{"id":12316,"date":"2014-02-06T03:00:03","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=12316"},"modified":"2014-02-06T03:06:28","modified_gmt":"2014-02-06T09:06:28","slug":"an-analysis-of-judah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/an-analysis-of-judah\/","title":{"rendered":"An analysis of Judah"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF<\/em><\/p>\n

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First there is his role with Joseph, his \u201chaughty\u201d brother, as Judah would plead at his trial.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s that nasty business with his Canaanite wife (and don\u2019t forget the maybe inadvertent adventure with his daughter-in-law). Not a\u00a0 great choice. And lastly a burst of repentant goodness as he negotiates for the safety of Benjamin with Joseph, the same brother that he marketed to the Midianites at a bargain sale twenty yearsago. (\u201cHe\u2019s young, strong, and he won\u2019t eat much.\u201d – the heart of his sales talk.)<\/p>\n

Judah, morally, is a puzzle. Like most of us, not angelic, but streaked with two ingredients like sweet and sour soup or as in the case of humanity, with good and evil.<\/p>\n

The three episodes described above go a long way in describing his character. But he does seem to improve as he ages. In his first encounter with an ethical challenge, you\u2019d like him a lot better if he said, \u201cHey, he\u2019s our half brother \u2013 only a kid \u2013 let\u2019s kick him around a little bit, but then return him safely to Pop. After all, his constant boasting is only obnoxious, not worthy of death\u201d.<\/p>\n

But no, Judah does not go that far in the realm of goodness. \u201cWhat profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood.\u201d\u00a0 Judah counsels selling 17 year old Joe to the Ishmaelites.\u00a0Not quite as evil as killing him and much more profitable. Furthermore, the brothers have not dirtied their hands. He happens to be imprisoned in a pit (maybe he accidentally fell in).\u00a0Coincidently, the Midianites are in the market for a slave.\u00a0It just falls into place. But notice that Judah doesn\u2019t speak for the death sentence.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more to show that Judah, even pre-Torah, has his soft spots.\u00a0 He accidently \u2013 she\u2019s all covered up disguised as a harlot \u2013\u00a0sleeps with his daughter-in-law.\u00a0Eventually he is brought to justice, but admits his guilt in the face of unassailable evidence.\u00a0He moves from condemnation of his daughter-in-law to \u201cshe has been more righteous than I,” to praise. Evidently, Judah is slow when it comes to self-condemnation, but eventually sees reality.<\/p>\n

But now comes his shining moment. The brothers meet with Joseph \u2013 now a high-ranking Egyptian official whom they do not recognize as the brother they sold.\u00a0He demands they bring to him Benjamin, a full brother \u2013 also a son of Rachel, like Joseph.\u00a0Judah, steadily improving, volunteers to stand in as a hostage to insure the presence of Benjamin until they return from Canaan.<\/p>\n

All\u2019s well that ends well. The brothers are united when Joseph proclaims his kinship.<\/p>\n

Clearly, Judah improves, but given the low point in the merchandising of Joseph, he had a long way to go. Maybe it\u2019s only fair to judge him within the bloody confines of his time. And his volunteering as a hostage for Benjamin, his half brother by Rebecca, is a noble redemptive gesture. And after all, we\u2019re called Jews because of Judah. We could do worse.<\/p>\n

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