Yosef’s conversation with his brother Binyamin was an emotion-laden experience. Yosef asked Binyamin if he had a brother from the same mother as he. Binyamin responded in the affirmative, but he did not know his whereabouts. When Yosef asked Binyamin concerning his own family, the latter replied that he had ten sons – each one named in a manner commemorating the loss of his brother. When Yosef heard how far Binyamin had gone in perpetuating his memory, his emotions were stirred.
Two powerful lessons can be derived from here. First, the greatest tribute one can make to the memory of a person is to name someone close after him. While the departed is no longer here, his namesake is, and whenever one comes in contact with the namesake, he recalls the memory of the departed. Binyamin did not know what had taken place concerning Yosef on that fateful day. The family had no clear proof indicating that he had died. He could quite possibly still be alive – suffering in some miserable place, which had been the case for many years. Binyamin did not want to lose sight of his brother’s plight. He did not want to forget that he had once had a brother. He was not an only child. He had a brother.
Furthermore, we see the incredible love that Yosef harbored for Binyamin. Horav Gamliel Rabinowitz, Shlita, notes that the Torah writes that Yosef was compelled to leave, for his compassion for his brother had been stirred. Yosef was filled with emotion only because he felt bad for Binyamin. He was causing him pain with every minute that he did not reveal himself to him. It was not about Yosef; it was only about Binyamin. The love for one another that permeated the hearts of Binyamin and Yosef should be a standard for others to emulate.
