השלום אביכם הזקן אשר אמרתם העודנו חי. הוא היה שואל מיצחק זקנו והם השיבו לו מיעקב לעבדך לאבינו עודנו חי. אבל יצחק אינו חי ולא רצו להשיבו בפשיטות יצחק מת שאין משיבין על הקלקלה כמו שמצינו בריש פסחים אייבו קיים אימא קיימת: ?השלום אביכם הזקן אשר אצרתם, העודנו חי “is your aged father of whom you have spoken well, is he still alive?” From the order in which Joseph asked, it is clear that the “old father” whom he spoke of was a reference to his grandfather, to Yitzchok. The brothers, answering about their father being alive did not want to mention the negative event of their grandfather having died. We find something similar in the Talmud, tractate Pessachim, folio 4, where when Rav was asked if his father was still alive he responded by saying that his mother was alive. He avoided having to spell out that the person he had been asked about had actually died.