Parashat Vayigash begins with the long-awaited face-to-face encounter between Joseph and Judah. After 22 years of regret over that fateful day when Joseph was sold, Joseph is facing his persecutors and is about to go head-to-head with Judah, whom they all recognize as their leader. Seemingly it is only Joseph that is fully aware of the stakes. Still, Judah is also painfully aware that Benjamin’s life hangs in the balance, as does the wholeness of Jacob’s family and the future of the Jewish people. It is not surprising then that so much meaning has been ascribed to this encounter and that its symbolism has been developed in many different directions.
At the literal level, Judah’s encounter with Joseph symbolizes the coming together of the two most important forces in the Jewish people—forces that a few centuries later would split the nation in two: the Northern and Southern kingdoms. The Haftarah—the selection from the Prophets—was chosen to reflect the reunification of Joseph and Judah, as Ezekiel is instructed by God:
And you, O’ son of man, take a stick and write on it “Of Judah and the Israelites associated with him.” Take another stick and write on it, “Of Joseph, the tree of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel associated with him.” Bring them close to each other so they become one stick, joined together in your hand.
Crown-Keter
- Joseph as Pleasure, Judah as Will (Yoke)
- Joseph as Redemption, Judah as Exile
- Joseph as Unity (Wakefulness), Judah as Multiplicity (Sleep)
Wisdom-Chochmah
- Joseph as Second Refinement, Judah as First
Understanding-Binah
- Joseph as light, Judah as vessel
- Joseph as mind, Judah as heart
Knowledge-Da’at
- Joseph as Knowledge of God, Judah as Faith in God
Loving-Kindness-Chessed
- Joseph as Shabbat, Judah as Weekdays
Might-Gevurah
- Joseph as the Harvester, Judah as the Plowman
- Joseph as Abstract Mind, Judah as Broken Heart
Beauty-Tiferet
- Joseph as Concealed Service, Judah as Revealed Service
Victory-Netzach and Splendor-Hod
- Joseph as Concealed Godliness, Judah as Yearning to Reveal God
Foundation-Yesod
- Joseph as a Tzaddik, Judah as a Ba’al Teshuvah
Kingdom-Malchut
- Joseph as a King in Practice, Judah as a King in Potential
