Alive in Egypt
Jacob’s first reaction wasn't celebratory, it was a refusal to believe.
After mourning his missing son Joseph for twenty years, Jacob was informed by his sons that the ruler of Egypt, the second in command to Pharaoh, was their lost brother Joseph. As the Torah describes:
And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive," and [they told him] that he ruled over the entire land of Egypt, and his heart changed, for he did not believe them.
Only after the brothers conveyed the words of Joseph and after Jacob saw the wagons that Joseph sent, did Jacob finally believe this stunning, incredible news:
And they told him all of Joseph's words that he had said to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, and the spirit of their father Jacob was revived. (Genesis 45:25-27)
What could have possibly convinced Jacob that the news was true? What exactly were "Joseph's words" that swayed Jacob? And how did the "wagons that Joseph had sent" convince Jacob that the ruler of Egypt was indeed his lost son Joseph?
Rashi explains that the Hebrew word for wagons, "agalot", is a reference to the commandment of the "egla", the heifer that is offered when an unidentified corpse is found. Joseph conveyed to his brothers that this was the final law his father had taught him twenty years earlier. Thus, the words of Joseph, and the "agalot", the law of the heifer, were clear proof that Joseph was indeed alive. As Rashi Explains:
All of Joseph's words. He {Joseph} gave them a sign, viz., in what topic he was engaged when he {Joseph} separated from him {Jacob}. {That was} the section dealing with the heifer that was to be beheaded (עֶגְלָה עִרוּפָה), and this is what Scripture says, "and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent," and it does not say, "that Pharaoh had sent."
The Torah tells us, "And the spirit of their father Jacob was revived". Jacob was revived not only because his son was physically alive, but also because Joseph was clearly alive spiritually as well. If, after all these years of separation, Joseph was connected to the Torah he studied, then Jacob was assured of Joseph's spiritual survival. Indeed, that encouraged Jacob to migrate with his entire family to Egypt, saying: "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." For Joseph was a model of how one can remain connected to their values and history even while enduring adversity and the lure of a foreign culture.
Indeed, what has kept us alive as a unified people for thousands of years, amidst persecution and dispersion in every corner of the world, was our commitment and connection to the Torah (learn more about this at our upcoming course: Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa). The commitment to Torah continues to keep us connected to the core of who we are, to our soul, to each other, to our purpose, and to our creator.