Chazal teach that Yaakov Avinu sent Yehudah to Goshen for the purpose of establishing the first yeshivah, from whence Torah and its teachings would be disseminated. Why did Yaakov choose Yehudah over any of the other brothers – especially Yissachar, who was the paradigm of Torah study and scholarship? The Midrash Tanchuma teaches a novel idea to explain why Yaakov made this choice. Apparently, for years, ever since the disappearance of Yosef, when Yehudah was the one who presented Yosef’s bloodied tunic, the Patriarch had suspected Yehudah of culpability in (what he believed to be) Yosef’s death. Now that he heard that Yosef was, indeed, alive and serving as viceroy in Egypt, Yaakov felt he had wrongly excoriated Yehudah. Thus, as a form of appeasement, he sent Yehudah to establish the yeshivah in Goshen.
The Midrash continues, presenting Hashem’s conversation with Yehudah, “You aggrieved your father, making him think that his son was torn by a wild animal. By your life, you will know the pain of losing children.” Furthermore, the brothers demoted Yehudah from his position of leadership over them, because he did not follow through on the plan which he had initiated. So, between Yaakov’s suspicions of Yehudah and his brothers demoting him, the once proud leader, the “lion” of the shevatim, tribes, was going through a woeful period in his life.
When Yaakov observed Yehudah’s willingness to sacrifice his life on behalf of Binyamin and later discovered the truth that Yosef was alive, he sent Yehudah to Goshen to represent the family in building a house of Torah study. While this is a poignant story, leaving one with a feeling of empathy for Yehudah, it still does not explain why he was the one to establish the first yeshivah. One does not become a rosh yeshivah as a result of empathy.
Horav Pinchas Friedman, Shlita, offers an insightful exposition into why it was specifically the leadership duo of Yosef and Yehudah that stood at the helm of the yeshivah in Goshen. Chazal teach that there are two nisyanos in life which present a difficult challenge for the individual who experiences either one of them. Wealth and poverty are opposites – each one presenting a difficult challenge to the person who falls into either category. Wealth comes with the challenge of haughtiness; power can go to one’s head. A person who has been blessed with extraordinary material abundance must overcome the drive to horde his wealth: to share it with others who are in need; to use his money wisely; to give charity for the purpose of helping – not for personal acclaim and power. One who becomes wealthy might forget Who has given him his wealth – and why he is the one who has received this blessing.
The challenge of poverty can be debilitating, creating an overwhelming feeling of despondence, as one is filled with worry about from where his next piece of bread will come. The poor man need not fear arrogance. Instead, he fears the crushing weight of despair, helplessness, trying to make it in life with very few people who are willing to help him. Going from person to person, asking for a job and receiving a “polite,” “nothing is available now,” the poor man does not have to worry about becoming pompous, lording it over those less fortunate than he is. He is at the bottom of the heap with little hope of turning his life around.
The poor man whose faith is lacking questions G-d: “Why me?” His faithlessness may lead to dishonest behavior, stealing, extortion, etc. The poor man whose faith is strong, however, understands that this is all a test. Patience will prevail, and, if Hashem wants his life to turn around, it will. Likewise, the individual who is blessed with a healthy financial portfolio understands that it is in his possession for the purpose of helping others.
Yosef triumphed over both: the challenge of wealth; and poverty. Sold as a slave, living in a dungeon with the dregs of Egyptian society, a culture so depraved that moral perversion was a way of life for them. Clearly, he shared his time in prison with the lowest people on the Egyptian cultural scene. Yet, he maintained his strong convictions, his faith and hope in Hashem ever-present and ever-strong.
Rav Friedman points out that there is a greater element of challenge than the standard test of wealth or poverty. It is the challenge of the individual who was in the pits and has suddenly been elevated to the highest echelon of society, with its accompanying wealth, power and fame. Likewise is the individual who had reached the pinnacle of success, who had it all: monarchy, leadership, respect, admiration, and then lost everything, being relegated to the back of the line. Both incidents – the test of wealth coming on the heels of severe depression; and the demotion following great success and royalty – push the concept of nisayon to the extreme edge.
Yosef and Yehudah both triumphed in the arena of extreme nisayon. Yosef had been up there, doted on by his father, having achieved the status of private chavrusa, study partner, with Yaakov – then it all came crashing down. Sold as a slave, achieving a position of significance in the home of Potifar, only to lose it and be thrown into a dungeon. Just as suddenly as he descended to the pits of depression, he was elevated to the apex of power and leadership. During this entire roller coaster of events, Yosef maintained his bitachon, trust, in Hashem.
Yehudah did not fare much differently. The monarch of the shevatim, the leader to whom everyone looked up, was suddenly demoted. No longer trusted by his father, and suffering personal family tragedy, he, too was riding his personal rollercoaster of nisayon. Yet, despite the extreme ups and downs of his life, Yehudah held it together, his faith in Hashem never waning whatsoever.
Our Patriarch was acutely aware of the holiness of his two sons, how each one overcame his individual challenge: Yosef confronting despair and poverty, then rising to wealth and power; Yehudah falling from the pinnacle of respect that was the result of his royal position over the brothers, denigration and loss of respect, demotion and loss of favor. These two triumphed over the two greatest challenges at their extreme. Who better than Yehudah and Yosef to teach the future Jewish nation how a Jew should live? They had each triumphed over adversity, successfully confronting the challenges of wealth and poverty – and back again. They had lived the story of Jewish fortune – up and down – and everywhere in between: from riches and majesty to impoverishment and ignominy; from gloom and doom to rejoicing and exaltation – we have been there. The one constant in the life of a Jew is his belief in Hashem. This conviction may never waver.
