My Musing
There is always a bigger fish in the pond. This is an important idea to remember as it keeps our egos in check.
The midrash ends with the exposition that there would be one person who could counter Joseph, Judah. But the beginning of the midrash frames this differently. It takes a lion to stand up for what is right and necessary. That was Judah. And that is what it takes from us to be Jews (from Judah)
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת ויגש סימן גThere is always a bigger fish in the pond. This is an important idea to remember as it keeps our egos in check.
The midrash ends with the exposition that there would be one person who could counter Joseph, Judah. But the beginning of the midrash frames this differently. It takes a lion to stand up for what is right and necessary. That was Judah. And that is what it takes from us to be Jews (from Judah)
(בראשית מד:יח) "וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר בִּי אֲדֹנִי יְדַבֶּר נָא עַבְדְּךָ דָבָר בְּאָזְנֵי אֲדֹנִי וְאַל יִחַר אַפְּךָ בְּעַבְדֶּךָ כִּי כָמוֹךָ כְּפַרְעֹה"
"And Judah approached him, and said: 'O' my lord, please let your servant, speak a word in my lord's ears, and not be angry with your servant; for you are as Pharaoh"
זה שאמר הכתוב (משלי ל:ל) "לַיִשׁ גִּבּוֹר בַּבְּהֵמָה וְלֹא יָשׁוּב מִפְּנֵי כֹל"מעשה ברבי חנינא בן דוסא שראה את הארי ואמר לו, 'אי מלך חלש, לא השבעתיך שלא תראה בארץ ישראל?'
מיד ברח. רץ אחריו רבי חנינא, אמר ליה, 'נעניתי לך שקראתיך חלש, ומי שבראך קראך גבור. שנאמר, "לַיִשׁ גִּבּוֹר בַּבְּהֵמָה".
This is what the Scripture said, “The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, and turneth not away for any”
There was an incident involving Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosa who saw a lion and said to him, ‘“What a weak king, did not I swear to you that you would not be seen in the land of Israel?’
Immediately the lion fled. Rabbi Chanina ran after it. He said to him, ‘I answered you that I called you weak, and the One who created you is called courageous. As it says, ““The lion, which is mightiest among beasts”
אמר רבי יהושע בר נחמיה, 'מי הוא שרו של שור? ארי. כך יוסף שור, שנאמר, (דברים לג:יז) "בְּכוֹר שׁוֹרוֹ הָדָר לוֹ וְקַרְנֵי רְאֵם קַרְנָיו בָּהֶם עַמִּים יְנַגַּח יַחְדָּו אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ וְהֵם רִבְבוֹת אֶפְרַיִם וְהֵם אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶּׁה".
ויהודה ארי, שנאמר, (בראשית מט:ט) "גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ כָּרַע רָבַץ כְּאַרְיֵה וּכְלָבִיא מִי יְקִימֶנּוּ".
מי עמד כנגד השור? הארי. שנאמר, "וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה".
Said Rabbi Joshua bar Nachmeini, ‘Who is the master of the bull? The lion. So Joseph is the bull as it says, “His firstling bullock, majesty is his; and his horns are the horns of the wild-ox; with them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”
And Judah is a lion, as it says, “Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?”
Who stands up to the bull? The lion. As it says, “And Judah approached him”
And Judah is a lion, as it says, “Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?”
Who stands up to the bull? The lion. As it says, “And Judah approached him”
אמר רבי יודן, 'כשהיתה חמתו של יהודה עולה, היו שתי שערות יוצאות מתוך לבו וקורעות את בגדיו. וכשהיה מבקש שתעלה חמתו היה ממלא אפונדתו אפונין של נחושת ונוטל מהן ומכסכס בשיניו וחמתו עולה. ראה גבורתו של יהודה, עליו נאמר, (משלי טז:יד) "חֲמַת מֶלֶךְ מַלְאֲכֵי מָוֶת וְאִישׁ חָכָם יְכַפְּרֶנָּה"
'חֲמַת מֶלֶךְ' זה יהודה. 'וְאִישׁ חָכָם יְכַפְּרֶנָּה' זה יוסף. שנאמר בו, (בראשית מא:לט) "וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה אֶל יוֹסֵף אַחֲרֵי הוֹדִיעַ אֱלקִים אוֹתְךָ אֶת כָּל זֹאת אֵין נָבוֹן וְחָכָם כָּמוֹך"ָ
Said Rabbi Yudan, ‘When the anger of Judah would rise, two hairs would come out from his heart (chest) and tear his shirt. And when he wanted his anger to boil, he would line his undershirt with cooper strands. He would take some and gnaw on them with his teeth, and his anger would rise. Behold the courage of Judah. About him it says, “The wrath of a king is as messengers of death; but a wise man will pacify it.”
“The wrath of a king” refers to Judah. “but a wise man will pacify it” refers to Joseph. As it says, “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: 'Forasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou.”
“The wrath of a king” refers to Judah. “but a wise man will pacify it” refers to Joseph. As it says, “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: 'Forasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou.”
כיון שראה יוסף שעלתה חמתו של יהודה אמר עכשיו תאבד מצרים.
אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש [ריש לקיש], 'משל לשני אתליטין תפושים זה בזה. כיון שהרגיש אחד מהן שהוא בא להנצח, אמר עכשיו ינצחני ואני נתבייש בפני הכל. מה עשה? נשקו על ידיו ושככה חמתו של אתליטיה הגדול. אף יוסף כיון שהרגיש שעלתה חמתו של יהודה, נתירא שלא יתבייש לפני המצרים מיד אמר לאחיו (בראשית מה:ד) "[וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו גְּשׁוּ נָא אֵלַי וַיִּגָּשׁוּ וַיֹּאמֶר] אֲנִי יוֹסֵף אֲחִיכֶם [אֲשֶׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי מִצְרָיְמָה] " (בראשית מה:ג) "[וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אֶחָיו אֲנִי יוֹסֵף הַעוֹד אָבִי חָי] וְלֹא יָכְלוּ אֶחָיו לַעֲנוֹת אֹתוֹ [כִּי נִבְהֲלוּ מִפָּנָיו]
Since Joseph saw the anger of Judah rising, he feared for the end of Egypt.
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish [Reish Lakish], ‘this is analogous to two guardians wrestling with each other. When one felt the other about to be victorious, he thought, now he will vanquish me and I will be embarrassed in front of everyone. What did he do? He bit his opponent on his hands and the opponents anger subsided. Such with Joseph, when he perceived the anger of Judah rising, he feared that he would be embarrassed in front of the Egyptians. He immediately said to his brothers ‘I am Joseph your brother” “And they could not answer him”
Said Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish [Reish Lakish], ‘this is analogous to two guardians wrestling with each other. When one felt the other about to be victorious, he thought, now he will vanquish me and I will be embarrassed in front of everyone. What did he do? He bit his opponent on his hands and the opponents anger subsided. Such with Joseph, when he perceived the anger of Judah rising, he feared that he would be embarrassed in front of the Egyptians. He immediately said to his brothers ‘I am Joseph your brother” “And they could not answer him”
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