Kings and Kinsmen
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat Vayigash begins with Yehudah approaching Yosef in what appears to be a high level summit meeting of two heads of state. It is easy to understand Yosef as the royal representative of his nation, but why is Yehudah the man representing Bnei Yisroel in what is meant to be high level stakes for Binyamin’s freedom. By referencing a verse in Tehillim, we can begin to probe the significance of this meeting: “Behold, the kings assembled, they came together (Psalms 48:5).” Our commentators understand these kings to refer to Yosef and Yehudah, two aspects of royalty and royal dynasties that would play important roles in the history of Bnei Yisroel. According to the medrash, the other brothers present recognized that something extraordinary was taking place between these two men. They therefore stood back and observed these two royal personages argue with each other.
It is an accepted maxim that two kings cannot rule simultaneously over the same realm. How can we then understand that both Yehudah and Yosef were the kings over Bnei Yisroel? Further, what were their inherent characteristics that made them the material of royalty?
In Ben Melech, Rabbi Minsberg notes that even in the animal kingdom there appear to be two “kings.” While the lion is usually referred to as the king of the animals, he is king over the wild beasts, while among the domesticated animals, the bull seems to reign supreme. In Yaakov Avinu’s blessing of his sons, Yehudah is compared to a lion from whom royalty will never depart, Yosef is compared to a bull. When we enumerate the seven “Shepherds” of our people, as we do on Sukkot with the Ushpizin/guests we invite, Yosef is included along with our Patriarchs, Moshe, Aharon, and David. How is Yosef included along with the other six obvious leaders and shepherds of our people?
In fact, continues Rabbi Minsberg, Yosef’s descendants did indeed shepherd the nation. Yehoshua, who led Bnei Yisroel into the Promised Land after Moshe’s death, was a descendant of Yosef through Ephraim, and Yeroboam ben Nevat was king of the Northern Kingdom when the Davidic Dynasty split after King Solomon’s death. As we readily see from our history, while the Davidic Dynasty is eternal and will reemerge with the coming of Moshiach, the Yosef reign is temporary. Some therefore see, that the ‘Yosef’ referred to in the Usphizin, is none other than Yoshua.
Rabbi Reiss finds allusions to these roles in the very names of these leaders. In Tehillim 81, Yosef is called YeHosef, the “Heh” of Hashem’s name being added to his original name. In contrast, Yehudah contains all four letters of Hashem’s name with the addition of a “Daled.” Rabbi Reiss suggests that their persona and their roles are already indicated in their names. Yosef, the son of Rachel who kept her silence, sanctified God’s Name in private, while Yehudah, whom Leah named as a public testament of gratitude to God, was destined to sanctify God’s name among the masses. Most conspicuous, perhaps, is Nachshon ben Aminadav, great, great great grandson of Yehudah who jumped into the Red Sea precipitating the splitting of its waters.
Let us go back directly to Yosef and Yehudah themselves. Yosef, although publicly viceroy of Egypt, manifested his nobility most in private, in his personal restraint against the advances of Potifar’s wife. On the other hand, Yehudah’s acceptance of responsibility was public. As soon as he realized that he was the secret father of Tamar’s twins, he acknowledged his role publicly, even at risk of inviting widespread scorn and condemnation.
Even Yosef’s dream hints at the source of Yosef’s greatness, continues Rabbi Reiss citing the medrash. Yosef relates that in his dream, kamah alumati/my sheaf [of wheat] rose up. But almah also means silence, that this trait of silence inherited from his mother was the source of his rising to greatness. And when he achieved the public greatness in Egypt, Yosef was given the additional name of Tzofnat Paneach/The Hiddenness Revealer. One would expect Revealer to precede Hiddenness, calling him The Revealer of the Hidden. That would certainly seem more logical than this configuration. However, the essence of Yosef was his inner strength and spirit, not what appeared outwardly. Even Yosef’s reported preening such as curling his hair was meant to camouflage his inner pure spirit. In essence, Yehudah is the public personality while Yosef is the inner, private personality.
Bnei Yisroel is like one body with multiple limbs, explains Rav Moshe Shapiro in Mima’amakim quoting the Maharal. In this analogy, Yosef represents the heart of desire while Yehudah represents the head that leads to action. In human psychology, desire and ideation precede action. As Jews, we are asked to turn both towards Hashem’s service, to elevate both desire and action, and thus to coronate Hashem as our King and Commander. When the two are not aligned, we need the outer structure of kingship to move us in the right direction.
This explains why our first king, King Saul, had to be descended from Rachel who epitomized the inner heart of our people. Saul’s mission was to prepare the hearts of Bnei Yisroel to accept a king who would act in full accordance with Hashem’s will. Had Saul succeeded, his dynasty would have ruled alongside the Davidic dynasty. Unfortunately, by bowing to the desires of the people and failing to eradicate Amalek, to control his own heart, sovereignty was torn from him, and David’s would be the only eternal dynasty.
Later in our history, when the Nation split, the Northern Kingdom was ruled by King Yerovoam from the Tribe of Ephraim, son of Yosef. Yerovoam was able to turn the people’s hearts away from Hakodosh Boruch Hu and created a new holiday to worship an idol. This wound in the heart of of the nation precipitated the exile of the Ten Tribes under his dominion so that they are “lost” to the Body of Israel. [Only within the last 50-75 years are we “finding” these lost tribes and incorporating them into Knesset Yisroel, a phenomenon many see as the beginning footsteps of the coming of Moshiach. CKS]
King David also sinned. Why did he not lose the crown? David’s sins were sins of the heart. Since David’s dynasty was predicated on the mind rather than the heart, the basis for its dominion remained intact.
