The sidra of Vayigash begins in the middle of chapter 44 and in the midst of the account of the most dramatic confrontation between Joseph and his brothers. In the last few verses of Mikketz, the Torah relates how Joseph accused his brothers of stealing the cup as soon as they arrived back in his office. Judah, who had taken responsibility for Benjamin, was now emerging as the leader and spokesman. In his response to Joseph he admitted their guilt, although he knew very well that it was a trumped-up charge. The reason he knew that Joseph was lying, was because, after their previous visit, all the brothers had their money put back into their sacks. Indeed, Joseph wanted them to know that he was lying. However, Judah did not attempt to defend himself or his brothers. He offered that all the brothers should remain in Egypt as Joseph’s slaves.
Judah made this suggestion for several reasons. First of all because he was absolutely certain that their suffering was a punishment for the crime that they had committed against Joseph, 22 years earlier. His second reason for offering to stay in Egypt, was because he could not contemplate the idea of returning home to appear before his elderly father without Benjamin. Thirdly, he had not yet worked out a strategy to try and save Benjamin. He needed to give it some thought. He had to formulate a plan that would persuade the person, who appeared to be the ruler of Egypt, to change his mind.
The Sidra of Mikketz ends with a verse in which Joseph rejects Judah’s offer. He speaks to all his brothers amicably and sympathetically, assuring them that they could all go back to their father in peace. His only demand is that Benjamin should remain behind. The excuse being, that it would be an unjust punishment for all his brothers to be taken as slaves. Besides, Joseph was also thinking of his father, for whom the detention of all his sons would have been an absolute tragedy.
Our rabbis of the Mesorah, who fixed the divisions of the sidrot, believed that at this point the confrontation between Joseph and his brothers reached a new stage. The Sidra’s opening sentence “Vayigash elav Yehudah” which means ‘Judah approached Joseph’ suggests that there was a break in the confrontation.
Judah then began to deliver a long speech. In it he pleaded with the ruler of Egypt to show mercy to his father. He succeeded. Joseph was now convinced that the brothers had completely repented of the crime which they had committed against him. As soon as Judah finished, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers. The miraculous family reunion began to unfold.
Our ancient rabbis praised Judah for sacrificing himself for the sake of his brother, Benjamin, as well as for his father. Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin, in his commentary Oznayim Latorah, says that, initially, whilst they were still at home, Judah took responsibility for Benjamin for purely pragmatic reasons. Had he not done so, Jacob would not have allowed Benjamin to go and his brothers would not have been able to go back to Egypt to buy food. However, the way in which he carried out his responsibilities together with his extraordinary efforts on behalf of Benjamin, created an enduring, loving friendship between the two brothers. Later on in biblical history, these two tribes were given territories next to each other. The Temple was built on land which belonged to both of them. When the Kingdom, built by King David, became divided, after Solomon’s death, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin united and became known as the Kingdom of Judah. The other 10 tribes united to become the Kingdom of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin did not join the tribes of Joseph, as might have seemed to be more natural.