רמב"ן — ויפל על צואריו ויבך על צואריו עוד

Q — At the reunion, who falls on whose neck and weeps? Rashi (citing Chazal) says it was Yosef falling on Yaakov, while Yaakov was reciting Shema. What does Ramban say, and why?

A — The subject shifts mid-pasuk: Yosef appeared (וירא אליו), but Yaakov fell on Yosef's neck and wept. Three arguments: (1) If it were all about Yosef, 'וירא אליו' is redundant; on Ramban's reading it actually means 'was recognized' — Yosef in Egyptian viceregal mitznefet was unrecognizable, and Yaakov's eyes were already dimming with age. The moment of recognition is the moment of falling. (2) דרך ארץ: a son bows to a father, doesn't fall on his neck (Yosef himself bows lower in chapter 48). (3) 'עוד' means 'additional,' not 'much' — Yaakov added this weeping to the years of mourning he had cried for Yosef ('וימאן להתנחם'). And a human truth: 'מי דמעתו מצויה, אם האב הזקן המוצא את בנו חי לאחר היאוש והאבל, או הבן הבכור המולך'? The aged father grieving his lost son weeps; the viceroy son holds it together.