Parashat Miketz: Facing Reality | Rabbi Shai Finkelstein

The Torah describes Joseph’s rise from a prisoner to second-in-command to the Pharaoh. Joseph’s first dream is fulfilled before his eyes as his brothers come to beg for food, and he is the one supporting them. When Joseph sends them back to Canaan, he fills their sacks with food and secretly returns their money. The brothers do not check their sacks until later, when they discover the money and react with surprising words. This reaction is puzzling – how is it that their first instinct is to blame God, without considering it might be punishment for their actions?