deja vu all over again

  וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֗יו אֲבָל֮ אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים ׀ אֲנַ֘חְנוּ֮ עַל־אָחִ֒ינוּ֒ אֲשֶׁ֨ר רָאִ֜ינוּ צָרַ֥ת נַפְשׁ֛וֹ בְּהִתְחַֽנְנ֥וֹ אֵלֵ֖ינוּ וְלֹ֣א שָׁמָ֑עְנוּ עַל־כֵּן֙ בָּ֣אָה אֵלֵ֔ינוּ הַצָּרָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת 

After Yosef accused the brothers of being spies and locked up Shimon, they came to the realization (42:21) that the events that had befallen them must be the result of their having ignored Yosef's pleas for mercy.  

How could the brothers say with such confidence that this was the case?  22 years had passed since the sale of Yosef.  Was there no other sin that they might attribute their troubles to?  

Perhaps not.  Perhaps the brothers were such tzadikim that there was in fact nothing else they could think of that would warrant any tzaros.  Or perhaps through all these years the sale of Yosef preyed on their mind; maybe they had some lingering doubts that refused to go away, and events confirmed their worst fears.

Meforshim suggest that the brothers took their cue from what they read as midah k'neged midah in what was occurring.  They had thrown Yosef in a pit and now they too had been thrown into prison (Rashbam); they had failed to show mercy toward their brother and now the viceroy showed no mercy toward them (Seforno); they had abandoned their brother and now their brother Shimon was taken from them (Malbim).  "It's deja vu all over again," as Yogi Berra once said.

The parsha continues and tells us that Reuvain chimed in:

 וַיַּ֩עַן֩ רְאוּבֵ֨ן אֹתָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲלוֹא֩ אָמַ֨רְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֧ם ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר אַל־תֶּחֶטְא֥וּ בַיֶּ֖לֶד וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וְגַם־דָּמ֖וֹ הִנֵּ֥ה נִדְרָֽשׁ׃

Was Reuvain rubbing salt in their wounds?  They already acknowledged their guilt for the sale of Yosef.  Did he need to add, "I told you so!" and cause them further pain?  We've discussed this before, but want to add a bit more for this year.

Netziv reminds us that if we look back to the sale of Yosef (37:19), we have an echo of the same term אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו that our pasuk uses:  וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו הִנֵּ֗ה בַּ֛עַל הַחֲלֹמ֥וֹת הַלָּזֶ֖ה בָּֽא  It was not everyone who admitted guilt at the sale of Yosef; it was the two brothers, the אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו who were the instigators.  And they did not admit wrongdoing for the sale itself, which they held was justified, but only for failing to show any mercy, for ignoring Yosef's cries.  Reuvain then stepped in and admonished all the brothers, saying that it was not one or two or a select few who bear the burden of guilt.  They all do.  

The Midrash brings out a different element of Reuvain's words that ties nicely with the theme of midah k'neged midah.  The Midrash that explains the end of the pasuk as referring not only to Yosef, but to their father: וְגַם דָּמוֹ הִנֵּה נִדְרָשׁ – דָּמוֹ וְגַם דַּם הַזָּקֵן (the word gam serves as a ribuy).  Reuvain was telling his brothers that they needed to repent not just for the pain they caused Yosef, but also to the pain they caused their father Yaakov by failing to take his feelings into account (see Chasam Sofer as well).  

If this is correct, then the midah k'neged midah is all the sharper.  The brothers have been hoisted by their own petard.  Here they are arguing to the viceroy (Yosef in disguise) that they cannot bring their brother Binyamin down to Egypt because if anything were to happen to him their father would be devastated.  Yet those same brothers gave no thought to their father's reaction to losing Yosef!  Where were you guys, said Reuvain, back then?  Where was your concern then that not bringing our brother home would crush our father and cause him immeasurable grief?  Same situation 22 years later, but how different the tune the brothers were singing then was.