Shabbat Parashat Vayigash - 5781

Shabbat Parashat Vayigash - 5781

Rabbi Hal Miller

Then Yehudah approached him and said, "If you please, my lord, may your

servant speak a word in my lord''s ears and may your anger not flare up at

your servant, for you are like Pharaoh." [Bereishit 44:18]

Many commentators discuss the issue of Yehudah wanting to speak into Yosef's

ear, and his hope that Yosef will not get angry. But the phrase, "for you are like

Pharaoh" is not clear, nor does it seem to fit here.

Rashi gives us, as always, a base from which to begin. "You are as esteemed

in my eyes as the king." But he is actually threatening the viceroy that he will be

stricken with tzaraat as the prior Pharaoh had been over Sarah. Rashi also gives

us two alternative explanations. One that, like Pharaoh Yosef promises but does

not follow through, and the other a direct threat that if the viceroy antagonizes

him (Yehudah), he will kill both the viceroy and his master.

Others take approaches where Yehudah is not as combative.

Rav Moshe Feinstein takes direct issue with Rashi: "It is hard to believe that

Yehudah would have insulted the all-powerful Pharaoh in such a way, especially

since there was no need to do so. So what did Rashi mean?" Rav Moshe goes on

to say that Yehudah was trying to teach this unknown viceroy that servants tend

to take on the behavior of their masters, so he should guard against any bad

behavior by Pharaoh.

According to Sforno, Yehodah is telling Yosef, don't take it personally, as my words

are really for Pharaoh. Radak, Rashbam and Ramban follow Onkelos that Yehudah

is saying that he is as afraid to speak to the viceroy as he would be to Pharaoh. He

speaks now only because of the dire situation.

Kol Dodi (HaRav Dovid Feinstein, zt"l) cites the Midrash, "if you provoke me I will

slay both of you", but goes on to add that Yehudah is trying to be conciliatory with

the hope that the viceroy would accept him in Binyamin's place.

Malbim has an interesting viewpoint. One on trial for an alleged crime has two paths

for his defense, either to prove his innocence, or to throw himself on the mercy of the

court. Yehudah knew there was no way he could prove Binyamin guiltless so he

appealed to Yosef's power to pardon, something that only Pharaoh had been able to

do in the past.