Genesis 46: Neck and Neck

When Yosef finally reunites with his father, the Torah describes a deeply emotional moment:“Joseph ordered his chariot and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel; he presented himself to him and, embracing him around the neck, he wept on his neck a good while.”וַיֶּאְסֹר יוֹסֵף מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ וַיַּעַל לִקְרַאת יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִיו גֹּשְׁנָה וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו וַיִּפֹּל עַל־צַוָּארָיו וַיֵּבְךְּ עַל־צַוָּארָיו עוֹד (בראשית מ״ו:כ״ט)This phrase—“fell on his neck and cried”—appears only three times in all of Tanach, and Yosef is involved in two of them. The other instance is just one chapter earlier, when Yosef sees Binyamin for the first time in years:“With that he embraced his brother Benjamin around the neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.”וַיִּפֹּל עַל־צַוָּארֵי בִנְיָמִין אָחִיו וַיֵּבְךְּ וּבִנְיָמִן בָּכָה עַל־צַוָּארָיו (בראשית מ״ה:י״ד)Yosef’s emotional responses upon seeing his long-lost brother and father mirror each other. But where did Yosef learn to express emotion in this way?The only other time this phrase appears in Tanach is in the story of Esav and Yaakov in Bereishit 33:4, when the estranged brothers reunite:“Esav ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept.”וַיָּרָץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל עַל־צַוָּארָו וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ (בראשית ל״ג:ד׳)Setting aside Rashi’s interpretation of this verse, Esav’s reaction is strikingly similar to Yosef’s. Before this encounter, Yaakov had arranged his family in a specific order:“He put the maids and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.”וַיָּשֶׂם אֶת־הַשְּׁפָחוֹת וְאֶת־יַלְדֵיהֶן רִאשֹׁנָה וְאֵת לֵאָה וּבָנֶיהָ אַחֲרוֹנִים וְאֶת־רָחֵל וְאֶת־יוֹסֵף אַחֲרֹנִים (בראשית ל״ג:ב׳)But after Esav’s emotional reunion with Yaakov, Yosef is no longer at the back. The Torah describes the family’s approach:“Then the maids, with their children, came forward and bowed low; next Leah, with her children, came forward and bowed low; and last, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low.”וַתִּגַּשְׁנָה הַשְּׁפָחוֹת הֵנָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶן וַתִּשְׁתַּחְוֶיןָ וַתִּגַּשׁ גַּם־לֵאָה וִילָדֶיהָ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ וְאַחַר נִגַּשׁ יוֹסֵף וְרָחֵל וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ (בראשית ל״ג:ו׳–ז׳)Notice how Yosef has moved forward. Perhaps, as a curious child, he crept ahead to witness the emotional reunion between his father and uncle. That moment—Esav’s tearful embrace—may have left a lasting impression on Yosef. Years later, when faced with similar reunions, he emulates Esav’s emotional response, falling on the necks of both Binyamin and Yaakov and weeping.