Yosef harnessed his chariot and went up to meet Yisrael his father in Goshen. He appeared before him, fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a long while.
English: “Yosef harnessed his chariot” — he himself harnessed the horses to the chariot, eager to show honor to his father. And Yaakov did not fall upon Yosef’s neck nor kiss him, because he was reciting the Shema.
On the daf / in context: Yosef’s personal harnessing demonstrates the urgency of honoring his father. Yaakov’s absorption in the Shema at the moment of reunion is the midrashic explanation for the asymmetry of the embrace.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (midrash) — not a formal named middah of the 13.
What Is Learned
Yosef himself harnessed the chariot out of honor for his father; Yaakov, at the moment of reunion, was occupied with the recitation of the Shema.