DEBRIEF ON MY 1/6/21 EXPERIENCE

PREFACE:  This about MY experience!  It is about what I personally witnessed, NOT what was on TV.  It is not about the speeches.  I left the rally BEFORE Trump spoke I have NOT watched the speeches online.  I did NOT go to the Capital so I was NOT a witness to those events.  Nor am I watching the news.  I watched the beginning of the debate in Congress but I turned that off to make it to my train.  

People will be unpacking and processing 1/6/21 for years to come.  I am glad to have witnessed and experienced it.  But what I experienced is different than what most Americans saw on TV.  And I certainly did not go to Washington to support any violence!  In fact everything that I witnessed was entirely peaceful and patriotic.  

Before I write about my experience in Washington DC let me reiterate why I write this blog in the first place. 

Writing is a way to collect and organize one's thoughts. It is a means to help one think. Writing is a thought process. Much has been said about the benefits of journaling!

Another reason that I blog is to share thoughts.  In this respect, my writing is a gift.  I don't expect people to agree with me. But I do hope to provide an understanding which bridges misunderstanding. I write to promote empathy. I write to help people who disagree find something in common. 

There is so much more that I want to say about why I blog.  But now . . . about the 6th. 

I can approach the subject of 1/6/21 from several perspectives and a multitude of directions. But this is a blog post, not a book.  Suffice to say that "January 6, 2021" could easily be the title of a book. Like December 7, 1941, there is way more to that infamous date.  

On 1/6/21 the Capital was breached and Congress saw the enemy.  The enemy is us.  You, me. Right, Left. Black, white. NY, Alabama. Backhoe operator, accountant. The enemy is what is dividing us. 

At 0630 hours on January 6th I reported to Airforce Colonel Jerry and his sister Julie in the lobby of the Mayflower Hotel. I met Jerry and Julie the day before at this hotel where we both were staying.  They were gracious people who welcomed me to join them for dinner the night before. We agreed to walk over to the protest rally together.  

Jerry chose retirement over an offer to rise to the rank of Brigadier General. Jerry organized medical operations on his half dozen plus deployments to the Middle East and elsewhere. He had knowledge and understanding that few people have. The Pentagon and his soldiers/medics prized him for that. 

Jerry's sister Julie was an intriguing and spiritual person. Little did I know that Julie was the reason the Spirit sent me to Washington D.C.  Neither of us knew that Julie had something to give me. I just didn't realize it until I was on the train ride back and I listened to it.

It was still dark, about 35 degrees and very breezy out when we embarked from the Mayflower to begin about a 20 minute walk to the Ellipse Park.  

As the Colonel, Julie and I set off for the Ellipse we became part of a stream that feed into a river and ended up in a sea. 

Because we arrived at the Ellipse relatively early, we got a position within clear sight of the stage. But soon after arriving it became too crowded for my comfort. So I separated from the Colonel and Julie to head up the hill to the more open space around the Washington Monument.

There were all walks of people.  We had so many differences and yet here we were together.  It is a phenomenal feeling.  So much to witness. So much to learn. 

One man I witnessed was Kevin, a fascinating fellow from NY/NJ who you see in this picture. His ethical kind nature was a great attraction. If one can create a bond in ~15 minutes I felt that with him. He gave me a subject to explore.

I spoke to a fellow from Vietnam who expressed his fear of the Communism he knew there coming to the USA.  Hundreds or perhaps thousands of Chinese held signs. They seemed desperate for Americans to understand. 

I met people from Missouri, the "show me state" who were at the protest for the same reason we all were - truth. 

I talked to a small group who drove all the way from Albuquerque New Mexico.  One man was clearly their fearless leader. They reminded me of what a tiny band of Civil war militia might have been like showing up to join forces with the army.  

There were people I didn't like too, such as two men from Kentucky.  They had only hate in their hearts. I walked away.

I met more kind people from across the country, including Michigan, Texas, Chicago and elsewhere.  The restroom lines were long and orderly with no pushing or budding. 

There was enormous energy in the air. Standing up on the hill by the Washington Monument, the winds were waving everyone's flag.  Personally, I was mostly trying to keep warm. 

I noticed some people putting their hand on the stone foundation of the Monument like it was the Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. I was one also.

The people I experienced were polite and friendly. I chose not to march to the Capital.

There were police stationed on all the streets. They mostly sat in their cruise cars or stood in the shadows.  They clearly had rules of engagement.  The ONLY incident I witnessed was a small group of police detaining and questioning two pathetic looking "activist."

