“Then Judah approached him and said: If you please my lord, may your servant speak a word in my lord’s ear…” With these words Judah begins his impassioned speech to Joseph in order to convince him to release Benjamin, who he has taken as a slave, and to take him in his place, as he had promised his father that no harm would come to Benjamin if entrusted into his care.
He continues by appealing to Joseph’s sense of mercy and begs him to let Benjamin free. Despite the simple reading of his speech as one for mercy, Rashi quotes the Midrash that explains his words very differently. In this reading Judah is actually threatening Joseph with dire consequences if he does not release Benjamin immediately. This understanding is based on the continuation of the above quoted verse where Judah says “for you are like Pharaoh.” The Midrash understands that Judah is not just complimenting Joseph on his great power, but alluding to him that his fate will be the same as Pharaoh, who was afflicted with plagues when he took Sarah into his home.
What we can understand from the Midrash is a deep understanding regarding communication and relationships. A human being is a complex brew of emotions, drives, motivations and desires. At any given moment one may have multiple feelings regarding another person or circumstance. These feelings may be based on conscious or unconscious factors and may appear to be totally contradictory and in conflict with each other. Nonetheless, for the person each different feeling or attitude seems very “real” and justified.
Many times we mean to say one thing, but a different emotion wells up and we end up saying it critically, sarcastically or in a demeaning manner. Depending on our tone of voice or body language, what on the surface may seem to be complimentary can be taken completely differently. Some times we do this on purpose to convey a number of different messages simultaneously, while other times we are either overcome by emotion or may not be aware of it at all. In this way we can understand Judah’s speech being both a plea for mercy and a warning at the very same time.
This idea is emphasized further by a different understanding of the text. The word “my lord,” with which Judah addresses Joseph, contains the very same letters as one of the names of God, yet with slightly different vowels. Due to this fact there are some who read Judah’s plea of mercy as not only being directed to Joseph, but to God as well.
On a mundane level we can understand this, as sometimes when speaking to another person we are actually crafting our words so that others who are listening receive our real intended message. In fact, this is not an uncommon occurrence. On a somewhat more spiritual level we see that Judah is in truth directing his plea to both Joseph and God. This ambiguity is strengthened when we notice that the verse does not actually state explicitly who Judah is approaching, but only says “and Judah approached him.”
Yet another allusion that Judah is directing his words to God is found in the usage of the word “approached,” which we are told by the Sages is used in various other places in the Bible to indicate prayer.
The idea that Judah is praying to God, while speaking to Joseph tells us a number of important things about prayer. King David, who comes directly from Judah, wrote in the Psalms “I am prayer,” to teach us that prayer is much more than something I do, it is something I am – it is the all encompassing attitude and world view that at every moment I am in touch with God. This constant state of consciousness where I am always talking, pleading, praising, questioning, conversing with, singing to and longing for God is what is called prayer.
Judah, at his moment of truth, when his and Benjamin’s fate were on the line directed his plea, questioning, and explanation to both a human ruler and the Creator of the universe. Joseph, as a result of his impassioned plea, immediately reveals himself to his brothers, which indicates the heartfelt power of Judah’s words, as it says in the Talmud: “words from the heart enter the heart.”
