Repentance Transforms Intent

בפסוק לו ישטמנו יוסף כו'.

“Regarding the verse: ‘Perhaps Joseph will hate us…’”

The Sefat Emet begins by raising the question embedded in the brothers’ fear that Joseph might still harbor hatred toward them.

וקשה כי ראו שהוא הצדיק ואיך חשדו אותו שישנא אותם.

“This is difficult, for they saw that he was a righteous man—so how could they suspect him of hating them?”

The brothers had already witnessed Joseph’s righteousness and kindness; therefore, their fear seems unjustified.

אך השבטים עשו תשובה גדולה על חטא המכירה.

“But the tribes performed great repentance for the sin of selling him.”

The Sefat Emet explains that their internal state was shaped by profound repentance for their past wrongdoing.

ומרוב צערם חשבו כי הם גרמו כל גלות מצרים.

“And from the intensity of their sorrow, they thought that they had caused the entire exile in Egypt.”

The brothers’ remorse was so deep that they believed their act initiated all the suffering that later befell Israel.

האמנם הי' סיבה באמת משמים לקיים עצה עמוקה כו'.

“Indeed, there truly was a cause from Heaven to fulfill a profound divine plan…”

In reality, the descent to Egypt was part of a divine design, independent of their intentions.

אבל הם חשבו שהכל בא רק על ידם.

“But they thought that everything came solely through their actions.”

The brothers assumed full responsibility, not realizing the divine dimension.

וע"ז השיב להם יוסף כי אלקים חשבה לטובה.

“And to this Joseph answered them: ‘God intended it for good.’”

Joseph reassured them that the ultimate outcome was guided by divine goodness, not their guilt.

וי"ל פי' אתם חשבתם עלי רעה פי' שע"י שעשו תשובה גדולה עי"ז נהפך מזדונות לזכיות ולכך אלקים חשבה לטובה.

“And one may explain: ‘You intended evil toward me’—meaning that through their great repentance, their transgressions were transformed into merits, and therefore God intended it for good.”

Their sincere repentance elevated the entire episode, turning wrongdoing into a source of merit, which allowed God’s good intention to manifest.

Summary: The brothers’ fear of Joseph stemmed not from rational suspicion but from the weight of their repentance. Believing themselves responsible for the Egyptian exile, they misunderstood the divine orchestration of events. Joseph assures them that their repentance transformed their deed, allowing God’s good plan to unfold.