וישבו לפניו הבכור כבכורתו והצעיר כצעירתו ויתמהו האנשים איש אל רעהו
And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Bereishis Rabbah 92:5.
Sefaria · Bereishis Rabbah 92:5
כִּי תוֹעֵבָה הִיא לְמִצְרָיִם. הַמִּצְרִים בָּזוּ לָעִבְרִים, וְיוֹסֵף יָשַׁב לְבַדּוֹ.
English: Bereishis Rabbah 92:5 explains Yosef’s seating arrangement: he positioned the brothers according to their birth order and thereby astonished them.
On the daf / in context: The midrash observes the triple separation (Yosef alone, the brothers alone, the Egyptians alone) as both a social reality of Egypt and a narrative device that heightens the isolation of Yosef even at the height of his power.
Type of Learning: Derash on the verse (classic midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned: Even as viceroy, Yosef remains separated — neither fully Egyptian nor yet reunited with his brothers — a living embodiment of the distance that still must be bridged.