While ten tribes followed Yeroboam, the Tribe of Binyamin remained with Yehudah. The destinies of Binyamin and Yehudah were interwoven. The Beit Hamikdosh, the “heart” of Bnei Yisroel was in Binyamin’s territory which itself was as a finger protruding into Yehudah’s territory. Further, Binyamin felt tremendous gratitude to Yehudah for risking his life to save him from imprisonment by the Egyptian Viceroy, the disguised Yosef.
Yosef, or more generally Rachel, the heart, always had to precede the practical head. So Yehoshua, had to lead Bnei Yisroel into the Promised Land, and Saul had to be the first king of Israel. But in the future, the two will be united. Both in Tehillim (80:2) and in the Prophet Amos (5:16) the entire nation is called Yosef, while in all of Megillat Esther the nation is called Yehudi even though Mordechai and Esther were from the Tribe of Binyamin (actually descendants of King Saul, CKS). [And in Yirmiyahu 31:19 Hashem calls Bnei Yisroel, “My beloved son Ephraim.” CKS]
This future unity is alluded to in the first words of this Parshah, “Vayigash eilov Yehudah/And Yehudah approached [Yosef].” When Moshiach comes, the power of the heart and the power of the mind will unite and, depending on the immediate circumstances, the heart or the mind would take the lead, alternating as necessary, to lead Bnei Yisroel in revealing God’s glory.
The roles of Malchut Yosef and Malchut Yehudah are not parallel, but of sowing versus reaping, for example, of inner preparation and outer manifestation, continues Mima’amakim. Throughout history, one or the other served to protect us from our enemies. Yehudah’s humility in publicly confessing his role for Tamar’s pregnancy is a foil for the haughtiness of Edom/Rome, while Yosef’s control of his inner world is a foil for wild animal that characterizes Yishmael. When the two unite, they will have the power to vanquish all enemies. The entire Book of Bereishit is about these two areas. The generation of the flood was corrupted in its passions and desires, while the generation that built the Tower of Babel was so haughty they wanted to challenge God in the heavens.
The challenge of the times decides whether our best tool is restraint and silence or action. The two models may shift quickly. In the events surrounding our Purim holiday, for example, Esther remained silent and secretive about her background. Yet, when the time came, she first urged Mordechai to take action through [service of the heart, internal] prayer, and then took action by approaching Ahashuerosh, denouncing Haman, and extracting the king’s permission to wage war against the enemies of the Jews. Heart, speech and action must be in sync with Hashem’s will and with the circumstances of the time. A third model of a kingdom united with both will be realized at the end of days.
As with everything the Torah records, it is important that we find the personal message for our own lives. The brothers stood in awe observing these two giants in full control over themselves. We need to understand that we also need to be the king and ruler over ourselves, writes Rabbi Mordechai Ezrachi. Rather than allow circumstances or desires to dictate our actions, we must focus both our minds and our hearts toward doing what is right in the eyes of God. [As a secular poet William Ernest Henley wrote, we must realize that “I am master of my fate; I am captain of my soul.” CKS]
This is the essence of true royalty, explains Rabbi Bloch. Royalty based on power over others is completely external and fickle. In contrast, royalty based on one’s integrity, on one’s mastery over self, is admired by others and gains their allegiance. It provides a model for others to follow, as it did for the brothers. Yosef became viceroy through the integrity others recognized within him, and Yehudah demonstrated his integrity by his willingness to be humiliated for the sake of truth and justice. In this manner, two kings can indeed approach each other with respect and acceptance. Thus, Yehudah and Yosef, who both exemplified the traits of self control, humility and forethought, could indeed approach each other.
In Shaarei Derech, Rabbi Fryman suggests that the title Melech is itself an acronym for the requisite traits of a true king: M=Moach/mind, L=Lev/heart, C(K)=Koved/liver/symbol of physicality. Thus, one must first control one’s mind, then turn one’s heart to desire that which is correct, and then the physical manifestations of these will follow through action. As Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz notes, one’s thoughts have the power to elevate [or lower] a person, so that a person will move only in ways that are consistent with his thoughts. If we have the thought, we can will ourselves to do things we would otherwise not feel like doing, adds Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv. Focus your thoughts and desires on doing the right thing and then follow through. We improve ourselves through this process. In other words, using today’s vernacular, “Fake it until you make it.”
Yaakov Avinu, in blessings his sons before his death, recognizes the traits of each of his sons. He grants both Yehudah and Yosef leadership, based on their inherent character. Why? Because, according to Rabbi Lopiansky, he recognized in both Yehudah and Yosef his own defining quality, the quality of emes/truth. But each possessed a different aspect of truth. Yosef was an ish emes/man of truth. He sees things in absolute truth, unvarnished by any human perception. This is the quality of angels. Yehudah took this one step further. He was modeh al ha’emes/a person who admits the truth. Yehudah lets the truth penetrate his heart so that he recognizes his errors and his guilt, and accepts full responsibility even at great personal risk. When Yehudah approached Yosef here and took full responsibility not only for Binyamin’s predicament, but also for the sale of Yosef, Yosef was overcome with such a demonstration of truth and had to restrain himself from bursting out crying.
Dovid Hamelech carried on Yehudah’s legacy, admitting his sin and doing teshuvah, exemplifying truth as it needs to be practiced on earth. Yosef knew the truth of angels, those beings who never sin. At the end of days, these two will merge. Until then, each of us has the responsibility to search for Truth through our minds and our hearts, and then act in ways that align with that Truth.