so much honor because he observed the commandments, as teaches when it says, "Whoever keeps the commandment shall know no evil thing." A Midrash told that when the famine became severe in Egypt, the Egyptians cried out to Joseph for bread. Joseph told them to circumcise themselves first. They cried out to Pharaoh, as reports, and Pharaoh told them to go to Joseph. The people complained that Joseph asked them to circumcise themselves, and they complained that it was not fitting for a Hebrew to wield power over Egyptians. Calling them fools, Pharaoh recalled that during the years of plenty, a herald had continually proclaimed that a famine was coming, and asked why they had not saved grain in reserve. The people replied that all the grain that they had left had rotted. Pharaoh asked them whether any flour was left from the day before. The people replied that even the bread in their baskets had gone moldy. Pharaoh answered that if grain rotted at Joseph's decree, perhaps he might decree that the Egyptians die. So Pharaoh directed them to go to Joseph and obey him, even if he told them to cut off something of their flesh. Reading , "And the famine was over all the face of the earth", a Midrash asked why the text did not simply say, "And the famine was over the earth." Rabbi Samuel ben Naḥman answered that teaches that the famine began with the wealthy, for the expression "the face of the earth" refers to the wealthy. The wealthy have a smiling face to show their friends, but the poor hide their face in embarrassment. Rav Judah in the name of Samuel deduced from that Joseph gathered in and brought to Egypt all the gold and silver in the world. The Gemara noted that says: "And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan", and thus spoke about the wealth of only Egypt and Canaan. The Gemara found support for the proposition that Joseph collected the wealth of other countries from , which states: "And all the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy corn." The Gemara deduced from the words "and they despoiled the Egyptians" in that when the Israelites left Egypt, they carried that wealth away with them. The Gemara then taught that the wealth lay in Israel