Synagogue Sermon
A Qualification for Jewish Leadership (1972)
Our Sidra begins with the words ויגש אליו יהודה, “and Judah drew near to (Joseph),” whom Judah recognized only as the powerful viceroy of all Egypt. We reach, here, the point of highest tension in the entire drama of Joseph and his brothers. If I be permitted the play on words, ויגש can be read not only as coming from the words נגש, “he drew near,” but also התנגשות, collision. For what we are reading about is not only an encounter between Joseph and Judah, but a confrontation; not only a meeting, but a challenge. And the nature of this התנגשות or contest is nothing less than the future leadership of the Children of Israel. Joseph was by all means the favorite of Father Jacob. It is Joseph to whom Jacob had given the “coat of many colors,” the symbol of leadership. Judah was the chosen of the brothers. He was their spokesman and their chief. Which of the two would inherit the mantle of Jacob and become the leader of the tribes, and the progenitor of the future dynasty of Judah and ultimately of the Messiah? The answer, as all of us know, is: Judah. Jacob continued to shower his personal love upon Joseph, but he was forced to concede sovereignty or מלכות to another brother, to Judah.Why is that so? After all, consider the differences between these two personalities. Joseph is handsome, charismatic, a natural leader, seized by powerful ambitions, an accomplished linguist, a man of moral self-control, a diplomat, an economist, a man brimming with diverse talents – a born winner.Judah, contrariwise, strikes us as dull. In considering his personality, I am often led to think of the mentality of an amoral, tired, and jaded upper-middle-aged businessman. He bumbles his way through life. He sees all of existence through the eyes of a ledger, and everything is evaluated in terms of profit and loss. When the brothers want to kill Joseph, his response is מה בצע כי נהרוג אחינו, it will bring in more for us if we sell him rather than kill him. The moral issues were of no concern…
