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JUDAH'S REDEMPTION

Torah portion Vayigash contains one of the most emotional moments in the entire Hebrew Bible. Recall that in the Torah portion from two weeks previous (Vayeshev) Jacob’s favorite son Joseph, born to Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel, is thrown into a pit by his envious older brothers, who then sell him to a passing Arab caravan. Through an incredible series of events, the exceptionally righteous and charismatic teenage slave winds up saving Egypt from famine and becoming viceroy of the most powerful empire on earth. Now, years later, Joseph’s brothers have come to Egypt to purchase grain from the mighty “viceroy,” not recognizing him as the brother they betrayed so long ago. Joseph doesn’t reveal himself immediately but rather tests his brothers to see if they’ve changed. He agrees to help them, but only if Benjamin, (Joseph’s only full brother) remains behind as his slave.

Years earlier, Judah was the brother who sold Joseph to the Arab caravan. Judah then underwent a series of life challenges which led him to improve his character. Now, Judah steps forward to plead with the “viceroy” to let Benjamin go and offers himself as a slave instead. Joseph, overcome by emotion, reveals his identity to his brothers, who are deeply remorseful for their past sins against him.

Our sages teach that true repentance is when a person has the opportunity to commit a sin he’s committed before but instead refrains and does a good deed instead. In the past Judah sold a son of Rachel into slavery. Now, he protects a son of Rachel by offering himself as a slave. Judah may be the first character in the Bible to work on himself and become a better person! Most Jews today are descended from Judah, and we must emulate our illustrious forefather by doing the difficult inner work necessary to perfect our character so that we can better serve God and those around us.

Image: “Joseph Recognized by His Brothers” by Francois Pascal Simon, 1789

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Hashem: “If you complain to Pharaoh about your life, I’ll knock a handful of years off your lifespan.”

Yaakov:

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Vayigash

he spent twenty years in the dark, hands grasping for empty women and freckled sheep and crawling babes, for twenty years he worked his hardest and didn’t hear a word from God.

when he spoke his name and wrenched away a new blessing, the sun shone on him, twisted and whole and new. it said we’ve missed you, we’ve missed you.

a beautiful blood-soaked tunic stole the light again; its brilliance leeched the rest of the world black. for twenty years he wrestled with no one, folded smooth hands in a placant lap and felt empty, maybe blind, maybe done.

true his father could not see between him and his brother but he, oh he could not see his sons at all.

his quiet empty heart stopped when he heard the news--perhaps he’d just forgotten what the day light looked like. perhaps he’d lost the space for all this spirit. perhaps he’d forgotten his own name.

#parsha #poem #poetry #jumblr #Vayigash #torah #Parshat HaShavuah #Poem HaShavuah #Ya'akov #I don't generally write about m3n here my apologies #but the juxtaposition of this and vayishlach is just too gorgeous to pass up #when Ya'akov crosses the river after being renamed Israel the sun shines on him for the first time in 20 years #when Ya'akov hears that Yosef is still alive he feels the ruach hakodesh for the first time in just over 20 years #he goes through stages of numbness and brilliant awakeness #complicated man #often not a good one #but damn if these bits aren't heartwrenching

The energetic, quick-witted, 34-year-old Hebrew covers up his nervousness by staying one step ahead of his enemies, and working round-the-clock to make the Crown’s interests, his personal interests. As we see him, he has been finishing up some grain orders for Nubia and Sudan. His desk is awash in papyrus scrolls, which he is somehow able to wade through with ease, searching with knowing hands and eyes until he is able to pick out the one he wants. He pauses only to sip at a cup of herbal tea—plain, no honey. He pauses to thoughtfully tap a thin reed pen against his teeth before dipping it into special vegetable-based ink, and filling out the invoice. It is dull work, but Joseph’s particular skill is in the details. He blinks, rubs his eyes, yawns, and stretches. Slowly rising, he watches the moon hanging over the desert.

Read the innovative biblio-drama drash by Rabbi David Hartley Mark

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Weekly Thoughts - Vayigash

Here's the first biblical example of forgiveness.

Rabbi Benji

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LANGUAGE OF THE HEART

Then Judah approached him and said, "Please, my lord, let now your servant speak something into my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be kindled against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. - Gen. 44:18

When Judah pleads with the “Egyptian viceroy” not to take Benjamin as a slave, he doesn’t know that this powerful official is actually his own brother Joseph. He doesn’t know the viceroy understands Hebrew; until this moment they’ve been communicating through an interpreter. So why does Judah now ask to speak in the viceroy’s ears, in a language an Egyptian wouldn’t understand?

Rabbi Yosef Dov Soleveichik explains that Judah wants the viceroy to hear the raw emotion in his voice as he pleads for his younger brother. The language of the heart doesn’t need translation. A similar situation happened to the great sage known as the Chofetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, 1838-1933.) A harsh decree against the Jews had been passed and the Chofetz Chaim went to a government official to plead for mercy on behalf of his people. As a translator began to translate the Chofetz Chaim’s words from Yiddish, the official interrupted and said that no translation was necessary. The emotion in the rabbi’s voice came through loud and clear and the decree was lessened.

Rabbi Soleveichik provides another insight into this verse, focusing on the art of persuasion. If you want to convince somebody of something, you first have to make sure they’re open to hearing what you have to say. If the person is close-minded, even the most articulate argument won’t make a difference. When Judah asks if he can “speak in the ears” of the viceroy, he’s asking for a fair hearing. Benjamin Rose finds a powerful lesson in this teaching. Before launching into an impassioned attempt to convince someone of something, start by saying “If what I say makes sense, are you willing to change you mind?” Imagine how much better the world would be if we all had the humility to listen fairly to an opposing argument!

Image: “The Triumph of Joseph” by Hilaire Pader, 1657

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