VBM The Years of Famine in Egypt By Harav Yaakov Medan

Once the seven years of famine begin, the biblical narrative divides into two parallel stories. The first story relates to the famine in the land of Canaan and to the family of Yaakov. This story deals primarily with the brothers' two trips to Egypt (the first without Binyamin and the second with him), Yosef's revealing himself to his brothers, Yaakov's journey to Egypt and his reuniting with his son Yosef. The second story relates to the famine in the land of Egypt and the fate of the Egyptian people. The Torah opens at length with the first story (Bereishit 42:1-47:12) and concludes briefly with the second story (ibid. 47:13-26).