When Yosef finally revealed his identity to his brothers, they did not respond because “they were left dismayed before him” [1]. A literal translation renders “they were confused by his face” and indeed we have been taught that they did not recognise Yosef because he had grown a beard [2].
The beard is a symbol of wisdom [3] and perhaps it was more Yosef’s wisdom that was foreign to them than his actual beard. We have been taught that their confusion was due to their embarrassment [4], accordingly, perhaps indicating their subtle admittance that Yosef’s wisdom was superior to their own. Everything fell into perspective: Yosef was right and the brothers erred in how they treated him.
Then Yosef said to his brothers “come close to me”. It seems that Yosef called his brothers as a type of consolation from their embarrassment. Perhaps though, Yosef called his brothers close because of their embarrassment…
R’ Yehuda Yekusiel Halberstam, the Klausenbereg-Tzanz Rebbe survived the horrors of the Holocaust. He lost all he had: his wife, eleven children, his home, as well as practically all of his followers. But he did not lose his hope and trust in G-d: he went on to remarry and start a new family, rebuild his own following and also worldwide Jewry as a whole.
Quite a remarkable individual to put it mildly!
“Throughout your ordeals, how did you manage to remain so steadfast in your belief; did you not even question how G-d could have allowed such a thing to happen?” he was once asked.
“What need do I have for a god who I can completely understand?” he replied.
We have been taught that when Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, they finally understood the meaning behind their ordeals in Egypt. So too, in the end of days, when G-d will reveal Himself to us, we will also comprehend everything that happened throughout history [5].
Only because Yosef saw that his brothers were embarrassed did he draw them close to him. Perhaps their embarrassment was a type of repentance. Indeed the word repentance (teshuva) includes the letters of the word embarrassment (busha). So too, only if we repent and are ‘embarrassed’, recognising G-d’s superior wisdom over our own, will He draw us close to him.
Have a wise Shabbos,
Dan.
