Growing Through Breaking

Yosef reveals himself to the brothers, ויאמר אני יוסף אחיכם אשר מכרתם אתי מצרימה. Why does Yosef add אשר מכרתם אתי מצרימה? There are different approaches to this question. Some say it was a siman to prove he was Yosef, some say he was was saying he loved his brothers even though they hold him (see Or HaChayim, Kli Yakar.) The Safas Emes (5643) says כמ"ש חז"ל אשר שברת יישר כחך. כן ניחם יוסף אותם כי זכה לכל זה על ידי המכירה. He explains his point more in 5636 where he adds the possuk says כי נבהלו מפניו, literally מפניו from the face of Yosef since they say and sensed the kedusha that was present on the face of Yosef.  They could not fathom how they were so far off the mark. How did they not see this beforehand? Yosef adds the line אשר מכרתם אתי מצרימה as a way of consoling them. He explained I am Yosef, I was able to this obtain this kedusha only because you sold me. It was the low parts of my life, the sale, that led me to become greater in my life. It was the struggle through the difficulty that helped him soar to greater heights. The Sfas Emes cites as a template to this concept the breaking of the luchos, אשר כחך ששברת, the breaking of the luchos, the destruction gets a ישר כח. It was necessary to allow Klal Yisrael to go further beyond the chat haegel. The seed needs to be broken down in the ground before it can sproup into a tree bearing fruit. It is the breaking down that leads to the greatest growth.  

Yeshayeh (12:1) וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא אוֹדְךָ֣ ה כִּ֥י אָנַ֖פְתָּ בִּ֑י יָשֹׁ֥ב אַפְּךָ֖ וּֽתְנַחֲמֵֽנִי. It the future we will say thank to Hashem for the times of hardship of the golus for that is what paved the way for the geulah. Living through it one can can't see how the hardships are good. But looking back, when the story is complete, one can see how it led to the process of the geulah.