Why Did Yehuda Keep Tamar Hanging on a String? After the tragic death of Yehuda’s first two sons that were married to Tamar, Yehuda told Tamar (Vayeishev 38:11) “Shvi Almana Bais Avich Ad Ki Yigdal Sheila; Return to your father’s house until Sheila gets older.” Rashi explains that Yehuda had no intention of letting Sheila marry Tamar, since as the pasuk says he was scared that any husband of Tamar was doomed. If so why did he keep her waiting for Sheila? Even if he had a good reason, wasn’t he lying?
The Maskil L’Dovid answers that Yehuda was the first one to keep the Mitzva of Yibum, as his son Onan married Tamar after Er’s death. After Onan’s death Yehuda didn’t want Sheila to do Yibum because he was scared, but he did want him to do Chalitza. Since he was still a Katan, he couldn’t perform Chalitza so he wanted Tamar to wait. However, Yehuda was afraid that if he asked Tamar to remain unmarried until Sheila is old enough for Chalitza, she would not listen. Therefore, he led her to believe she would marry Sheila eventually.
The Maskil L’Dovid says that Yehuda did not lie to her, but he chose his words very carefully. He told her to return to her father until Sheila got older. She understood this meant that he will marry her when he becomes of age, but he in fact meant old enough to do Chalitza.
******************************

Yehuda Promises Tamar Goats When Yehuda met the unidentified Tamar, he promised to send her G’di Izim or goats. Rav Yehonoson Eibshitz says that these goats held deep meaning to the outcome of this whole event.
“The entire episode of Yehuda and Tamar was not befitting a man of Yehuda’s stature,” says Chazal. It only came about through the hand of Hashem, as this was the earliest beginning of Malchus Bais Dovid which was destined to descend from Tamar. “The goats,” say Rav Yehonoson, “symbolized that the great leaders of Klal Yisrael were all shepherds by profession, such as Dovid HaMelech.”
“Furthermore the, leadership of Klal Yisrael,” says Chazal, “is given to a person with tarnished origins.” This happened with Yehuda and Tamar, again with with Boaz and Rus, and then again with Dovid and Basheva. Rav Yehonoson explains that the Satan does not pursue people with severe imperfections. Rather he goes after the cream trying to drag them down. Without the Satan’s interference a person can rise to great heights of Avodas Hashem.
The reason why Yaakov needed to take the Brachos in an underhanded way was to trick the Satan into thinking that they hold little value, because they were acquired through deception. “The Gdi Izim,” says Rav Yehonoson, “was a remez to Yaakov’s taking the Brachos with the assistance of the Gdi Izim that made him feel hairy like EIsav, and to draw a parallel and learn the lesson of this debacle.”
******************************

Proving The Shvatim Had Nothing Against Yosef Personally All the Meforshim write that the Shvatim had absolutely no jealously or hatred towards Yosef personally. Rather it was purely a pursuit of justice. “Yet,” says Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky (Emes L’Yaakov) “many people believe these Peirushim are just a cover-up, to spare the Shvatim a bad name.”
Rav Yaakov says that if one looks carefully at the psukim it is obvious that this is so. At first the Torah tells us that they decided to kill him. If this was about revenge, why as soon as Reuven said that they should not kill him but rather throw him into the pit, did they unanimously agree? “The truth is,” says Rav Yaakov, “that personal feelings, not withstanding, they paskened that Yosef was Chayav Misa and were obliged to carry out the verdict. However, when Reuven said that throwing him in the Bor without killing him is sufficient in place of death, they were all very happy not to have to kill him.”
Similarly, when Yehuda found an angle to carry out the verdict by taking him out of the pit, where he would eventually die, and instead sell him, again there was no hesitation and they all agreed. Furthermore, after seeing Yaakov’s pain, they even blamed Yehuda because had he found a psak that would allow them to spare Yosef altogether, they would have surely listened. “All this,” says Rav Yaakov, “is a proof of the Shvatim acting purely L’Shem Shamayim without any personal feelings of hatred mixed in.”
*****************************

Who Were The Wives Of The Shevatim? There is a machlokes in the Medrash whether the Shevatim married their twin sisters or they married Kena’anim. The Ramban citing the gemara (Pesachim 50a) says that it is unfathomable that the children of Avrohom and Yitzchok, who were both so vehemently against marrying the despised Kena’anim, could do just that. He explains that the opinion that holds that they married Kenanim, only meant to say they didn’t marry their sisters, but rather local girls from Eretz Kena’an from the finest families of Yishmael, Bnei Ketura, Mitzrayim, Amon, and Mo’av.
Rav Eliezer HaGadol Ashkenazi in Ma’asei Hashem says that Yehuda actually married a Kena’ani. He was the only brother to do so. Even Shimon, whose son was called Ben HaKena’anis, didn’t marry this child’s mother, but has a relationship with her and Shaul eventually was Migayer. “Yehuda,” he says, “went against the family rule and actually

married a Kena’ani.” This is how he explains the words (38:1) “Vayeired Yehuda Mei’eis Echav; Yehuda went down from his brothers.” Rashi says he was demoted from being the leader of the brothers because he didn’t save Yosef and bring him back home. Rav Eliezer HaGadol says it was because he broke the family rule and married a Kena’ani.

Created By Rov Avrohom Sherman
786-565-9945
[email protected]