Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 44:24/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ד:כ״ד
אכִּי עָלִינוּ אֶל עַבְדְּךָ אָבִי וַנַּגֶּד לוֹ אֵת דִּבְרֵי אֲדֹנִי אָמַר כִּי בְּבוֹאָם אֵלָיו מִיָּד הִגִּידוּ לוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יוֹסִיפוּ לִרְאוֹת פָּנָיו בְּלֹא אֲחִיהֶם הַקָּטָן, וְלֹא אָבָה לְשַׁלְּחוֹ, וְהָיָה מַנִּיחַ לוֹ שִׁמְעוֹן בְּמַאֲסָרוֹ, וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיֹּאמֶר אָבִינוּ שֻׁבוּ שִׁבְרוּ לָנוּ מְעַט אֹכֶל", כִּי לֹא רָצָה לְהוֹדוֹת לְשַׁלְּחוֹ בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְנוּ עַד שֶׁדְּחָקוֹ הָרָעָב:
1WHEN WE CAME UP UNTO THY SERVANT MY FATHER, WE TOLD HIM THE WORDS OF MY LORD. Judah said that immediately upon coming to their father, they told him that they will not see the ruler’s face again without their younger brother, but he refused to send him, and would have left Simeon to him in his prison. This is the meaning of the verse, And our father said: Go again, buy us a little food,21 for he did not consent to send Benjamin in spite of all we said, until forced to by the famine.