The atmosphere in the city changed dramatically when the Capital was breached.  Everyone became anxious.  I was relieved that my instincts served me well. On the 5th, a day earlier than my booked reservation, I did a late checkout for the 6th. I also changed my Amtrak ticket from the 7th to 4pm on the 6th. This would give me enough time to get back to the hotel from the park to grab my bag and Uber over to the Station. I gave myself 2 hours to arrive and wait for my train at the station.  This proved to be very good decision. 

Literally as I was walking out the hotel doors my cell phone received an emergency alert about the curfew. I got a bit stressed when my first Uber driver ditched me. I requested another and waited somewhat anxiously for an acceptance and hoped he would make it through all the road blocks to pick me up. Twelve minutes later my driver showed up. 

Ben was a tall strong black man who escaped his childhood in the Congo, so I knew he could help me escape D.C.  Ben loved America and his son serving in the Marines. Ben was just the man I wanted driving me through the crazy streets of the Capitol. I let him know it. 

Traffic was heavy and there was tension in the air. People were trying to escape the city. Drivers were blocking the box and squeezing into lanes. But Ben was calm and confident.  We talked and he became part of my Washington experience. 

When I got to the Union Street Station people were pouring in and lines were amassing to get tickets.  I was almost 90 minutes early for my 4.02 PM Amtrak Business Class reservation.

As my train pulled out of Union Station I felt relieved.  It was also when I had my first chance to let people know I was on longer in Washington D.C.  

The trip was over but the craziness was about to begin. I arrived home at 10:20 PM.  It will take me much longer to process my experience.  Sadly, most people never will.

I am glad I was able to be a part of history and witness January 6, 2021 - a day that shaked America.  There are more shakings to come.

🙏PSALM 91🙏

P.S. One of the highlights of my D.C. trip was a night time bicycle tour that I went on. My guide, Barry, was a former Airforce Policeman.  He rode me around for over 2 hours. He took to me a very obscure destination which is actually quite special.  This video tells about it.

Other blog posts about my trip:

A Sight to be Seen 

Being Part of History

BEING PART OF HISTORY

This is the time . . . this is the moment.

There are upwards of 70 million Americans, at least 140 sitting and incoming members of the House of Representatives, along with a growing list of Senators that are all challenging the Electoral College results in the USA swing states. 

On Wednesday I will be present in Washington D.C. to show my support for the sanctity of our Constitution.  Making the time, effort and investment to be here is my way of standing up for the importance of collecting and tabulating votes in a way that ALL Americans can have a high level of confidence are legal and in keeping with our Constitution. CLEARLY we do not have this today.  

CONSTITUTIONAL ARTICLE 2 - SECTION 1:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: 

Governor's, Secretary's of State and Courts have changed procedures in states without the direction of State Legislatures.  As a result, swing state Legislatures have submitted alternate Electoral votes.

We have a mess on our hands. It is a mess of our own making. This is not a mess of President Trump's making. To the contrary! It is a mess that the President, the Attorney General, and numerous credible experts started to warn us of a year ago. Since then, even more dramatic changes were made to election procedures.

These changes opened up our election to unacceptable errors, disruption and corruption.  Seeing this, State Legislatures, our Congressional Representatives and private citizens are speaking up. 

I believe the protestors are on the right side of history. Regardless of the outcome of the election, nothing could be more democratic, Constitutionally correct and patriotic than to express one's political objection by peacefully assembling in our Nation's Capital to protest.  

If there ever was a time to go to Washington D.C. to protest I believe this is it. Watching history on TV or the Internet didn't feel sufficient. I felt an obligation to make a contribution to history in a way that cannot be done through social media and blogging, even as I do.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke

I brought my Stars & Stripes with me to D.C.  The FLAG represents the spirit of every soldier who has served our Nation and dedicated their life to the sacred value of our vote.  I don't need to be with anyone else.  

As I stand in a place designated by the National Parks Service for legal protest there is nothing I need to hear, that I haven't already heard or read. There is nothing I need to say.  For me, it is a matter of being present in the moment. It is about being part of history.

A SIGHT TO BE SEEN

At this time of national strife, this familiar spot is precisely where my spirit longed to be.  I faced one way to take the picture of the Washington Monument and turned around to take the other picture of Lincoln. 

