Yehuda has transformed from a narcissistic young man into someone who considers others' needs before his own. When his brother Binyamin is accused of theft in Egypt, Yehuda rejects abandoning Binyamin or joining him in slavery. Instead, he offers himself in Binyamin's place, showing he has learned lessons of self-sacrifice, empathy, and responsibility from his daughter-in-law Tamar. Yehuda now displays leadership that places others' needs above his own, exemplifying true Jewish leadership of saving God's people through self-sacrifice.

1. Echoes of Eden
Rabbi Ari Kahn
Parashat Vayigash 5775
Becoming Yehuda
Eleven sons of Yaakov stand, accused and threatened, before one of the most
powerful men in the world, second in command in a regime not known for
compassion or forgiveness. They must make a decision, and their options,
though seemingly straightforward, are actually quite complex.
Once again, a son of Rachel has apparently behaved in an unseemly fashion.
When Binyamin is caught with the cup of the powerful leader in his bag, the
brothers are faced with several possible choices. Self-preservation would
dictate that they part ways with their brother
Binyamin just as they did with Yosef years ago;
however, their present situation seems much
more complicated. The only reason Binyamin
has joined them in Egypt is to serve as proof
that they are, in fact, brothers, and not spies.
Like true brothers, they could close ranks and
follow Binyamin wherever fate takes him, be it
incarceration or even death, and demand that
they all be treated as one family, sharing the
same fate. Perhaps this moral stance would
help them assuage their own consciences,
though it would most likely not achieve any
other desirable results. Should they gamble that opting to share in
Binyamin’s punishment will convince their Egyptian tormentor that they
have been speaking the truth, that they are, in fact, brothers, and that they
should all be set free?
What if they choose the opposite path, the option being offered to them by
the Egyptian justice system, and simply walk away, washing their hands of
their brother, the last remaining favored son of the favored wife? If they
accept the offer, cut their losses, and leave Binyamin behind, will they fail
the test they are being put through, thus sealing their own doom as well as
1
…
If
they
accept
the
offer,
cut
their
losses,
and
leave
Binyamin
behind,
will
they
fail
the
test
they
are
being
put
through…?

2. Binyamin’s? Is this a test, a trap, or a straightforward execution of Egyptian
justice?
Faced with this quagmire, Yehuda suggests a third solution - a solution that
seems, given his personal track record, completely uncharacteristic and
unexpected. Yehuda suggests that he and Binyamin change places: Binyamin
will go home to his father, while Yehuda will face a life of servitude.
Yehuda’s first “speaking role” in the Torah is in the scene on the outskirts of
Dotan, in the Land of Israel. Yosef has been stripped of his special coat and
thrown into a pit, and the brothers table two possibilities: Murder Yosef in
cold blood, or leave, him in the pit to die as nature takes its course. For the
first time, Yehuda speaks; apparently, he is so charismatic that all the
alternative plans suggested by his brothers are quickly abandoned, and his
plan embraced: In his first known attempt at leadership, Yehuda proposes
that they sell their brother into slavery rather than killing him. Yehuda
speaks and his brothers listen.
This solution is both cunning and self-serving: Not nearly as messy as
murder, neither in a literal nor emotional sense, Yehuda’s plan manages to
“remove” Yosef without bloodshed while turning a handsome profit. In one
fell swoop, the “Yosef Problem” is solved and Yehuda is established as leader
of the brothers. There is no expression or even intimation of concern for his
father or for Yosef.
The chapter immediately following the sale of Yosef reinforces what we
have already seen of Yehuda’s character: He is charismatic, self-absorbed,
self-involved, and gives no thought whatsoever to his daughter-in-law
Tamar’s needs or feelings. We might be tempted to describe him as a
borderline narcissistic personality, for whom the concept of “empathy,” if it
exists in his lexicon at all, is something others should have for him, and not
vice versa.
And yet, as he stands before this strange and menacing Egyptian prince, a
different Yehuda emerges. Something, or someone, has transformed him
from the narcissistic young man he once was into a person who considers
others’ needs before his own. To be sure, years have passed and the tragedy
of losing two of his own sons has had some impact – but there is something
more to his metamorphosis. Yehuda goes far beyond what we would expect
Echoes of Eden

3. from an empathetic person. He does not merely beg for mercy on his brother
Binyamin’s behalf. He is willing – wholeheartedly and immediately – to
sacrifice himself in order to save Binyamin, in order to spare his father any
more pain, in order to fulfill the promise he made to Yaakov. He takes a
leadership role, but more importantly, he takes responsibility.
How did this change come about? Simply stated, Yehuda had a very good
teacher. The person who changed him, who taught him self-sacrifice, was an
elegant woman with an extreme sense of morality and justice: His daughter-
in-law Tamar. Yehuda had abandoned Tamar, in effect sentencing her to a
life in limbo as a “living widow.” Tamar
took her fate into her own hands, and
seduced the willing Yehuda by pretending
to be a prostitute. However, when she
stood accused of adultery, she chose the
moral high ground. Rather than publicly
exposing Yehuda’s hypocrisy and taking
him to task for his selfish disregard of his
legal and moral obligations, she decided not
to embarrass him or to seek revenge. As she
was led to her own execution, she sent a
cryptic message that hinted at the identity of her paramour - a message that
only Yehuda could decipher. And then, something magical happened: The
self-absorbed borderline-narcissist developed a conscience, and admitted
his guilt. What happened? Why did Yehuda make this dramatic admission
when no one would ever know the damning truth?
Tamar’s self-sacrifice taught Yehuda a powerful lesson and transformed him
from selfish to selfless. Now, as Yehuda unknowingly stands before his
estranged brother, he rejects the two options that are on the table. He will
neither abandon his brother and sentence him to a life of slavery, as he
himself had once advocated, nor will he make the futile gesture of joining
Binyamin in servitude. He makes an unexpected third choice, offering
himself in Binyamin’s stead: His youngest brother must be returned to their
father. Yehuda has learned and internalized the lessons he learned from
Tamar: Self-sacrifice, empathy, responsibility – and love.
The contrast between this scene and the scene at the mouth of the pit in
Dotan is unmistakable. Yehuda is still a leader, but he now displays a
Echoes of Eden
The
self-­‐absorbed
borderline-­‐narcissist
developed
a
conscience,
and
admitted
his
guilt.

4. different type of leadership. The qualities he has learned, the qualities he
will bequeath to his descendants, are the defining qualities of true Jewish
leadership, from David through the Messiah: Self-sacrifice, empathy and an
immutable moral compass. Yehuda places the needs of others before his
own. This sort of leadership was, and always will be, the catalyst for the
salvation of the Jewish People.
For
a
more
in-­‐depth
analysis
see:
http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2014/12/audio-­‐and-­‐essays-­‐parashat-­‐vayigash.html
Echoes of Eden