Brothers for Life

It’s true that we bless our children to be like Ephraim and Menashe, but that doesn’t discount the positive, eternal lessons to be drawn from the shevatim and how they ultimately helped and balanced out each other to play the final role in redemption.

You Get What You Fight For

Though Yehudah was compelled to approach Yosef for the return of Binyamin, there was still an effort taking place to correct an action in which he previously erred. He played a major role in the sale of Yosef, and now he comes to fix that action.

Yehudah doesn’t merely come before Yosef with a few words. He delivers a powerful plea and reason on why to free Binyamin. He had to hold back from his warrior tendencies and focus on the task at hand to help his bereaving father, in addition to not losing his own Olam Haba. Nevertheless, he succeeds, and his fight for Binyamin is a success.

Later, when the shevatim separate into the ten shevatim comprising Malchut Yisrael and the two shevatim making up Malchut Yehudah, the Ben Melech notes that we find that the two shevatim of Yehudah and Binyamin endure. It becomes evident that Yehudah fought for Binyamin, and they became an interconnected entity that lasted.

We learn from the Yehudah-Binyamin phenomenon that when you fight for something, you might not only achieve success at the moment with that person, but you can create a lasting legacy with them in a powerful kingship.

Enough and More

Leah names Yehudah specifically with the intent to express her gratitude to G-d. The fundamental trait a Jew, “ivri,” must have is gratefulness. In Leah’s eyes, she got everything she needed. Yehudah signified the notion of enough, with no more growth needed.

In contrast, Rachel gives the name Yosef, which means more, to add. Rachel pierces the notion that enough is not good enough. And in Yosef, we find a dreamer who always wants more, who is always growing, never satisfied, never admitting the journey is over, and therefore not a personification of stoppage.

Rabbi Pinto explains that this is why the brothers wanted to kill him. They saw in Yosef someone who wouldn’t be satisfied with what he had. They saw a danger in that he always wanted more.

But there was a mistake in the brothers’ judgment. Yosef’s desire for more wasn’t personally driven. He was the vessel to provide for others. He assisted many in his life, not to mention sustaining Egypt. Yosef’s necessity for more, without being content, was his essence.

There now is a double responsibility on each person to be a manifestation of Yehudah, to always have gratitude, but also to have an aspect of Yosef, to never stop growing and using your talents to help the klal.

A Natural Ending

With these two manifestations, the roles of Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David become apparent. Moshiach ben Yosef dies in battle, putting his life on the line for the klal. He’s always moving, adding, fighting, looking for the next opportunity to bring light into the world. But when Moshiach ben David, of the Malchut Yehudah line, comes on the scene, redemption has occurred, and there is no need for future growth as we now experience the light and clarity of G-d’s presence.

Conclusion

Uniformity isn’t always the best, yet harmony is certainly valuable. In the saga of the brothers, we see much pain and anguish. But if we look deeper, we see the ways of the world. Yehudah fought for Binyamin and ultimately, he was side-by-side with him in Malchut Yehudah. Yehudah was a manifestation of “hoda’ah,” thanks, to be happy with what you have, with no need to seek more. Yosef was an adder, a builder, a figure that was always on the move, the ultimate leader of the free world. He had no time to stop, acknowledge, and be satisfied, something the shevatim felt needed to be eradicated. But it is Yosef’s passion that ultimately sets the stage for Yehudah’s final reign when G-d will be seen by all, and there will be no more need for additions to a world full of G-d’s light.