And he gave forth his voice in crying, and Egypt and the house of Pharoah heard. And Yosef said to his brothers: ‘I am Yosef; is my father still alive?’ And his brothers could not answer them because they were confused before him. (Bereshit 45:2-3)

This dramatic scene includes four elements:

1) Yosef cries.

2) Yosef reveals his identity.

3) Yosef asks if his father is still alive.

4) The brothers of Yosef are thrown into confusion.

The midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 93:10) explains the confusion of the brothers as follows:

ויתן קולו בבכי … ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אות - אבא כהן ברדלא אמר: אוי לנו מיום הדין, אוי לנו מיום התוכחה. בלעם חכם של עובדי כוכבים לא יכול לעמוד בתוכחה של אתונו … יוסף קטנן של השבטים היה ולא היו יכולים לעמוד בתוכחתו הדה הוא דכתיב: ולא יכלו אחיו לענות אותו כי נבהלו מפניו. לכשיבוא הקב"ה ויוכיח כל אחד ואחד לפי מה שהוא … על אחת כמה וכמה.

And he gave forth his voice in crying … and his brothers could not answer Him - Abba Cohen Bardela said: “Woe unto us from the day of judgement, woe unto us from the day of rebuke. Bilaam the wise man of the idolators could not stand up to the rebuke of his donkey … so too, Yosef was the youngest of the tribes, and they could not stand up to his rebuke, as it says:‘And his brothers could not answer them because they were confused before him.’ When God will come and rebuke each person for what he is, … how much more so.”

The Yefe To’ar finds the proof text of the midrash difficult:

והלא עד השתא לא הזכיר מכירתו ואיך אמר המדרש ו"לא היו יכולים לעמוד בתוכחתו".

And up to this point he did not mention his sale, so how could the midrash say: “and they could not stand up to his rebuke”?

Yefe To’ar finds no apparent evidence that Yosef rebuked his brothers prior to their entering a state of confusion. Only afterwards, in verse 4, is the sale of Yosef mentioned.

“I Am Yosef, Is My Father Still Alive?”

A number of commentators find the reproach of the brothers in Yosef’s question regarding his father. The question itself seems superfluous, as Abarbanel notes:

למה שאל ה"עוד אבי חי" וכבר ידע מדבריהם פעמיים ושלש שהוא חי.

And why did he ask “is my father still alive” when he already heard two or three times from their words that he was alive.

Kli Yakar explains as follows:

אע"פ שכבר אמרו לו שהוא חי כמובן מכל דברי יהודה מכל מקום חשב יוסף אולי אמרו כן כדי שיכמרו רחמיו על הזקן ולא יגרום לו מתה כי נפשו קשורה בנפשו. על כן שאל אותם שנית העוד אבי חי. ולבבם לא כן ידמה וחשבו שלא נתכווין לשאול אם הוא חי או לו אלא שבא להזכיר עונם. על כן אמר העוד אבי חי לומר שאביו הוא ולא אביכם כי לא חסתם על צערו כאילו אין אביכם. על כן נבהלו ולא יכלו לענות דבר.

Even though thy already said that he was alive, as was implied in all of Yehuda’s words, Yosef nevertheless thought that perhaps they said this in order that his pity be stirred by the old man, that he not cause his death by virtue of the fact that his (Ya’akov’s) soul was bound up with his (Binyamin’s) soul. Therefore, he asked again: “Is my father still alive?” And their hearts did not imagine it so, for they thought that his intention was not to ask whether his father was alive, but rather to remind them of their sin. That is why he said: “Is my father still alive?”, to indicate that he is his father, not your father, for you did not have mercy because of his pain as if he was not your father. That is why his brothers were confused and could not utter an answer.

Thus, according to Kli Yakar, although Yosef did not intend his question as a rebuke of his brothers, they understood it that way. For this reason, they were unable to answer him. Kli Yakar finds an element of rebuke, as well, in the manner in which Yosef identified himself to his brothers:

ועוד טעם אחר על בהלה זו לפי שאמר אני יוסף ולא הזכיר אחיכם. על כן נבהלו נחפזו שם רעדה אחזתם כי אמרו פן יבקש להיות אויב ומתנקם והסיע את עצמו מן האחוה כאשר עשו המה לו שהסיעו עצמם מן האחוה…. על כן אמר להם שנית אני יוסף אחיכם …

And another reason for this state of confusion was because Yosef said: “I am Yosef” and did not say “your brother”. Therefore, they were thrown into a state of confusion and gripped with trembling, for they said: perhaps to be our enemy and take vengeance, and to separate himself from the bond of brotherhood, as they had done to him when they separated themselves from the bond of brotherhood…. That is why he said to them a second time: “I am your brother Yosef …”

Kli Yakar’s explanation is based on a comparison of Yosef’s seemingly repetitive statements in verse3 and verse 4:

מה: ג – ויאמר יוסף אל אחיו אני יוסף

מה: ד – ויאמר אני יוסף אחיכם

45:3 – And Yosef said to his brothers: I am Yosef.

45:4 – And he said: I am your brother Yosef

The fact that Yosef uses the term “your brother” in only one of the two verses emphasizes the fact that it is missing when he first revealed his identity to his brothers. According to Kli Yakar, when Yosef saw the confusion and fear of his brothers, he reassured them that the bonds of brotherhood between them were still strong. This explains the apparent repetitiveness of verse 4.

A Tone of Rebuke

The midrash seems to connect the state of confusion of the brothers with Yosef’s crying. It is interesting to note that the Torah describesYosef’s crying in an unusual fashion: “ויתן את קולו בבכי”, “and he gave forth his voice in crying”. We find in the Torah two other episodes of Yosef crying which are described as follows:

In these instances the Torah uses the term “ויבך”, “and he cried”. This is consistent with other descriptions of crying in the Torah. For example:

Even when the Torah refers to raising one’s voice (קולו) to cry, it still uses the word

“ויבך”. This is the only instance in the Tanach that the phrase “ויתן את קולו בבכי” is used. What is the significance of this terminology? The Netziv (Ha’amek Davar) explains as follows:

ויתן את קולו - התיבות אני יוסף העוד אבי חי אמר ברגש ובבכי עד ששמעו מצרים שסביב ביתו …

And he gave forth his voice - He said the words “I am Yosef, is my father still alive” with emotion and crying such that the Egyptians near his house heard it.

According to the Netziv, the phrase “ויתן את קולו בבכי” does not mean simply that he cried, but that he spoke while crying. The resulting volume and emotion of Yosef’s declaration spoke to the hearts of his brothers and magnified the impact of his words on their consciences.

Conclusion

Whether Yosef intended it or not, the revelation of his identity to his brothers was perceived by them as a rebuke for their transgressions toward him and his father. Yosef’s brief declaration, viewed within the context of the drama and emotion of the moment, brought into sharper focus the brother’s previous breach of the relationship of caring and devotion required toward parents and siblings. It also served as the foundation for the subsequent rapprochement between Yosef and his brothers.