A Father's Love (Parashat Vayigash)

This week's parasha begins with Yehuda pleading with Yosef not to enslave Binyamin.  Yehuda recounts for Yosef all of the events that led up to their present discussion: Yaakov sent his sons to seek out food from Egypt, upon meeting them Yosef inquired about their family and insisted they bring their younger brother back to him, when they returned to Yaakov with this message he refused to release Binyamin so Yehuda pled with his father and convinced him to send Binyamin.  Yehuda's final statement to Yosef is "how can I return to my father if the youth is not with me?"  Upon hearing all of this, Yosef orders everone but his brothers to leave his presence.  He then lets out a cry, reveals his identity to his brothers and asks "is my father still alive?"

This seems a bit strange.  Yehuda had just gotten through speaking about Yaakov and made a clear statement that indicated the fact that he was still alive - why did Yosef still need to ask??

I once heard Rabbi Label Lamm give the following explanation:

    There was once a boy who came from a broken home.  At a young age his father had left him and his mother.  His mother, unable to raise him alone placed him in the care of his grandparents.  Unfortunately, they too were unable to handle this rambunctious young child so they placed in him a Yeshiva.  The child passed through Yeshiva rather quietly - always sitting in the back and not participating much. 
    One day, when the child was in 3rd grade his Rebbe presented the class with the famous question - why did Yosef need to ask if his father was still alive?  Suddenly, this boy raised his hand.
Hesitantly, the Rebbe called on him and the boy gave the following profound answer : "maybe his wasn't asking if Yaakov was still physically alive, but if HIS father was still alive - the father that loved and cared about him, or was that man gone?"

WOW!!

Yosef knew that Yaakov was still living and breathing because Yehuda had just told him so.  What he wanted to know what if HIS father was still alive.  Did Yaakov remember him, did he ever ask or talk about him anymore or had he forgotten Yosef?  Baruch Hashem, we know that not only was Yaakov still alive, but so was Yosef's father!

Wednesday marked 10 months since Yitzchak ben Nachum was niftar.  However, I know that my father still lives on...

Shabbat Shalom!