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- Judah’s moving appeal and spirit of self-sacrifice in behalf of his brother well being tore Joseph’s affectionate heart apart. He knew that his brothers had changed completely, and that they would rather die than give Benjamin away as a slave.
www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246629/jewish/Joseph-Reveals-His-Identity.htm
From Joseph being sold to the Midianites, to the confrontation of the brothers and Joseph in Egypt, and to Jacob's blessings to them before his eventual passing, Joseph and Judah demonstrate different but important leadership qualities as they each have moral struggles they have to work through.
- In Focus
- Pshat
- Drash
Then Judah approached him [Joseph] and said: “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let your anger not flare against your servant–for you are like Pharaoh!” (Genesis 44:18)
When it appears that Benjamin will be taken away as a servant to Joseph as punishment for apparently stealing the (planted) goblet, Judah steps forward and heroically defends him, offering himself instead. He speaks humbly but eloquently, begging for mercy on Benjamin’s behalf, pleading their elderly father would be utterly heartbroken.
Judah’s defense of Benjamin is one of the most heroic moments in the Torah; Judah seems to be selflessly sacrificing himself for the sake of his brother and father. He has changed since the day that he and his brothers threw Joseph into the pit, many years earlier. At that time, it was Judah who suggested selling Joseph into slavery in the first pl...
This confrontation between Judah and Joseph is deeper and more meaningful than just a story. It is two worldviews colliding, eventually ending with Judah reigning supreme. What are these two approaches? The Zohar 3 says that Judah's approaching Joseph is the same idea as juxtaposing geulah (redemption) to tefillah (prayer).
Neo-Hasidism may have chosen Judah over Joseph, but it still largely viewed itself within the Joseph-Judah paradigm. That is, neo-Hasidism saw Joseph for what he was, the exemplar of legal formalism, and rejected (or de-emphasized) him. But in doing so, it remained haunted by the specter of Joseph.
- Shaul Magid
In a fit of rage Judah grabbed a big marble block and crushed it between his hands into small fragments and rubble. Not to be outdone, Joseph winked to his son Manasseh. The latter came up to Judah, and angrily stamped his foot on the marble floor so that all the walls of the palace shook.
- Nissan Mindel
Then Judah changed his tactics and appealed to Joseph’s heart. He recounted the whole story of Jacob and his two beloved sons, whom his favorite wife, Rachel, had borne him in his old age. Judah told of his father’s grief when one of them had disappeared from home.
Dec 30, 2020 · Why did the kingdom led by Judah survive its exile while the kingdom led by Joseph did not? Did Judah have something that Joseph lacked? To answer this question, we need to look back at...
