Joseph, as the viceroy of Egypt, had set his brothers up in a situation where their youngest brother Benjamin would have to remain in Egypt, as a slave to Pharaoh. Yehuda stood before Joseph and begged him to have mercy on their elderly father who could not bear the loss of another son. He spoke to him respectfully yet firmly, offering to serve the viceroy in Benjamin’s place.
When Joseph saw his brothers’ concern for Benjamin and Jacob he realized they had repented since the days when they had tormented him without regard for their father’s feelings. He no longer had any reason to hide his identity from his brothers. He ordered all the Egyptians out of the room, to spare his brothers the shame, and then revealed his identity to them.
The brothers were so dumbfounded they could not say a word. All the pieces of the mystery of their Egyptian experience now came together. They were ashamed of their earlier treatment of Joseph. Joseph, however, consoled them, telling them that although their intentions had not been proper, G-d had used the incident as a means of putting Joseph into the position of being a benefactor to his family. Joseph sent his brothers back to Canaan with wagons to bring their father and families down to Egypt, where they would be protected from the famine. Thus would begin the exile foretold earlier to Abraham.
When Jacob heard that not only was Joseph still alive, but that he had also been able to maintain his level of righteousness in the palace of Pharaoh, his spirits were revived. He immediately made plans to travel to Egypt to see Joseph before he would die.
Jacob and his family came to Egypt, where Pharaoh cordially greeted them. They settled in Goshen, a suburb of Egypt, where they would be able to live apart from the surrounding Egyptian culture.
The Torah relates that as the famine became worse and the Egyptian resources were depleted, Joseph took all the Egyptians’ land for Pharaoh, in exchange for food. He resettled the whole nation in different areas. This was done in order to make his brothers feel more comfortable. They would not feel like strangers if everyone else had also been relocated. He also extended an exemption to the priests. This would serve as a precedent for the exemption of the Levites once the Jewish slavery in exile began.
...They told him (Jacob) saying, “Joseph is still alive…” (Gen. 45:26)
The Midrash relates that the sons informed their father about Joseph very gently, so as not to shock him.
Rabbi Yaakov Bender runs a large yeshiva in Far Rockaway, NY. He once said that whenever he must call a parent during school hours he is careful to open the conversation, “Hello, this is Rabbi Bender and everything is fine.” Parents are naturally concerned about their children’s welfare and a call from the school could be alarming, and it is important to first allay their fears. He is also careful never to call parents about their children’s misbehavior on Fridays. Why should the whole Shabbos atmosphere be ruined in the home because of a bad report?
When Rav Elchanan Wasserman traveled abroad, he would always look up his students’ parents to give them regards from their sons.
One should prepare for prayer in the same manner that he would appear before a distinguished person. Thus a healthy person should not recite the prayers wearing pajamas or a robe. Although one who is sick may pray in bedclothes, if he is able to dress appropriately he should do so. Similarly, one should wear shoes and socks when praying, unless it is customary in the locale to appear without shoes and/or socks in front of an important person.
Wearing dirty work clothes is also prohibited during prayers. One should also remove outerwear such as coats, scarves, gloves, etc. unless, of course, he is cold.
