However, the commentaries offer another explanation. They Sages say that at the time of the reunion. Jacob and Joseph were intensely happy. This was the long awaited reunion. The moment they had been praying for all along. As it says, “Jacob said to Joseph, ‘Now I would die, since I have seen your face; that you are still alive!’” Rav Hirsch explains that Jacob had reached the pinnacle of happiness. And it was here in this state of joy that he would like his life to end.
A closer look at the idea the Sages taught about this encounter though, yields a fascinating and fundamental concept about our relationship with G-d.
As Joseph cried, Jacob was otherwise engaged. In fact he was thinking about something else. The Sages explain that he was reciting the Shemah. Firstly, why did Jacob choose this moment to recite the Shemah? And secondly, this only compounds our earlier question. Why was Yaakov otherwise engaged?
A bit of background about the Shemah will aid us in understanding this idea.
When we say the Shemah, we are literally saying the words, “Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d; the L-rd is One. Figuratively, we are accepting the Creator as our G-d. The Shemah is the national mission statement of the Jewish people. Additionally, the Shemah a personal statement, an acknowledgement of G-d in my life: G-d as my King. It is a statement of love and passion. The first paragraph reads: “I love G-d so much that I would give up my life, my possessions and my heart for Him.”
The epitome of our love is meant to be reserved for G-d. Jacob, in meeting with Joseph, after having been separated for so long, feels intense feelings of love. It is like no feeling of love he had ever experienced in the entirety of his life prior to this moment. He decided to focus those feelings of love for Hashem. He used the moment to emotionally commit himself to G-d, in a way he had not prior to this event. He focused his feelings. He elevated his thoughts. There would be plenty of time to engage with Joseph in the near future.
In perhaps more practical terms, having enough control over our emotions so that we can be happy in times of happiness [Succot] and sad at times of mourning [the 9th of Av]; is in and of itself a challenge. Life is such that the reality of our existence leans us in one direction or another. Ruling our feelings, so that we can focus on the service of Hashem, is the optimal approach to leading one’s life. Jacob epitomized this ideal, on the highest level, when he “loved” G-d in the climactic moment of his reunion with Joseph.
