I the latter half of the book of Genesis, the two major figures are Joseph and Judah. Although most of the emphasis, both in the text and the commentaries, focuses upon the story of Joseph, it is the history of Judah that is most consequential for Jewish history. Judah’s legacy ultimately becomes the destiny of Israel in the anticipation of the Moshiach, who will be a descendant of Judah.
At first, Judah is introduced to us in a negative and disturbing manner. His story truly begins after he advises his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery and Joseph was taken to Egypt. The Torah, introduces Judah in the following manner: “And it came to pass at that time that Judah went down (Vayered Judah) from his brothers.” (Genesis 38:1). Rashi explains the text as follows: “Why is this section stated here and the story of Joseph interrupted? To teach, that the brothers of Judah lowered him from his greatness when they observed the grief of their father. They said to him, ‘you told us to sell him. But had you told us to return him, we also would have listened to you.’” (Ibid.)
It is important to note how Yehduda responded to this accusation. He did not express any remorse, nor did he confess his irresponsible behavior or ask forgiveness for the pain that he had caused his father. He proceeded to leave his family and acquire a new circle of friends, married an anonymous woman, and has three sons. He acquires a wife called Tamar for his elder son Eir. According to Rashi, God proceeds to kill Eir because he refused to impregnate his wife in order not to denigrate her beauty. The second son, Onan, married his dead brother’s wife in a levirate marriage. He too refused to impregnate her, for he did not wish to bequeath his brother the legacy of his own children. God thus took his life as well. The underlying trait which caused the death of both of these sons was selfishness.
Rather than learning from these tragic events, Judah compounded their selfishness with his own. Rather than fulfill the obligation of providing Tamar with a levirate marriage to his third son, Shela, Judah deliberately violated the will of God and prevaricates his obligation by endlessly delaying the marriage of Shela. Would he not have been a better father by teaching his son his proper religious obligations?
Judah came to learn the consequences of these failures. He soon found himself in circumstances where he has intimate relations with his daughter-in-law under the assumption that she as a harlot. What most concerned him about his action was that his behavior not be discovered. (Compare that behavior with that of Joseph who did everything not be entrapped by his master’s wife.) Judah’s selfishness and self-centeredness almost reaches the point of no return when he condemned Tamar to death as a result of his own action. That final crucial moment, is one of self-recognition when he finally admitted Tamar’s righteousness and his own guilt.
It is only after that act of recognition that Judah was transformed and understood the importance of caring for others. That eventually allowed Jacob to trust him when Judah swore that he would return Benjamin to him. Indeed, Judah’s petition to Joseph on behalf of Benjamin is one that is worthy of a great leader, who puts his family above his own needs. It is this action which eventually conferred royalty upon Judah and his descendants, who would be known as the house of David.
It is important to understand that the process of transformation which Judah underwent would be a model for the royal descendants who succeeded him. All had to struggle with demons who made them self-centered and selfish and angels who transformed them to be true leaders of their people.
Historically, the major king of Israel was David. He too demonstrated similar tendencies of selfishness and moral weakness. His desire for Bat Sheva caused him to conspire to have her husband murdered in battle. Although the Rabbis found various rationales to halakhically justify this behavior, one cannot escape the fact that David was clearly rebuked by the prophet Natan for his actions.
Similarly, David did not train his children in to behave morally. Amnon’s treatment of Tamar was scurrilous. Even more troubling was the ensuing murder of Amnon by Absalom. Rather than punishing Absalom, David simply sent him into exile. For some undiscernible reason, David loved the vain Absalom more than his other children. Absalom repaid his father’s love by starting a revolution against David which almost killed David and destroyed Israel. He was finally destroyed by his own vanity and David’s nephew, Yoav, who was David’s senior general. Rather than expressing gratitude towards Yoav, David felt hatred to him for killing Absalom, (as well as Yoav’s treachery against Abner, Saul’s general). On his deathbed, David made sure that Yoav would not die a natural death.
Despite these failings, David became the greatest king in Jewish history. He captured Jerusalem and unified the disparate tribes into one nation. Solomon who succeeded David also had his failings. His alliances with idolatrous nations through marriage allowed idolatry to flourish in Israel. Despite these failings the prestige of Israel was increased and it was he who built the holy Temple. In his case as well, his greatest failing was inability to properly raise his children. His mean spirited son Rechavam brought the country to civil war from which it never recovered. Israel was broken into two nations, each relying upon pagan empires (Egypt and Assyria) to weaken and destroy the other. Solomon poignantly understood his failings in the great work that is attributed to him, Kohelet, where he recognized that there is no greater purpose than to do the will of God and observe the Torah.
We thus see a direct lineage in the leadership of Israel which stems from Judah. Leadership is a great responsibility. Leaders are, however, human beings and are always subject to human frailty. A great leader is one who recognizes the seduction of self-interest, but is able to overcome that natural blindness and fully accept his his obligation to God and his people. That is a dichotomy –but its resolution is the true legacy of Judah.
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