This week’s reading begins, “And Yehuda approached him,” [44:18] confronting Pharoah’s viceroy, his brother Yosef, on behalf of their brother Benyamin. Rashi says he now spoke harshly, with sharp words.
My teacher, Rav Asher Rubenstein zt”l, pointed to one of the hidden miracles of the story of Yosef and his brothers. It is found in last week’s portion, Miketz, when the brothers first come before Yosef. “And Yosef recognized his brothers, and they did not recognize him.” [42:8]
Just last night, my wife sent me a clip of my son-in-law from when he was thirteen, speaking at his Bar Mitzvah. She provided no context, as if the video had been taken that evening, and asked if I knew who the boy was. Despite the lack of context, I recognized him immediately. So did several of my children, including an older brother who lives elsewhere and does not see him often. And that is what reminded me of Yosef and his brothers, and what my Rebbe said about them.
How, he asked, can we explain the failure of Yosef’s brothers, who had been with him throughout his childhood until he was seventeen, to recognize him? Rashi says that he previously didn’t have a beard, and now he did. But that is not a sufficient explanation. There were eleven of them; surely one of them would see through his beard and recognize their brother underneath!
Clearly, Hashem did not want them to recognize him, and Yosef quickly realized this. He understood that they needed to show that their previous internal divisions had been replaced with unity, each brother concerned with the others.
The Alshich asks, what did Yehudah have to say, when he approached Yosef now? How could he complain about Benyamin being made a slave? He had already confessed to Yosef, and subjugated himself, Benyamin, and all the remaining brothers, at the end of last week’s reading: “And Yehuda said, ‘what can we say to our master, what can we speak, and how can we justify ourselves? G-d found the sin of your servants. We are the Servants of our Master, us and the one in whose hand the Goblet was found.'” [44:16]
To this, Yosef replied with leniency: “Heaven forbid I should act that way. The one in whose hands the Goblet was found, he shall be a servant to me, and you shall go up peacefully back to your father.” [44:17] So how does Yehuda, who had subjugated all of them as Yosef’s servants, have room to complain now?
And the Alshich answers: in the beginning, Yehuda believed that what was happening now was their punishment for the sale of Yosef their brother. Since they had sold him into servitude, now they themselves were to be punished as slaves. And this is why he said, “How can we justify ourselves? G-d found the sin of your servants.” The sin to which he was referring was the sale of Yosef! So they were all to be punished together, and Benyamin, as their brother, would have to share in their fate.
But then, once he saw that Yosef was planning to free all of them except Benyamin, the one who was completely innocent, he realized that what was happening had nothing to do with the sale of Yosef. If so, it was his obligation to stand up against the false accusation against Benyamin, and for all of them to unify around their brother to protect him. And that is why Yehuda, who was previously penintent and obedient, now stepped forward with sharp, critical language.
This is how Yosef knew he could now reveal himself. The brothers were no longer divided, but acting together, all supporting Yehuda as he argued on behalf of their innocent brother.
Unity in Israel is found when we set aside petty differences, appreciate each other, and strive together to defend the truth. That should always be our focus!
