Language Of The Soul

Tehillim (81:6) עֵ֤דוּת ׀ בִּיה֘וֹסֵ֤ף שָׂמ֗וֹ בְּ֭צֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם שְׂפַ֖ת לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶשְׁמָֽע.  The Targum says that the עדות is that Yosef did not have relations with אשת פוטיפר.  What is the עדות?  That he was taught all the languages when he left jail.  The Gemarah (Sotah 36b) elaborates on this story that in order to be appointed by Pharaoh he had to know the 70 languages so Gavriel came to teach him the languages but he was not able to understand it so a ה was added to his name and then he was able to know the languages.  Why was Yosef unable to learn the languages?  How was that fixed by adding a ה to his name?  And how is that a proof that he did not have relations with אשת פוטיפר?  The Gemarah also says Pharaoh did not no lashon hakodesh.  Why did he not know lashon hakodesh? 

The Shem MiShmuel cites the Chiduhay HaRim that the language of a nation reflects the middah of the nation.  All of the languages contain the impure middah of the nations but they cover over a spark of spirituality which is brought out when used for a holy purpose.  The Sfas Emes says Yosef was able to know the words of the languages but he did not find the secret to connect to their holiness.  The point of the golut is to be able to purify the languages; to bring out the holiness of the language. 

Therefore, Yosef had a ה added to his name.  The world was created with a ה.  In other words, the ה represents the holiness that is covered up by the creation.  The ה added to his name allows for Yosef to access the kedusha that is hidden in the language by connecting to the point of creation, the kedusha, in the language. 

That may be alluded to when Yosef tells the nation הא לכם זרע וזרעתם את האדמהץ.  With the letter ה I have acquired you, I am able to bring out the kedusha within you. 

Pharaoh, since he had no connection to kedusha was not able to speak lashon hakodesh.  His soul was stuck in a state where it could not connect with lashon hakodesh. 

The fact that Yosef needed a ה added to his name to have a connection to the language of the gentiles proves he had no connection to them.  Had he sinned with אשת פוטיפר, had he indeed had an intimate connection with her, then his soul would have been able to tolerate other languages.  The עדות that this was not the case was the fact that he needed a ה to learn the languages. 

(Sources can be found here.)