The Torah in Parashat Vayigash tells of Yaakov’s dramatic reunion with his son, Yosef, after twenty-two years of separation. We read that Yosef went to greet his father, and “he appeared to him and fell on his neck and cried…” (46:29).
The Ramban raises the question of why the Torah found it necessary to inform us that Yosef “appeared” to his father. Clearly, once he went to greet him, and before Yosef cried on his father’s shoulder, they saw one another. What did the Torah intend to convey with the expression “va-yeira eilav” (“he appeared to him”)?
The Ramban explains that Yaakov did not initially recognize Yosef, as he had not seen him since he was a teenager, and because Yosef was now adorned in the attire of Egyptian royalty. The Torah thus tells that after a few moments, “he appeared to him” – meaning, Yaakov recognized Yosef and identified him as his son. At that point, Yaakov felt on Yosef’s shoulder and wept. (Unlike other commentators, the Ramban understood the verse to mean that Yaakov wept on Yosef’s shoulders, not the other way around.)
A different approach is taken by Seforno, who explains “he appeared to him” to mean that Yosef stepped away from his entourage so his father could see him. According to this interpretation, “va-yeira eilav” should be understood as “he made himself visible.” This seems to be the approach taken by Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, who translates this phrase to mean that Yosef “presented himself unto” Yaakov. Somewhat similarly, the Radak explains (citing his father) that Yosef made himself visible to Yaakov from a distance rather than appearing to him suddenly.
An intriguing explanation is offered by Rav Avraham Horowitz, in his Netiv Yashar, where he suggests that the phrase “va-yeira eilav” might be understood as an allusion to Yosef’s “revelation” of his true self to his father. Ordinarily, people should not be putting their piety and religious devotion on public display. Genuine spirituality is not flaunted or openly broadcast. A truly righteous person conducts himself with a “normal” persona, engaging with other people without condescension or detachment. However, when Yosef reunited with his father after spending twenty-two years in Egypt, fully integrating in Egyptian society and even rising to become the country’s second-in-command, he “appeared” to him in the fullest sense of the term. He openly displayed to Yaakov his faith, his morality, his devotion to his family traditions, and his commitment to the spiritual legacy of the patriarchs. On this occasion, Yosef made no attempt to humbly keep his religious devotion private, as we normally should. Instead, he presented himself entirely to Yaakov, reassuring him that despite living and integrating in a foreign culture, he remained steadfastly committed to his family’s spiritual heritage.