Genesis 46:29

And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen; and his father, before he recognised him, worshipped him, and thus became liable to be shortened (or cut off) in his years. And he wondered, and beheld him, and fell upon his neck, and wept still upon his neck, because he had worshipped him.

AND HE APPEARED BEFORE HIM. Joseph appeared before his father. And he wept on his neck a good while. The phrase vayeivk od signifies “weeping copiously.” Jacob, however, did not fall upon the neck of his son Joseph, nor did he kiss him. Our Rabbis said that this was because he was reciting the Shema, (the affirmation of G-d’s Unity). This is the language of Rashi. But [according to this interpretation, which says that it was Joseph who fell on his father’s neck and wept], I know of no reason for the statement, And he appeared before him, since it is understood that Joseph appeared before Jacob since he fell upon his neck. Moreover, it is not respectful for Joseph to fall upon his father’s neck. He should rather bow before him or kiss his hands, as it is written, And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he fell down on his face. And at the present moment, it was more fitting that he bow to him [than at the time referred to in the aforementioned verse]. So also, every term ‘od’ in Scripture indicates an addition to the original but does not imply copiousness. Thus: He doth not set a stated time ‘od’ for a man, which means, “He sets a stated time for a man in accordance with his transgression, and nothing is added.” can refer to a slight increase.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that Israel’s eyes were already slightly dim from age, and when Joseph arrived in the carriage of the second in rank, with a mitre on his head as was the custom of the Egyptian kings, his father did not recognize him. His brothers also had not recognized him., 42:8. Therefore Scripture mentioned that when he appeared before his father, who stared at him and finally recognized him, his father fell on his neck and cried again over him, even as he had continually cried over him to this day when he had not seen him after his disappearance, and then Jacob said, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face. It is a known matter as to whose tears are more constant: that of an old father who finds his son alive after having despaired of him and having mourned for him, or that of a grown-up son who reigns. Do not be concerned [lest this interpretation be open to question] because Scripture immediately says, And Israel said, [thus implying that the previous subject is not Israel but Joseph], whereas according to our interpretation Scripture is speaking of Jacob and then mentions his name once again in the following verse. A similar case is found in these verses: And he gathered up all the foods of the seven years, etc., [where Joseph is the subject of the verse, and yet Scripture mentions his name in the succeeding verse], And unto Joseph were born two sons., Verse 50. There are constantly many similar places in the Torah and in the other books of Scripture.

A GOOD WHILE. Much, as it is written (Job 34:23), "He will not require much of a person." [JPS: He has no set time for man.]

וירא אליו, my grandfather explained this somewhat strange formulation saying that Joseph appeared to Yaakov from a distance, someone having pointed him out to Yaakov, (he did not know what Joseph looked like at this time). This gave Yaakov an opportunity to adopt the appropriate posture before coming face to face with such a mighty ruler and not to be disoriented due to a sudden encounter.

ויפול על צואריו, when Joseph had come close enough to his father he fell around his neck weeping for joy for a considerable period of time. The meaning of the word.

עוד, is that this went on for a time. We find the word used in this sense in Exodus 4,6 where G’d is persisting in His efforts to convince Moses to accept the position of Israel’s leader by showing him miracles he could perform to legitimise himself before his people. The word describes something that happened repeatedly, at intervals. Yaakov wept only once, whereas Joseph wept repeatedly. Some commentators claim that Yaakov did not weep at all but was preoccupied with reciting the שמע ישראל, an affirmation of G’d and His uniqueness which he formulated on that occasion for the first time. (compare Rashi)

ויעל לקראת ישראל, “he (Joseph) went up to meet Israel.” The reason that the expression עלה is used here is to tell the reader that for Joseph it was tantamount to a spiritual ascent to go and greet his father and to pay him this honour. Alternately, the reason why he is described as ascending, is that the province of Goshen is situated on a higher plateau than the Nile delta in which most of the Egyptians dwelt. Goshen borders on the land of Israel which is a land of many hills and mountains. This is also clear from Joshua 15,49-51. Seeing that Yehudah had been sent ahead by his father to prepare his residence in Goshen, that region became part of the ancestral heritage of the tribe of Yehudah in due course. The Egyptians never challenged the Israelites having annexed that province.