והנה עיניכם רואות ועיני אחי בנימין כי פי המדבר אליכם

Behold your eyes see as do the eyes of my brother Binyamin that it is my mouth speaking to you

Rashi, quoting from the Medrash, tells us that Yosef proved that it was, indeed, he because he was speaking in לשון הקודש, the holy tongue.  The Ateres Mordechai (Rav Mordechai Rogow) asks how this would be proof that it was Yosef simply because he was speaking in לשון הקודש.  Would it be impossible for the Viceroy of Egypt to find someone who would be able to teach him this language?  The Ateres Mordechai answers that Yosef did not need to prove to them that it was really he; that fact had already been established.  What he was trying to accomplish was to have them transmit the message to Yaakov that not only was the physical Yosef still alive, but also the spiritual Yosef was still alive.  The child who left his father’s side and was placed in Egypt, a spiritual wasteland, was still strong in his service of Hashem and had not faltered even in his current surroundings.

In order to accomplish this, Yosef told his brothers to look at his manner of speaking.  This was not just a reference to the language he was speaking, as anyone has the ability to speak Hebrew.  He was emphasizing to them that I still speak as a G-d fearing person should speak:  I still give credit to Hashem; still praise Hashem; and still thank Hashem constantly in my speech.  By virtue of the way I speak, you can clearly see that I am still Yosef, not an Egyptian who takes credit for everything and doesn’t praise or thank Hashem.  This was the message that Yosef was telling them to tell their father in order that he would agree to come down to see Yosef, and not be reluctant to go for fear that he would not see the same spiritual Yosef.

The Ateres Mordechai continues to explain that this is also why Yosef singled out Binyamin. Yosef was telling them that if you can’t realize through my speech that I am still the same Yosef who left my father’s house, it is because you still harbor ill feelings against me and refuse to admit your mistake.  Binyamin, on the other hand, never had ill feelings against me and, therefore, will be able to recognize that I am the same Yosef as the person who left.

We should learn from Yosef’s message that there are certain ways that a true servant of Hashem speaks.  Such a person not only avoids foul language, but because he is always cognizant that everything is a gift of Hashem, he always mentions, praises and thanks Hashem when speaking.