There was a light rain falling on the Capital streets. Enough for me take an umbrella, but not so much that I opened it. The misting made all the stone glisten under the street lamps.

The monument lighting made structures glow in the night. There was just enough light left in the sky to make out the clouds moving slowly.

Standing in this very spot at this very time was a powerful and surreal experience for me.  From the top of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial one sees the glow of the Washington Monument reflecting off the pond. This is the view Washington and Lincoln have of one another on earth. I stood here for some time as the day set.

The city is quiet for the moment. Most of it is closed. I chose to come to Washington D.C. early, well before the 1/6 rallies, because most tourists and "locals" are staying away.  For the time being the streets are oddly adandoned. 

Police cars surround every major attraction because if you are trying to tear down a

government that is where you let it know.  BLM signs blanket the fences around the White House. Saint John's Church opposite the White House is still boarded up. 

Because of Covid, most everyone has a mask on. That added to the surreal quality of the silent respect which the visitor signs at the Lincoln Memorial actually ask for. This is a place for silent meditation and reading. 

Lincoln's second inaugural address is engraved on the inside wall of his monument. Lincoln was assassinated 42 days after delivering that speech. Visitors glance over at it, but I noticed only a tiny percentage of the visitors bothering to read it all all. I'm afraid fewer still took in the message and it's meaning, let alone it's relevance in these times. I contemplated what Lincoln would have to say if by some miracle in heaven I could hear him. 

I watched as visitors, came up the steps and got their first close up view of the massive Lincoln statue. I could see visitors' eyes widen and their cheeks raise. Even with their mask on, I could witness the expressions of justified awe on their face.

Lincoln draws an international audience of every age and all demographics. I believe that everyone who is drawn to this monument, not just visits it, does so in reverence. Which is

actually rather ironic, considering that the Washington establishment in his day, including the mainstream media in his time, utterly despised him. A good share had outright contempt for him and ridiculed him in every way, from his governance to his appearance to his family.  Experts do believe Lincoln would have been impeached had he not first been assassinated.  Many then wanted the distinction of doing so. 

Washington created the Nation. Lincoln tore it apart in order for it to be put back together. In either case, it was a miracle that America happened ex has survived 245 years. 

Both Washington and Lincoln warned us about Partisanship. Both men gave the praise and glory to God. 

Washington warned us of foreign interference and too much centralized power. Lincoln warned us in a famous paraphrased passage from the New Testament that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

But here's the thing which is most frightening to me today. Both men are considered evil racists according to the principles of "Critical Race Theory" which is the premise behind the NY Times "1619 Project."  

Some say we need to "build back better" some say we need to restore what made America great. One side is proposing that we stop using titles that denote gender like father, mother, daughter, son, grandfather and grandmother. One side is promoting family and biological gender. One side would remove praise of God from every institution and each occasion. While the other sees a nation in need of repentance and prayer. 

Washington and Lincoln would not be the men they were, and our Nation would not exist today, without the hand of Providence. But we cannot take up our bibles to defeat our fellow Americans. Our nation suffered through one Civil War - and one is enough.  

The evil powers and principalities that are attacking our nation are those which seek to divide us. They are those that seek to reduce our Sovereignty and Nationhood. They are those that tell us to put our faith in government rather than God. They are those that would tear down our Founders and cancel our Constitutional rights to free speech and bear arms. They are those that tell us what to think and say,  and what is true and false by their measure. They are those who remove our Liberties because citizens cannot be trusted with them.  

With the Declaration of Independence we claimed our personal and collective freedom and the right to pursue our individual happiness. But the Founders KNEW we would lose everything they risked and gave their lives and fortunes for if the people didn't PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE GOVERNMENT!  That is why they drafted and ratified the Constitution 11 years after we established our Independence.. 

Is Donald J Trump's time as President over? What will be, will be.  President's come and President's go. Very few leave a deep impression on a Nation.  History judged Lincoln very differently than the Washington establishment did in his day.  Whose to say what history will say about today. Whose to say whether America will maintain the Covenant that protected us and blessed this Nation with prosperity?

Selah

WISHES COMING TRUE

WHAT DID YOU WISH FOR?

It appears that Donald Trump is about to walk out of the White House.  As he walks off the political stage he leaves quit the leadership vacuum.  Who will rush in to fill that and what policy changes do they bring?

2021 is the year the CCP and Globalist such as Soros, got what they wished for. It's the year Marxist and Socialist (A.K.A. the Radical Left) start to "build back better." It's the year we start to appease Iran again.

