We read in Parashat Vayigash that Yosef sent his brothers from Egypt to summon his father in Canaan and instruct him to relocate in Egypt, where Yosef, who served as the country's vizier, would support him during the remaining years of drought. Pharaoh, upon hearing that Yosef's brothers were in Egypt, tells Yosef, "You are thus commanded [to instruct your brothers]: Do the following – take for yourselves wagons…and carry your father and come. And your eyes shall not look sparingly upon your belongings, for the fat of all the land of Egypt is yours!" (45:19-20). The Egyptian king ordered Yosef to provide wagons with which to transport their father, wives and children, and also offered them to fill their bags unsparingly with food from Egypt.
The obvious question arises, why did Pharaoh introduce this gracious offer by declaring to Yosef, "Ve-ata tzuveita – "You are thus commanded"? The expression tzivui ("command") is generally associated with a strict, compulsory order. Why does Pharoah use this term here, in the context of his offering wagons and food?
The Ramban explains, "He said this matter as a command to him knowing Yosef's ethical conduct, that he would not thrust his hand into the royal fortune… Pharaoh therefore figured that he might perhaps not wish to send his father anything…" In other words, Pharaoh was well aware of Yosef's strict ethical standards which may have prevented him from taking goods from the royal treasury without a specific command from the king.
Rav Yechezkel Levenstein (as cited in Mi-mizrach Shemesh) noted the meaningful lesson that emerges from the Ramban's comments. The wealth in Pharaoh's treasury was, at this point in time, the product of Yosef's insight and skill. It was he who prophetically foresaw the seven-year drought that would follow the seven plentiful years, and it was he who arranged and supervised the massive gain storage during the first seven years. The fortune to which Yosef would have likely not allowed himself access was the result of his efforts; he could have easily justified availing himself of the assets of the royal treasury, especially for the purpose of assisting in the transportation of his saintly father. Yet, Yosef exercised such meticulous care with regard to the property of others that he naturally denied himself access to the royal treasury for personal matters, until receiving an explicit command from Pharaoh himself. Rather than saying, "Well, I deserve it," or "This property should really be mine anyway," Yosef showed respect to the property of others and did not presume any privileges or rights despite the fact that Egypt's wealth was amassed through his wisdom and efforts.