The emotionally charged reunion reaches a dramatic peak when Joseph finally sets eyes on his maternal brother, Benjamin, after years of separation. Initially, the brothers stood before him clustered together as a mixed group. To find Benjamin, Joseph had to intentionally direct his focus and search through the crowd [רד״ק]. When his gaze finally landed on his younger brother, the recognition was instant, as Benjamin's facial features closely mirrored those of their mother, Rachel [הטור הארוך, שפתי כהן].
Despite this immediate recognition, Joseph asks if this is the youngest brother they had mentioned. This inquiry stems from the sheer passage of time; when Joseph was sold, Benjamin was a boy of about ten, but now he stood before him as a grown man in his thirties and a father himself, his appearance drastically changed [ביאור יש״ר]. Alternatively, this question was not born of confusion but rather expressed playful wonder. Looking at a mature, fully grown adult, Joseph smiled and marveled at whether this was truly the little brother the others had described [העמק דבר].
Overcome with affection, Joseph addresses Benjamin tenderly as a son—a nod to his relative youth—and blesses him that God should grant him grace, mercy [ביאור שטיינזלץ, ביאור יש״ר], and an abundance of blessings [רש ר הירש]. The primary approach among commentators is that this specific blessing of grace was meant to fill a historical void. Years earlier, when Jacob reunited with Esau, he introduced his children as those whom God had graciously given him. Because Benjamin had not yet been born, he was excluded from that declaration. By using this exact language, Joseph equalized Benjamin's spiritual status with the rest of the tribes.
Beyond this, Joseph understood the vulnerability of Benjamin's position. Knowing that his brother was left as the sole remaining child of their mother following his own disappearance, Joseph prayed that God would grant Benjamin a special charm, ensuring that his brothers and everyone around him would love and protect him [ספורנו]. Furthermore, having just drawn attention to Benjamin's impressive growth and maturity, Joseph quickly offered a blessing to ward off any jealousy or ill will, turning his observation into a wish for continued success [העמק דבר]. The emotional resonance of the moment is further deepened by the tradition that Joseph engaged Benjamin in conversation about his family. Upon learning the names of Benjamin's children—and realizing that each name was a heartfelt tribute to the tragedies and suffering Joseph himself had endured—Joseph was overwhelmed with compassion and immediately bestowed his blessing [קיצור בעל הטורים].
On a deeper spiritual level, the concept of grace in this blessing is connected to the idea of the Divine Presence resting or dwelling. Because Benjamin was not yet born during the encounter with Esau and therefore never bowed to him, he maintained a unique spiritual purity. As a result of this unblemished history, he merited that the future Temple would be built within his tribal territory, serving as the ultimate resting place for the Divine Presence [חומת אנך, שפתי כהן].