[Avodah] Yosef's Brothers are Saved from Humiliation, Perhaps a Miscalculation

[Meir Rabi]

The verse found in Bereishis 45:1, describing the scene of Yosef finally
disclosing his true identity to his bothers, is translated in various ways.

 

What was Yosef's plan about making his disclosure to his brothers? Was he
INTENDING to do that NOW or at a later stage when he would call them in to a
private audience?

 

Rabbi A Kaplan, The Living Torah offers the following translation:

Joseph could not hold in his emotions. Since all his attendants were present
he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence." Thus no one else was with
him when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers.

 

In the notes he offers from the Radak, "He could not tolerate everyone
standing over him"

 

JPS 1962 offers:

Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants and he
cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me." So there was no one else about
when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

 

Rabbi Dr H Freedman explains, "Only the presence of his attendants had
forced him to that iron self-control which he had had to exercise until now"

And "The moment of recognition was too sacred, too precious and too intimate
for any outsider to share it"

 

Both these approaches, and this appears to be the very common understanding
of the event, focus the discussion about Yosef. It was Yosef who was
overwhelmed and could not control himself.

 

Rashi however, presents a different perspective. "He could not bear the
thought that Egyptians should observe his BROTHERS being ashamed as he
(Yosef) discloses his true identity"

 

According to Rashi, Yosef was fully in control of himself and had planned to
make his disclosure at this point and in this manner. It was only at the
last moment that he reconsidered his strategy because he felt so badly for
his brothers' humiliation although he had first planned this for that
particular purpose.

 

Yes, Yosef was planning tough love for his brothers, for how else would they
recognize their failings and correct them?

 

Rashi is not just suggesting a possible interpretation. Rashi is compelled
to address a problem in the wording of the Passuk. The difficulty that Rashi
is attempting to navigate is the wording of the Passuk, "Yosef was unable to
bear TO all those standing by him." Therefore Rashi breaks that part of the
Passuk into two parts,

1) Yosef could not bear the thought of making his disclosure now as he
planned to

2) Yosef was troubled that his brothers would be humiliated because of the
strangers who were there and would witness the BROTHERS' discomfort and
revelation of their inadequacies. 

 

Was Yosef right for changing his mind? Perhaps his first planned strategy
would have been more successful in getting them to face the realities of
their perfidy. As the events testify, they never accepted their true guilt
and, as we mentioned in previous discussions, died without forgiveness and
this led to exceedingly tragic consequences.

 

This failure lowered the noble standards and expectations of this majestic
people. It legitimized maintaining cold war feuds and not bending oneself
and HUMILIATING oneself to attain forgiveness and mollify those victims who
can only truly forgive when they are convinced of the sincere nature of the
apology and request for forgiveness. Look at the world today, have abused
children been mollified? Have victims of war and terror been appeased? Are
victims who are found deserving in our court system and I might say with
great sadness, in our Beis Din system, provided with sincere apologies and
expressions of regret?

 

Gd waited for many generations for the sons of Israel to learn these
important lessons but finally without us making these critical discoveries
and implementing changes in our manner to combat this weakness, Gd acted, as
is remembered in our liturgy, by torturing the martyrs. It is not an
everlasting mutilation that disfigures us but it is a long lasting ugliness
that we are yet to address and which must preceded and prepare the path for
the arrival of the Moshiach.

 

 

Meir Rabi

 

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