Biden says he is going to undo everything Trump has done.  Let's see, what that might be?

• Will he tear down the 400 miles of border wall and stop deporting violent illegal aliens?  Will the rivers of undocumented homeless start pouring in again?
• Will he let NATO off the hook again for their under payments? 
• Will he stop pursuing intellectual property theft by China? 
• Will he look the other way as the CCP tortures, murders and enslaves the Chinese, and now Hong Kong and next Taiwan?
• Will he go back to being dependent on others for energy and high gas & oil prices?
• Will he pile back on all the regulations that were strangling business and making the USA uncompetitive?
• Will he continue let US drug companies charge Americans many times more than they charge in other countries?
• Will he tear up the Abraham Accord?
• Will he betray Israel in the United Nations?
• Will he send our soldiers go back to wars?
• Will he stop putting American's interests first?
• Will he support tearing down Monuments?

TAKE A LAST LOOK AT AMERICA!

The CCP unleashed a virus that killed millions worldwide and destroyed the world economy in order to stop the one world leader standing in the gap against the CCP's stated goal to dominate the world.

The Globalist played right along and exploited the virus to take down the one world leader fighting for Sovereignty -- individual National identity and pride every where around the world. They seek a New World Order. 

The wealthy corporate elite who meet in Davos are the winners too. Their fortunes have grown enormously during the pandemic.

Globalist and the wealthy elite all profit off the slave labor that the CCP provides. Communism, Globalist and the Elite are all in bed with one another. That is until after they topple American capitalism and the American spirit. Then they will be at war with one another. That will be the apocalypse. 

Communism, Globalist and the elite are the real winners in the 2021 election. The Chinese Virus was the first successful biological weapon and it was used to set the stage in order to defeat President Trump. BLM and ANTIFA are just tools they used to sow division and hate - right out of the Communist play book!  

People think 2020 was so bad that it can't get any worse.  Think again ... this is war.

I don't0 think Democrat voters have truly thought through what is at stake. The vast majority have bought the mainstream medias lies and propaganda. They hate Trump so much that "any cost was acceptable" to defeat him.  The truth will come back to haunt them.

As for Pelosi, Schumer and the Deep State, all that matters is power and money. Trump threatened the Washington establishment. He was dead on on arrival.

THE HYPOCRISY IS GREATER THAN THE TRUTH

Fortunately there are still tens of millions of patriotic Americans who know what is at stake. They refuse to let all those who died to win and keep our freedom and the Liberties die in vien. 

In 1941 evil forces in the world awoke a sleeping giant when they attacked America. The giant is awakened again. 

God has a Covenant with this Nation. This New Year, my wish is that God heard our prayers. HASHIVENU ADONAI!

The shaking isn't over. It's just begun

🙏PSALM 91🙏

NEW WORLD ORDER

"Mark this well, you proud men of action: You are nothing but the unwitting agents of the men of thought who often, in quiet self-effacement, mark out most exactly all your doings in advance." Heinrich Heine*

The first step of a New World Order is to destroy and reconstruct the history of the past. 

 And so it begins . . .

The Great Reset is a proposal by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to rebuild the economy "sustainably" following the COVID-19 pandemic. It was unveiled in May 2020 by the United Kingdom's Prince Charles and WEF director Klaus Schwab.

Ultimately, this New Order will involve a new system for transactions including a different monetary system.  The dollar will be removed as the world currency and a new digital system for currency will be put in place.  Part of what is happening in sight but out of view is the destruction of the dollar. That requires a much longer explanation than this post provides. Surfice to say we will be forced to take the "mark of the beast."

The globalist have been ttying to establish a New World Order using climate change. With their efforts stalled by Trump, they took a new and far more nefarious tact. They exploited a pandemic begun by China. The Globalist and the CCP will ultimately come to blows in the End of Days, but they share a common foe - Donald J Trump. 

Biden's campaign slogan, "Build Back Better" comes straight out of the playbook of the Great Reset.

The Great Reset isn't just creating a "New World Order" with the Wealthy elite truly in control. It is also rewriting history.  The iconoclasm we've seen the last few years is but a glimpse of what's ahead.  The Left is going to do a full rollout of the 1619 Project.

It is nearly a certainty that some on the Left have started a list and every Trump supporter is on it. Vengance and revenge go hand-in-hand. Some have already said as much. And every Trump hater hopes as much.  Like during the Holocaust, Jews' friends and neighbors enthusiastically reported on them.

