Bereishit 44:18
Then Judah went up to him…
Rashi
THEN JUDAH CAME NEAR TO HIM: May my words penetrate into your ears.
THEN JUDAH CAME NEAR TO HIM: May my words penetrate into your ears.
Bereishit 93:6
R Elazar said: … If it is for battle that I must prepare myself; if it is for persuasion that I must prepare myself, I am coming; if it is for prayer that I must prepare myself, I am coming!
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
Joseph and Judah: We see the duality is woven throughout our history, to the point that we ourselves are an example of it: The Jewish people today consists solely of descendants of Judah and Benjamin. … Even our eschatological texts describe a division between the Messiah son of David and the Messiah son of Joseph.
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Joseph possesses an aspect of glory that Judah lacks, in the real sense and in the esoteric sense. … Even from birth, Joseph has an advantage: He is smarter, more handsome, more successful, and more loved. … What in comparison to Joseph, does Judah have to offer? What is unique about him? It appears that Judah’s unique point is continuity and endurance. Judah perserveres … When Judah falls, he is able to get up again.
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Judah not only puts his life on the line but is also willing to face up to his past actions. The wide gulf between those actions and his present conduct is precisely what defines Judah’s essence.
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By contrast, Joseph — by nature and as a matter of principle — cannot change, cannot be flexible. He is a perfectionist, and this is precisely what breaks him.
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for someone like Judah — the true baal teshuva — the existence of flaws is intrinsic to him and to his personality. If he did not have flaws, he would not be who he is.
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Judah begins entirely from below … he begins from nothing.
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When Judah and Joseph interact, it is a meeting between perfection and adaptability. Throughout history, Joseph represents splendor, even heroism. In contrast, Judah is flawed and beleaguered, beset with difficulties; but in the end, Judah always prevails.
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[Joseph represents the universal, Judah the parochial.]
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together they comprise the tension that makes our lives so vibrant
Rabbi Yehudah Leib, Alter of Ger
I have taught elsewhere that truth and faith represent two rungs. These are represented by Joseph and Judah.
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By means of faith that God oversees all, a person can set himself right even in times of hiding. … When you negate yourself before this divine life-point, wanting to know the truth, it will be revealed to you.
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both are true, that both sorts of worship are to be found in every person. You need to realize the potential within you, to seek after the lost treasure within your own soul. This search after your own loss is the religious work of the weekday. But you also have to seek “help from the Holy” the newness that comes from heaven. That is the Sabbath, which is called the “a goodly gift.” That is why there is so much happiness and joy on the Sabbath, while the week requires much struggle and hard labor.