אמר רבי יהושע בר נחמיה נעשה נכרי להם
And Yosef saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto them, “Whence come ye?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
Classical midrash: Bereishis Rabbah 91:6–7.
וַיַּרְא יוֹסֵף אֶת אֶחָיו וַיַּכִּירֵם. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר, נַעֲשָׂה לָהֶם כְּנָכְרִי.
English: R. Yehoshua bar Nechemya says that Yosef made himself a stranger to his brothers; the Midrash then gives additional readings of when each side recognized the other.
On the daf / in context: The midrash underscores the deliberate, controlled nature of Yosef’s concealment: recognition was immediate and complete on his side, while the disguise and harsh speech were a calculated act.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Yosef’s recognition of his brothers was instantaneous, yet he chose to appear as a stranger and speak harshly — an intentional stance that set the stage for the testing that followed.