“History is written by the victors” and the Left is wasting no time. They are doing so with both urgency and a vengeance. 

"Wherever they burn books, in the end will also burn human beings." - Heinrich Heine* 1821

Hitler burned Heine's books. Socialists and Communist don't just rewrite history. They also destroy it.  They want to destroy the past so we have no references to it. 

Without a deserved Nobel Peace prize or positive mainstream coverage of any of Trump's accomplishments, it won't take the Left long to obliterate the past and truth that goes along with it. Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook will do their part clearing the slate. 

PREDICTION: Once Trump is out of the way, Jared Kushner with be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the Abraham Accords. Watch Jared Kushner and what he does to his father-in-law's legacy.  Betrayal?  Or much worse? 

It will be as though the Pre-China virus economic boom which Trump created never happened.  Lest we forget Trump's prediction for 2021 to be the greatest year ever.  

The virus and every death won't be China's fault, it will be Trump's.  Even credit for the vaccine will be given to Biden. The economy that Trump created is irrelevant because now it will be credited to Democrats and their stimulus. 

The Left will have fools believing the last 4 years without wars, troops coming home and Arab nations making historic peace agreements with Israel were dangerous. The Left will say the world is peaceful under their watch as we bend over again to Iran and China. 

Biden is a puppet. Biden's only role is to read a script. Soon he won't even be able to do that. That's when Obama's choice for President, Kamala, steps in.There are so many more falsehoods. But the biggest lie of all is the Biden is the leader.  

But lest you think the faces in this graphic are in charge either. The Obama's and the Clinton's are more powerful than them and they are not in charge either. The people in charge meet in Davos! But even they answer to Satan. 

If January 6th goes as planned, it will be the start of a frightening new world order. The Great Reset may be the end of the Great American Experiment.  

If the Globalist Elite are successful at creating a New World Order the last hope isn't the Electoral vote challenge that will be raised on the floor on 1/6/21; it is the Messiah.  Because ultimately, God is in charge and heaven will not help those who haven't feared the Lord. Now is a time for repentance. 🙏Hashivenu Adonai🙏

"Wild, dark times are rumbling toward us, and the prophet who wishes to write a new apocalypse will have to invent entirely new beasts, and beasts so terrible that the ancient animal symbols of St. John will seem like cooing doves and cupids in comparison."  Heinrich Heine* the 1842

THE HYPOCRISY IS GREATER THAN THE TRUTH.

🙏PSALM 91🙏

*Born into a family of assimilated German Jews in 1797, Essayist, journalist and poet Christian Johann Heinrich Heine is considered one of the most significant German romantic poets. 

IN 2021 WE WILL WITNESS ONE OF THE STRONGEST FORCES ON EARTH

Otto von Guericke

Prussian physicist, engineer, and philosopher

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2021?  

Trump sucked all the air out of the room. His absence creates a powerful a leadership vaccum. 

A VACUUM IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST FORCES IN WORLD. 

Obama, Hillary and a host of globalist elites will exploit the leadership vaccum created by Trump's absence followed by Biden's phony and incompetent leadership.  Biden couldn't even campaign, let alone handle agressive questions in a real press conference of pressers asking the hard questions. The Marxist BLM leadership, the anti-Israel Squad, Communist Biden Bro's and all the Soros activists will be crawling over one another to get into Biden's White House to fill his leadership vaccum.

The evil forces of China, Russia, Iran and others that Trump kept bottled up are going to all flex their muscle the moment Trump Presidential seal is broken. 

As if that weren't enough, legal challenges and lawsuits galore are going to dog the Biden Administration. Unlike with Trump and cases like a porn star who sought to violate her non-disclosure agreement and a Russian hoax, the cases against the Biden and Clinton crime families have actual serious felony evidence. 

Biden's Presidency is going to be a shit show. The corrupt mainstream media is going to have a hell of job trying to disguise the truth.  But we all know they'll do their job of NOT doing their job.

And when Biden resigns and Kamala is President, forget about it.

Millions of Trump haters who believe the end justifies the means and are looking forward to 2021 are going to have a revelation. The future they wished for is a frightening thing indeed.  Because there is ONE force more powerful than a vacuum or anything else. 

Trump haters should appreciate that it is one thing to steal an election and another to govern a nation which has ~50% of population that believes they were robbed.  Especially when they actually were. 

