Remorse and Forgiveness

The של״ה הקודש points out the remarkable behavior of Yosef and his brothers, each in their own way.

Yosef stood out in the manner that he found it within himself to give the brothers complete forgiveness.

It takes a very big man to be able to overcome the pain of being so horribly wronged, to be able to move on. Despite the sincere remorse of the brothers, there must have remained a painful wound.

The brothers are also impressive in that they were able to accept total responsibility for their actions. Others may have tried to justify their behavior, but the brothers did not. They made no excuses for what they had done, and were willing to accept the consequences.

The combination of Yosef's ability to forgive and the brothers' ability to accept their own wrongdoings, serves as a great example to all of us. Forgiveness and remorse are two difficult character traits that are hard to acquire. We become much bigger people if we are able to admit our mistakes and learn to forgive those who sincerely ask for it.