They went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. And they told him, “Joseph is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them. But when they recounted all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. “Enough!” said Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see him before I die.”

כי לא האמין להם. so that he had no chance to believe them. Therefore, ותחי רוח יעקב, once his spirit revived he never fainted again so that he was able to believe them. It had been the sudden joy that had been the cause of his fainting. Spirit has a habit of contracting when one suffers worry, etc., whereas it expands when one experiences joy, sometimes even beyond the boundaries of one’s body so that the body faints.

“They went up from Egypt, and they came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father” (Genesis 45:25).
“They told him, saying: Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over the entire land of Egypt. His heart was faint because he did not believe them (Genesis 45:26).
“They went up from Egypt…. They told him, saying: Joseph is still alive…his heart was faint” – Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: What is the plight of the liar? Even if he says truthful matters, he is not believed.
“They spoke to him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph sent to convey him, and the spirit of Jacob their father was revived” (Genesis 45:27).
“He saw the wagons” – the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him had idols etched on them. Judah stood and burned them. That tribe is experienced in burning idols.
Rabbi Levi [said] in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan bar Shaul: [Joseph] said to them: ‘If he believes you, fine. If not, say to him: “At the moment that I took my leave of you, was I not engaged in [studying] the passage of the beheaded calf [egla]?’ That is what is written: “He saw the wagons [haagalot]…and the spirit…was revived.”

(6) Then all the elders of the town nearest to the corpse shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi. (7) And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.

And Joseph harnessed his chariot, and he went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and he appeared to him, and he fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck for a long time.

Jacob, however, neither fell on Joseph’s neck nor kissed him. Our Sages said that he was reciting the Shema.

(25) “Later our father said, ‘Go back and procure some food for us.’ (26) We answered, ‘We cannot go down; only if our youngest brother is with us can we go down, for we may not show our faces to the man unless our youngest brother is with us.’ (27) Your servant my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife bore me two sons. (28) But one is gone from me, and I said: Alas, he was torn by a beast! And I have not seen him since. (29) If you take this one from me, too, and he meets with disaster, you will send my white head down to Sheol in sorrow.’ (30) “Now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us—since his own life is so bound up with his— (31) when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will send the white head of your servant our father down to Sheol in grief. (32) Now your servant has pledged himself for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I shall stand guilty before my father forever.’ (33) Therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers. (34) For how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father!”

(1) Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone withdraw from me!” So there was no one else about when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. (2) His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace. (3) Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still well?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dumbfounded were they on account of him. (4) Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come forward to me.” And when they came forward, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, he whom you sold into Egypt. (5) Now, do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me hither; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you.