However, it is explained at length in ‘Toras Chaim’ on our Parsha, that the ‘Chidush’ of Yehudah’s words was that (through his words) he was able to elevate all the issues that he spoke about to his own spiritual level, meaning that he refined and purified all these details and elevated them to their root and to their source. Yehudah mentions the selling of Yosef (during the course of his speech), which on a superficial level is undesirable, to the extent that it even caused a degradation within Yehudah himself, as the Possuk states; וַיֵרֶד יְהוּדָה “Yehudah was demoted” and the commentators say that Yehudah’s greatness was reduced, (for his brothers argued that it was his fault that they sold Yosef because he did not protest). However, because Yehudah spoke about these matters he elevated them to their root and source, and there, in their root and source these matters are very lofty and elevated concepts.
The Elevation of the Sale of Yosef
And therefore, specifically then it became revealed that the sale of Yosef was after all a lofty matter. As Yosef himself says ׳וֹ וְגכִּי לְמִּחְיָה שְׁלָחַנִּי אֱלֹקִּים לִּפְנֵיכֶם “To preserve life that Hashem sent me before you...” וַיְשִּימֵנִּי לְאָב לְפַרְעֹה וְגוֹ ׳ “Hashem has made me as a father to Pharaoh”.
For specifically Yehudah, due to his virtue of self-nullification, he was able to effectuate this revelation within Yosef. Therefore, it is as a result of this that Yehudah caused something new to arise within Yosef thus causing within Yosef וְלֹא יָכֹל יוֹסֵף לְהִּתְאַפֵק “that Yosef shall not be able to contain himself”, and to effectuate crying in Yosef, which stems from ‘intellectual overload’ which results from the sort of lofty revelation which the brain cannot tolerate, and therefore יוֹסֵף וְלֹא יָכֹל לְהִּתְאַפֵק “Yosef could not contain himself.”
The Chidush of Yehudah’s Approach
And this is the ‘Chidush’; that even Yosef could not contain himself. This is because even though generally Yosef is greater than the Patriarchs and greater than his brothers, the other Shvotim. (It is explained that the Patriarchs and the other Shvotim, were shepherds in order to serve Hashem in solitude whereas Yosef was able to cleave to Hashem’s essence and substance Blessed be He, even whilst he was a viceroy to the King in Egypt.
It is brought down in the Medrash regarding Yaakov saying about Yosef רַב עוֹד יוֹסֵף בְנִּי חָי "Enough! My son Yosef is still alive”, and that “Yosef is greater than me” says Yaacov because this is due to the virtue of Yosef over Yaakov.)
The Power of Self-Nullification
Yet not withstanding all of this nevertheless, after Yehudah’s words in the way of וַיִּגַשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה גוֹ׳ that Yehudah approaches Yosef which symbolises the aforementioned absolute self-nullification, so this self-nullification caused such a lofty revelation of light that it is even greater than the light of the level of Yosef, to the extent that Yosef was unable to contain himself any longer, and to the extent that וְהַקֹל נִּשְׁמַע בֵית פַרְעֹה “The voice was heard in the house of Pharaoh”, the house that unravelled and opened up and revealed all its lights, (as is brought down in the Zohar on the Possuk) “all the lights were revealed all the way up to Hashem’s very essence and substance Blessed be He.”
The Ultimate Unity and Redemption
And may it be the will of HaShem that as a result of us talking about these issues, will we merit to see in a tangible form, Mamosh very soon the fruition into reality the promise of the aforementioned Haftorah, the connection of Yehudah and Ephraim, so that they become as the Possuk says וְהָיוּ לַאֲחָדִּים בְיָדֶךָ “They shall be as one in your hand”, and וְדָוִּד עַבְדִּי נָשִּיא לָהֶם לְעוֹלָם “My servant Dovid shall be their prince forever, with joy and goodness to one’s heart immediately.” Mamosh!
