It has always been clear that Jews who wear beards are Jews, but the converse, to those who wear beards, has not always been that clear. Were it not for the power of Torah, were it not written in the Torah that every Jew is a Jew, the beard-wearing Jews would not have recognized their brethren as Jews. It is within this recognition that lies the beginning, the first stage or initial step in the highly crucial process of "And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not".