Last week Yosef pushed his brothers to the edge. After framing and enslaving Binyamin, Yosef told the rest of them to go home to their father in peace. Adrenaline pumping and dangerously low on patience, Yehuda steps forward to argue their case.
Yehuda recounts the whole story from the beginning. He reminds Yosef of his irrational demand to see their younger brother Binyamin and how difficult it was for Yaakov to let Binyamin make the journey to Egypt. He tells of Yaakov’s intense love for Binyamin and how Yaakov would literally die if they returned home without him. Finally, Yehuda offers himself as a slave in exchange for Binyamin’s freedom (Bereishit 44:18-34). This is the gist of Yehuda’s speech as it appears in the text, but the Midrash Tanchuma records a much more colorful dialog:
Yehuda said, “I swear by the life of my righteous father… If I unsheathe my sword, I’ll fill all of Egypt with corpses.”
Yosef retorted, “If you unsheathe your sword, I’ll wrap it around your neck”…
Yehuda: What will I tell my father?
Yosef: Tell him the rope followed the bucket (i.e. Binyamin went the way of Yosef).
Yehuda: This is an injustice!
Yosef: There’s no injustice like the sale of your brother.
Yehuda: The fire of Shechem is burning in me!
Yosef: I think it’s just the fire of your daughter-in-law Tamar…
Yehuda: I’m going to paint the Egyptian market with blood!
Yosef: You’re an experienced painter. You painted your brother’s coat with blood…
It is not uncommon for the Midrash to record oral traditions not found in the Torah text, but Nechama Leibowitz suggests a non-literal reading of our Midrash. The sparring is not an actual dialog between Yehuda and Yosef; it’s a dialog between Yehuda and himself. Standing up for Binyamin brought on an onslaught of accusations from Yehuda’s past. Feelings of guilt and hypocrisy roiled within him. The taunting voice of Yosef is in Yehuda’s head.
“I am Yosef! Is my father still alive?” (Bereishit 45:3). Yosef revealed himself to his brothers with these words, but there’s an obvious problem here that’s often lost in the drama. Why is Yosef asking if Yaakov is alive? Didn’t Yehuda just tell him that he must bring Binyamin home or else Yaakov will die? If Yosef knows that Yaakov is alive why is he asking the question?
The Beis HaLevi (Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveichik, 1820-1892) explains that Yosef’s question is arhetorical one, and it is a blunt retort to Yehuda’s plea:
You hypocrite! You’re worried about our father’s health? You say that if Binyamin doesn’t return home it’ll kill Yaakov? Were you so concerned about our father’s health when you got rid of me?! I am Yosef. Is my father still alive!?
Yosef’s devastating words silenced his brothers. “His brothers were so startled, they could not respond” (ibid). When hypocrisy is exposed, there is nothing to say.
Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Shimon said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Azariah, “If when Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef’… they couldn’t answer him, then certainly when G-d challenges every individual and recounts what they have done… no one will be able to stand up to Him” (Tanchuma).
G-d’s rebuke of man, says the Midrash, follows Yosef’s style. The Beis HaLevi gives the following illustration: “For example, one who does not give tzedakah (charity to Jewish causes) says to himself that he has a good excuse, it’s not easy to make a living and cover a family’s many basic necessities. He’s just unable to give his money away… However, [G-d] will show him his own behavior… He spends plenty of money on inappropriate things - to satisfy a forbidden desire or for self-aggrandizement or over a conflict…”
Nothing makes man more uncomfortable than when he is made aware of the inconsistencies in his life. It silenced the great brothers of Yosef, it silenced the rage of Yehuda and it silences us all when we stand before G-d. But it does not put an end to a relationship. We can move on.
Yosef said to his brothers, “Please, come close to me.” When they came closer, he said, “I am Yosef your brother! You sold me to Egypt. Now don’t worry or feel guilty because you sold me. Look! G-d sent me ahead of you to save lives.”… Yosef kissed all of his brothers and wept on their [shoulders]. After that, his brothers conversed with him (45:4-5,15).
The depth of Yosef’s love for his brothers ran deeper than their crime. Our relationship with G-d is no different.
