“And Yosef said to his brothers, I am Joseph…” (45:3)
The two most dramatic words ever recited were, “Ani Yosef – I am Yosef!” Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita explains: These two words shocked and shook Yosef’s brothers to the core of their beings. Their entire worldview was suddenly turned inside out. The brothers’ accusation, fear, vendetta, and punitive action against Yosef were all wrong. Patently, conclusively wrong. While for years they perceived Yosef as a vain dreamer seeking to sabotage Hashem’s plans, they now realized that Yosef was a Tzaddik (righteous) and Navi (prophet), chosen by Hashem to safeguard their family during the famine.
“Ani Yosef” – “I am not the ruthless, merciless tyrant. Everything that you thought was wrong.” “Ani Yosef” – “You totally misjudged me. I am not whom you thought I am.” “Ani Yosef” – “I am not a stranger. I am your brother.” The Midrash Yalkut Shimoni says: “Woe to us on the Day of Judgement, woe to us on the day of Tochacha (rebuke). Yosef, though he was the youngest of the brothers, overwhelmed and dumbfounded them, and they could not answer him. Certainly, this will be the case on the day that the Holy One will rebuke each person in accordance with his deeds. How much more so will we be dumbfounded.”
The Chafetz Chaim famously said, “With the coming of Moshiach, Hashem will utter just two words, ‘Ani Hashem – I am Hashem.’ These two powerful and compelling words will unravel and untangle all the mysteries and enigmas that plague the world. All the complexities and confounding questions will be answered. Everything will become crystal clear.”
Hagon HaRav Avrohom Pam zt”l taught that there would come a time in our lives when we will all experience a riveting “Ani Yosef” moment. The people that we belittled or treated with disdain; those whom we treated with scorn or disrespect; those whom we alienated and didn’t accord proper value. They will say, “Ani Yosef” – “You were wrong!” We will have the shock of our lives when we see how much we misjudged, misconstrued, and mistook right from wrong. As the Gemara in Bava Basra says, “It’s a topsy-turvy world. The high people are low, while the low people are high.” Brooklyn has the highest percentage of unaffiliated Jews in North America. Hundreds of thousands of Jews live amongst us with little or no connection to Yiddishkeit. These are our brothers whom we often ignore or whom we pretend don’t exist.
On our day of reckoning, we will be shocked to hear souls yelling at us “Ani Yosef – I am your brother! Why did you ignore me? Why did you not take an interest in mine and my children’s eternity?” It may have been your mechanic. Or perhaps your doctor, physical therapist, bank teller, delivery man, lawyer, or even your neighbor. These people whom you encountered on an almost daily basis will pop up in heaven and cause you no rest.