As the writer of this article explains, the Left set out to steal the first election from Bernie Sanders in order to ensure an easy victory over Trump in 2016. But Trump lit the USA map Red and shocked the world!  Peter Strzok's imfamous "Plan B" failed. So the Left, along with China and Russia, as well as the Deep State, decided to take no chances in the 2020 election. The solution, a "junk mail" election. And to pull that off, China supplied the justification by way of a virus. 

Between illegal Biden votes, disappearing Trump votes and blowing up the Trump economy it was in the bag -- "don't concede under any circumstances," ordered Hillary to Biden.  The mainstream media has always had Biden's back. They have been accomplices in every plot to remove Trump since he beat out 17 Primary opponents in 2016.

1 million, 2 million or even 30 million virus deaths worldwide is NOTHING to the CCP that oppresses 1.4 billion people and forces them to believe that their Communist Party is the Supreme power and destined to rule the world. Any Covid death toll is a pittance of a price to pay for the CCP to remove the one man standing in the gap to slowdown the CCP's ambitious plans - Donald J. Trump. 

What will fill the leadership vaccum which Trump leaves behind is everything that Trump stood against: regulations, taxes, bigger government, illegal immigration, unfair trade, national security risks, China, globalists, high drug prices, etc.  The list is much longer.  

With a vaccum, great pressure builds up pushing to get in. When a vaccum seal is broken the air rushes in.

SHADOWS OF YESHUA

It has been said the Yosef (Joseph) from Genesis is a shadow of Yeshua Hamashiach. Therefore, one who understands this would expect to see strong shadows of Yeshua in the Torah Parsha (Vayegash Genesis 44:18–47:27) which coincides with Christmas. As a Jew, I never would have seen it. 

"Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again." Acts 9:18

Orthodox Rabbi Bernie Fox offers his thoughts on the Parsha - Pride and Prejudice:

And Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?” And they were not able to respond to him because they were confused before him. (Sefer Beresheit 35:3)

In Parshat VaYigash, Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. He asks them to confirm that his father Yaakov is still alive. The brothers are overcome with confusion and cannot respond. There is an obvious reason for this confusion.

The brothers first encountered Paroh’s highest minister when they came to Egypt to purchase food for their families. Their relationship with this minister was complex. Initially, he accused them of spying on the Land of Egypt. He demanded they prove their innocence by bringing him their youngest brother. He imprisoned Shimon and sent the other brothers back to the Land of Cana’an. The brothers returned with Binyamin. Shimon was released. 

Yosef invited the brothers into his home, entertained them, and gave them generous gifts. He provided them with provisions for their families and returned to them the money they had brought to purchase these provisions.

Now, they are again before this important minister. He was sometimes very kind. Other times he was suspicious, harsh, and demanding. They never suspected that this powerful but unpredictable and enigmatic minister was their brother Yosef! Suddenly, he declares he is Yosef. The brothers’ befuddlement is completely understandable.

Some commentators suggest that the brothers’ confusion had other causes.[1] Chizkuni explains that the brothers were uncertain of Yosef’s attitude toward them. They had sold Yosef. How would Yosef treat them? Would he demand their punishment?[2] Rashi explains that the brothers’ response expressed their embarrassment.[3] Let us more carefully consider these interpretations of the brothers’ confusion.

And they said one to another: But we are guilty for our brother because we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, and we did not listen. Therefore, this trouble has befallen us. (Sefer Beresheit 42:21)

From the beginning of their conflict with Paroh’s minister, the brothers were introspective. They did not interpret the minister’s suspicions and accusations as happenstance misfortune. Years earlier they had thrown their troublesome, presumptuous, egotistical brother into a pit. He called out to them pleading that they spare him. They ignored his anguish and sold him into servitude. They concluded that their troubles were punishment for their callous treatment of Yosef. Their sense of foreboding and the anticipation of retribution recurred when the minister discovered his goblet in Binyamin’s baggage. They believed their deserved punishment would now be exacted.

Chizkuni’s suggestion that the brothers feared that Yosef would punish them for their behavior toward him may reflect these thoughts. The brothers had concluded that they deserved to be punished. They believed that their struggles with Paroh’s minister were Divine retribution for their crimes. Learning that their antagonist was the brother they had betrayed only intensified their expectation of punishment. The brothers were preoccupied with anticipation of retribution and Yosef’s revelation was received in this context.

