the details about the family? Or were they presenting a fabricated story to their father?

Initial Conversation
When looking back at the initial encounter between Yosef and his brothers, the conversation that actually occurred was quite different.
"Yosef recognized his brothers as soon as he saw them. But he behaved like a stranger and spoke harshly to them. 'Where are you from?' he asked.
'From the land of Canaan to buy food,' they said.
Yosef recognized his brothers but they didn't recognize him. He remembered what he had dreamed about them.  'You are spies!' he said to them, 'you have come to see where the land is exposed to attack!'
'No my lord,' they replied, 'We are your servants who have come only to buy food. We are all the sons of the same man.  We are honorable men. We would never think of being spies.'
''No! You have come to see where the land is exposed.'
'We are twelve brothers your servants,' they pleaded, 'We are the sons of one man who is in Canaan. Right now the youngest brother is with our father, and one brother is gone.'"
Breisheit 42:7-13

Strangely enough, there was no cross examination by Yosef of his brothers, quite unlike they had told their father, rather Yosef confronted them with the accusation of being spies. Why accuse the brothers of being spies? Why not put another accusation on the table that would put the brothers on the defensive? And still upon being accused of spying, why did the brothers quickly divulge that another brother was still alive with their father?

Being Spies
Rashi comments on the verse "You have come to see where the land is exposed" (Breisheit 42: 12) by adding the following to the narrative "Behold you entered through the 10 gates of the city, why didn't you come in through one gate?"

The Siftei Chachmim explains Rashi's comment, saying "Yosef would have known that his brothers came to collect food, since it was an obligation for the gate guards to write down both them and their father's name for those came to the city, and then show the list to Yosef. And 10 gate guards came to Yosef, and presenting [the names] Reuven the son of Yaacov, Shimon the son of Yaacov, etc and that is how Yosef would have known that his brothers came in through 10 separate gates."

But the Siftei Chachamim asks, so then why didn't Rashi use this explanation on the earlier verse ('you have come to see where the land is exposed to attack!' 42:9)?
The Siftei Chachamim explains Rashi's decision to use this explanation here saying that this is a better verse since the brothers reply with 'We are twelve brothers your servants' (42:13).

12 Brothers
And what is the point of this response by the brothers, when they are being accused of being spies? Rather we must say that at the beginning of the conversation, Yosef said to them:
'Behold you have entered through 10 city gates!'
And then they responded 'We are twelve brothers your servants,' they pleaded, 'We are the sons of one man who is in Canaan. Right now the youngest brother is with our father, and one brother is gone." 
Breisheit 42:13

It is because of the missing brother that they were motivated to enter through 10 gates, to scatter their forces and increase their own chances of survival. In case they were attacked at a gate, then the brothers wouldn't all be in one spot.

At this point, the Torah continues with Yosef's response to his brothers.
"I still say that you are spies, said Yosef" 
Breisheit 42:14

Rashi comments on this verse saying "I still say - that which I said that all of you are spies, this is the truth and is correct, as related according to the simple meaning of the verse."

The Siftei Chachamim points out the difficulties with Rashi's response here.
What was the issue that motivated Yosef to accuse them of being spies?
Furthermore, how would bringing Binyamin to Egypt disprove this claim?

The Answer
The answer, according to the Siftei Chachamim, comes when Yosef could have said: 'Behold you have entered through 10 city gates!' as Rashi says.
The brothers reply to this with "We are the sons of one man who is in Canaan.'' since it is well known that one man would never send all of his own sons to spy, lest they all be caught and executed.
To which Yosef says to them: All the more so, you are really spies since no man would send all his sons to spy UNLESS he kept one or two sons at home to help him.
And so that was why Yosef repeated his accusation and said again, "I still say that you are spies."
Out of the fear that they might get caught, they didn't want to put themselves at risk, and that is why they went in through 10 gates.

And this is how they ultimately came to point that they had to admit that there was another brother at home with their father, and so if they were to bring the other brother down [to Egypt], then they would remove the suspicion that they are spies. This is why the brothers responded 'We are twelve brothers your servants.'
To account for the 12, we learn that they had shared the detail about the other brother still at home. The commentary continues saying, 'They went in through 10 gates in order to investigate the disappearance of they brother [Yosef].'
And Yosef had responded to them 'it' after they said "and our brother was lost."
Yosef could say to them 'that was many years ago, and only now you are investigating the disappearance. You must be spies. If you are lying about the brother with your father, then you are definitely spies.''

The Actual Conversation
So if we look at the conversation between Yosef and his brothers, now with the added information from the commentaries, it looks like this.

"Yosef recognized his brothers as soon as he saw them. But he behaved like a stranger and spoke harshly to them. 'Where are you from?' he asked.
'From the land of Canaan to buy food,' they said.
Yosef recognized his brothers but they didn't recognize him. He remembered what he had dreamed about them.
'Behold you entered through the 10 gates of the city, why didn't you come in through one gate? You are spies!' he said to them, 'you have come to see where the land is exposed to attack!'
'No my lord,' they replied, 'We are your servants who have come only to buy food. We are all the sons of the same man.  It is well known that one man would never send all of his own sons to spy, lest we all be caught and executed. We are honorable men. We would never think of being spies.'
'All the more so, you really are spies since no man would send all of his sons to spy UNLESS he had kept one or two sons at home to help him. No! You have come to see where the land is exposed!'
'We are twelve brothers your servants,' they pleaded, 'We are the sons of one man who is in Canaan. Right now the youngest brother is with our father, and one brother is gone. We came in through 10 gates in order to investigate the disappearance of our lost brother. '
'That was many years ago, and only now you are investigating the disappearance? You must be spies! And if you are lying about that there is another brother with your father, then you are definitely spies!'"
Breisheit 42:7-13

When the additional narrative fills in between the lines in the Torah, the picture comes together and puts into perspective how the brothers related to their father when they requested to return to Egypt with Binyamin.  They had responded to their father with 'We simply answered his questions.' And that in fact appears to be want happened, as Yosef interrogated them and drove them down a line of questioning, they were left with no choice but to either admit to being spies and face certain severe punishment OR bring Binyamin down to Egypt and exonerate themselves.