Judah: Growing In Grace
Judah And Tamar (Gen 38) ~ Judah And Joseph (Gen 44)
The story of the sale of Joseph is a very familiar one, and Judah played a main role in
it, from the very earliest stages of his brothers' campaign against Joseph. It was he who suggested selling Joseph
as a slave to Egypt, rather than killing him or leaving him to die in the pit, as Reuben suggested. Later, it was Judah
again, who succeeded in convincing Jacob to allow Benjamin to go down to Egypt together with his brothers (unlike
Reuben, who could not convince their father). In this story (Genesis chapter 44) we find Judah standing before Joseph
and offering himself as a servant instead of Benjamin.
Another story in Torah, which contributes to
our understanding of Judah's actions in this situation, is the story of Judah and Tamar. (Gen 38) Why did the Torah record
the story of Judah and Tamar immediately after the account of Joseph's sale?
The story of Judah and Tamar is recorded immediately after the story of the sale of Joseph, thus creating
a background to the encounter between Judah and Joseph, with some interesting paralles.
"Please recognize" the brothers declared, presenting Joseph's blood-drenched
coat to Jacob, and "Please recognize" declared Tamar, presenting Judah
with the items that he had left in her safekeeping.
The two central figures in Genesis chapter 44 - Judah and Joseph, take center stage separately: Judah's
grappling with the story of Tamar, and Joseph's grappling with his own situation in Egypt. The way in which they addressed
the challenges that faced them, teaches us much about their characters.
Judah first fell, then mended his ways. His failure was due to his fear
of allowing his youngest son to marry Tamar, and in his insensitive treatment of her ~ first ~
"Remain a widow in your father's house." (Gen 38:11) then ~ "Bring
her out and let her be burned." (Gen 38:24) Tamar, in her wisdom, caused Judah to retract this decree
and to mend his ways: "She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shela
my son." Gen 38:26 In contrast - Joseph did not fail - even when tempted by Potifar's wife.
Overcoming Fear
In the story of Judah and Tamar, Judah refrained from giving his third son, Shela, to Tamar, out of
fear that he too will die, like his brothers, and he will have no children left. In the encounter between Judah
and Joseph, Judah described an identical situation in relation to Jacob, his father:
"And your
servant, my father, said to us: You know that my wife bore me two sons. One went out from me,
and I said, he has surely been torn apart. And I never saw him since. If you take this one from me and
some calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to Sheol." Gen 44:27-29
Jacob, too, feared for the life of his youngest son, Benjamin, lest he 'die' like his older brother, and
resisted handing him over to his brothers when they were ready to return to Egypt.
Jacob described Benjamin as the third son who was to be taken from him: "You have
bereaved me of my children: Joseph is gone and Simon is gone, and you will take Benjamin, all of
this has befallen me." Gen 42:36 In exactly the same way, Judah felt that Er was gone, Onan was gone,
and therefore he had to be especially careful with his third son.
Judah's identification with his
father Jacob is evident. By the end of the story Judah realized his mistake, repaired his ways
and came to his father to persuade him to allow Benjamin to go with him to Egypt.
The Pledge Of Commitment
In both cases (with Tamar and with Joseph), Judah gave a pledge. In his encounter with Tamar he gave her his
staff, his signet and his cord. The pledge remained with Tamar, and it was through it that she was able to
convince Judah of his mistake in judging her so hastily.
In his speech to Joseph, Judah mentioned his pledge to Jacob: "For your servant was
surety for the boy to my father, saying, if I fail to bring him to you, I will
have sinned to my father forever." Gen 44:32
Judah gave Tamar his personal
effects, demonstrating his commitment. Likewise with Joseph, he made himself a surety for Benjamin,
again demonstrating personal commitment. Judah was ready to serve as surety for Benjamin, proposing to
be a slave in Egypt in his brother's place, thus going beyond what was expected of him. Knowing that his father
would prefer his brother's return to his own, he suggested that Benjamin's servitude be exchanged for his own.
Money - in both instances there was a problem with the payment. Judah sent a goat
as payment for the "prostitute on the road" but she could not be found, thus he never paid Tamar. "Judah
considered her a prostitute, for she had covered her face." Gen 38:15
With Joseph there was also
a problem surrounding payment ~ the money in the brothers' sacks. The brothers did not succeed in
paying Joseph, whom they believed to be an Egyptian, for the grain they received from him, because
their money was returned to them time after time.
Both, Tamar and Joseph resisted accepting payment for their service. As a result, something of much greater importance
- the "surety" - was slated to remain in their hands. Judah's personal effects remained with Tamar, and now Judah
himself was about to remain as a slave to the Egyptian viceroy.
It was the lack of acceptance of
payment that ultimately led Judah to realize that money could not solve his problems ~ instead, self-sacrifice
would be required of him. Indeed, in both cases Judah displayed great inner strength, declaring in one
case, "She has been more righteous than I" and in the other - "Let
your servant remain instead of the boy, as a servant to my master."
The story of Judah and Tamar
highlights Judah's identification with Jacob, the identification of fathers who have lost children and who fear
for the fate of their remaining son. It also highlights Judah's willingness to sacrifice himself for others,
thus correcting the wrong that he did to Tamar and reversing his brothers' betrayal of Joseph by his selfless act on
behalf of his younger brother, Benjamin.
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