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After Yosef gave the brothers provisions, he kept Shimon (Bereisheet 42:24) there to guarantee that the brothers would return with Binyomin. They went home and didn't come back until they ran out o...
#2: Post edited
Shimon in Egyptian jail
After Yosef gave the brothers provisions, he kept Shimon (Bereisheet 42:24) there to guarantee that the brothers would return with Binyomin. They went home and didn't come back until they ran out of food (43:2) and at that point Yaakov says to them to go back down and buy some more food. Questions: How long was Shimon then stuck in prison? What did he do in prison for that time (let's forget about whether he got kosher food the whole time)? Wouldn't pidyon sh'vuyim have driven the brothers to do something to get him back earlier? It seems that they don't think about him or worry. Why doesn't Yaakov suggest anything to get his son back?
#1: Initial revision
Shimon in Egyptian jail
After Yosef gave the brothers provisions, he kept Shimon (Bereisheet 42:24) there to guarantee that the brothers would return with Binyomin. They went home and didn't come back until they ran out of food (43:2) and at that point Yaakov says to them to go back down and buy some more food. Questions: How long was Shimon then stuck in prison? What did he do in prison for that time (let's forget about whether he got kosher food the whole time)? Wouldn't pidyon sh'vuyim have driven the brothers to do something to get him back earlier? It seems that they don't think about him or worry. Why doesn't Yaakov suggest anything to get his son back?