It is in this light that the opening sentence of our Parsha this Shabbat, Vayigash, speaks to us; ויגש יהודה -
יהודה approaches Joseph, the viceroy of Egypt. While everyone was afraid to speak up,while all others remained quiet qwhen injustice was being perpetrated, יהודה and יהודה alone acted with courage and stepped forward to express his indignation over Joseph's action.
Yehudah does not fear standing and acting alone when he sees wrong being done to his family. Too often people refuse to act even when they know it's wrong. They just don't want to get involved. This is our greatest human frailty.
Curiously this self same idea was expressed by Joseph, when he informed his father that he was alive. He sent a message , עוד יוסף חי, "Joseph is alive". והוא מושל בכל ארץ מצרים, "And he is master over Egypt". This added information was to inform his father that he was the master over Egypt, and he need not worry that Egypt and its culture rules over him, for he is still his son and holds dear to his teachings and his way of life. This took a great amount of courage and fortitude in a strange and alien country. For this reason we refer to Joseph as יוסף הצדיק.
How meaningful it is to see that, both, Yehudah and Joseph possessed a strong belief and courage to do the right thing without fear of being castigated by others. Their greatness was defined by their willingness to stand firm in their opinions and their objectives of life which brought honor to themselves and honor to Hashem.
It is not enough to bemoan the wrong that exists in our world. It is incumbent upon all of us to have the courage to step forward and demand justice and to demand righteousness and to do whatever is necessary to right the wrongs and to live our lives in the spirit of G-Dliness.
במקום שאין איש השתדל להיות איש
שבת שלום
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