A Taste of Torah in honor of Shabbat
from Rabbi Avi Weiss

Parshat Vayigash
JANUARY 5-6, 2001 / 11 TEVET 5761

YEHUDAH: A FITTING MODEL OF RECONCILIATION

Our portion opens with Yehudah (Judah) standing before Yosef (Joseph).  Through Yehudah's plea, the entire family of Ya'akov (Jacob) is kept intact.  It is fitting that it is Yehudah, among all of the brothers, who is responsible for this large family reunion because he succeeded in bringing his smaller nuclear family together again.

Yehudah, earlier in the book of Genesis, is blessed with twins--born from Tamar.  His twins fundamentally differ from the other set found in Genesis.  From the womb possibly the most famous set of twins, Ya'akov and Esav (Esau) struggle.  Rivkah (Rebecca), their mother, is in fact told that their struggle is indicative of an ongoing battle they would be engaged in throughout their lives.  In fact the words used in this prophecy, verav ya-avod tzair (Genesis 25:23) can either mean the older one (rav) will serve the younger one or that the younger one will be in great (rav) service of the older one.  This difference reflects their endless battles, not only in their lives, but throughout their nations histories. 

When Yehuda's twins, Zerach and Peretz, are born to him and Tamar the picture differs.  Zerach puts his hand out first.  The midwife ties a scarlet string (shani) on his hand to indicate he was first.  (Genesis 38:28)  But the  emergence of the hand does not constitute being born first.  Rabbi David Silber beautifully points out that the word shani spelled with a shin, nun and yud can also be revocalized as sheni, meaning second.  In other words through the midwife's action it becomes clearer that Zerach would be second; the eldest would be Peretz who would at the last moment spring forward from his mother's womb first.  For the first time in Genesis, all children in the family find their true place. 

This is in marked contrast to what had transpired until now. Of Adam, only Shet survives as Noah comes from him.  From the children of Noah, Shem is selected, as Avraham (Abraham) is his descendant.  It is Yitzchak (Isaac), not Yishmael, and it is Ya'akov, not Esav who are chosen a  patriarchs.  

Yehudah's case was the first in which neither of his children was cast aside.  Both count.  Conflicts within the family were resolved.  

Rabbi Silber argues that Yehudah therefore knows the importance of bringing the entire family of Ya'akov together having done so with his inner family. 

This in fact is the flow of Genesis.  It moves from family fragmentation to family reconciliation.  Only after Ya'akov embraces all of his children can the nation of Israel be born.  The model of our nation is family and the cornerstone of family is that everyone counts, everyone can make a contribution. 

As I travel with a wonderful group through Israel this week to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters especially those in beleaguered areas, I have been struck by the dissention, the fragmentation that permeates all of Israel.  In these times of great stress in the State of Israel, each of us, along with all of Am Yisrael, needs to desperately heed Yehudah's message of unity, togetherness and respect….the true message of family. 

Shabbat Shalom!