ולא יכול, the repeated references by Yehudah to the mental anguish experienced by his aged father proved too much for Joseph to maintain his composure. It kindled his sense of compassion also towards his brothers so that he could not restrain himself from weeping. In order not to make a public spectacle of himself in front of people whom it did not directly concern, he ordered הוציאו כל איש מעלי, “remove everybody from my presence! The ones present not only left themselves but made sure that no one entered until invited. Joseph had said after all, כל איש, “everybody!”

וישמעו מצרים, the Egyptians who had left the house heard the sound of weeping, and the matter spread like a wildfire until it came to the attention of Pharaoh’s servants that Joseph was crying.

ויאמר, After Joseph had finished weeping he told his brothers אני יוסף.

They were dumbfounded, remembering that they had sold him and now being utterly ashamed, unable to face him.

גשו נא אלי, seeing his brothers in a state of shock, Joseph called to them and encouraged them to come closer and to stop being afraid of him. According to Bereshit Rabbah 93,8 he showed them that he was circumcised in order that they should believe him when he claimed to be their brother. Everything else he told them is quite clear and does not require further explanation.

והנה עיניכם, you can recognise my features with your own eyes. You can also identify me by my speaking Hebrew.

כי פי המדבר אליכם, for I am speaking to you without the services of an interpreter. I used his services only in order to conceal my true identity from you.

ויפול, seeing that Joseph and Binyamin were full brothers the bond between them was stronger. They cried one after another.

ויבך עליהם, but the brothers did not cry being too ashamed to do so ואחרי כן דברו אחיו אתו, seeing that he had wept and kissed them they knew that he did not harbour a grudge against them and they now asked him about what had happened to him during all the years since he had left his father’s house.

וייטב, the Egyptians were very relieved to see that Joseph was the member of a distinguished family. Avraham’s family was an internationally known family.

טענו את בעירכם, the word טען is an expression for “loading;” we find it used in this sense in Sanhedrin 32 אחת טעונה ואחת שאינה טעונה, “one which was loaded whereas the other was not loaded.” My grandfather of blessed memory explained the word טען as related to Isaiah 14,19 מטועני חרב, meaning that something had been stabbed, pierced. Accordingly, Joseph urged his brothers to spur on their beasts of burden by means of the דרבן, a spur or goad in order that the good news of his survival should reach his father sooner. Rabbi Saadyah gaon also translated the word in this fashion into Arabic.

בעירכם, a collective term [seeing that surely each brother had an animal of his own to ride on and to carry the grain. Ed.] Other examples of the collective term being used where a plural seemed indicated are Samuel II 10,5 עד יצמח זקנכם “until your beard (sing.) grows back.” [David had addressed several people, each of whose beard had been shaved off on one side of his face. Ed.] Joshua 1,3 is another such construction where we read כף רגלכם, “the sole of your feet,” instead of “the soles of your feet.” There are many other similar examples in Scripture.

ואתה צויתה you have been commanded by me to tell them: זאת עשו, this is what you are to do, etc. My grandfather of blessed memory explained that Joseph commanded that that no carriages loaded with grain should depart from his house so as not to make Egypt short of food in the future. Upon hearing this, Pharaoh said that the standing orders prohibiting the export of grain in carriages notwithstanding, tell your brothers to commandeer carriages and load them with grain so that after arrival at your homes these same carriages can serve to carry their wives and children on their journey to Egypt.

ועינכם אל תחוס, it is the custom of the Holy Tongue to use the verb חוס, to take pity, in connection with the eyes, although we would expect that it should be used in connection with the heart, seeing it describes an emotion of the heart.

ויעשו כן. They did in accordance with what Joseph had told them to do. They loaded their beasts and they were quick about it in order to get started on the way home to Canaan.

על פי פרעה, these words prove what my father wrote that without Pharaoh’s express permission it was not possible for these carriages to be removed beyond Egypt’s borders.

לאיש, to each of them separately, individually.

ולאביו שלח כזאת, changes of clothes, similar to what he had already given to the brothers. In addition he sent עשרה חמורים

בר, ten donkeys loaded with grain, fodder for the animals. ולחם, not literally bread, but the kind of grain for human consumption used to make into flour and bake into bread. The word לחם applies to food generally, not only food made from cereals. It includes even delicacies such as dates, etc.

אל תרגזו בדרך, do not quarrel with one another on the journey concerning your having sold me, blaming each other for the decision taken at the time.

וכי הוא, and in addition to this he is מושל, the first word עוד in our verse performs a dual function, also applying to the portion relating to Joseph being a ruler.

ויפג לבו, it became weak. The very mention of Joseph provoked such a reaction from Yaakov.

כי לא האמין להם, he did not believe them as he could not fathom why they would make such a statement. Presumably, the brothers rushed in with the information, not having shown Yaakov any supporting evidence yet, such as the ten donkeys’ loads of food, the carriages etc. Once when the brothers elaborated and showed Yaakov what they had brought with them from Egypt, especially the carriages, he did believe them.

ותחי רוח, his spirit which had been as dead from shock, now revived. Our sages (compare Rashi) have said that the “spirit” mentioned in our verse which was revived in Yaakov was the spirit of prophetic insights which had departed from him 22 years ago when Joseph had been sold. We have an ancient tradition, amply documented in history, that in the absence of joy in one’s life a person cannot enjoy such a spirit of prophecy. On the way to Egypt, at Beer Sheva, the prophetic spirit of Yaakov (Yisrael) did indeed become manifest again (46,2)

רב, I enjoy much goodness seeing that my son Joseph is alive.