Rashi’s position is more difficult to understand. The brothers were paralyzed by shame. During their ordeal, the brothers reconsidered their behavior toward their brother. They deeply regretted their treatment of Yosef. They attributed their tribulations to their callousness toward him. Should not they have rejoiced to learn that Yosef survived and even thrived in Egypt? Why did shame replace celebration?

“And the brothers of Yosef descended… [The Torah] does not write “the sons of Yaakov”. It teaches that they regretted his sale and committed themselves to behave toward him in a brotherly manner and redeem him for any amount that would be required of them.” (Rashi, Sefer Beresheit 32:3)

Rashi explains that the brothers initially traveled to Egypt on two missions. They planned to purchase provisions for their families. Also, they traveled to Egypt as Yosef’s brothers. They would seek out their missing brother and redeem him from servitude. They hoped to find Yosef. They expected him to be a slave. They anticipated paying for his redemption. Now, they discovered that Yosef is alive. Their mission was fulfilled. Also, rather than finding their brother suffering under the yoke of slavery, he was Paroh’s most important minister. They should have rejoiced!

And Yosef recognized his brothers and they did not recognize him. (Sefer Beresheit 42:8)

The brothers arrived in Egypt. Yosef immediately recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Throughout their interactions, the brothers never suspected that the minister with whom they were struggling was their brother Yosef. Rashi explains that when the brothers sold Yosef, they were physically mature. Yosef was still a youngster. Over the many years of his separation from his brothers, Yosef’s appearance had changed so much that the brothers did not recognize him.[4]

Perhaps, there is another reason that the brothers failed to recognize Yosef. They sold him into slavery. They hoped to find him but expected that he would be a miserable slave. It was inconceivable that this minister was their brother.

Their expectation that Yosef was a slave was understandable. However, it may have had a deeper foundation. The brothers came to Egypt repentant of their treatment of Yosef. They were prepared to rescue him. During their struggles with Paroh’s minister, they declared that they were callous and heartless to their brother. However, their repentance did not include a reevaluation of Yosef’s character and his claim that he was destined to be their leader.[5] Their opinion of Yosef had not changed. They had decided that despite Yosef’s failings, they had sinned in their treatment of him.

They continued to resent Yosef and to reject his claim that he was destined to be their leader. They continued to retain these attitudes and judgments. They expected Yosef to be a miserable slave. They would rescue him and be his redeemer. Their expectations implicitly rejected Yosef’s claims of a special destiny. They expected him to have experienced the typical fate of a foreign slave sold into bondage in Egypt. They rejected the possibility that something extraordinary might have occurred to Yosef.

If the brothers had found Yosef in the abject conditions that they anticipated and they had come forth as his redeemers, they would have rejoiced. But they did not discover Yosef among Egypt’s slaves. He was Paroh’s highest minister. He had lived an extraordinary life which attested to his special destiny. They were not prepared for this revelation. When Yosef revealed himself, they were forced to acknowledge that they had misjudged him. He was special. This realization was the source of their embarrassment.

We form impressions of others. Often, these impressions are not based on objective analysis. They are self-serving. We want to believe in our superiority over others or that we are at least the equal of our peers. Sometimes, we go to great lengths to sustain these fictitious judgments of others. We ignore the good, talents, or even greatness in others. These prejudices impact our treatment of others and often deprive us of the wisdom or other gifts that friends might share with us. The story of Yosef and his brothers alerts us to the strength of these prejudices that the harm that they can bring upon us.

Here is a superb teaching about how Yosef is able to interpret Pharoah's dreams on Torah.com: 

Here Rabbi Jonathan Kahn's Shabbat sermon 12/26/20 on the shadow of the Messiah in the Story of Yosef.

[1] The term used in the passage to describe the brothers’ reaction is נבהלו. The term is often used in תנ"ך to describe confusion caused by fear or anxiety. The commentators are identifying the source of the brothers’ fear or anxiety.

[2] Rabbaynu Chizkiya ben Manoach (Chizkuni), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit, 45:3.

[3] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 45:3.

[4] Rabbaynu Shlomo ben Yitzchak (Rashi), Commentary on Sefer Beresheit 42:8. Rashi explains that the brothers were bearded when they were separated. Yosef did not have a beard. The minister that confronted the brothers had a beard. This change concealed Yosef’s identity.

[5] See Rabbaynu Ovadia Sforno, Commentary on Sefer Beresheit. 42:21.