Dedicated in loving memory of Shmuel Yitzchak ben Arye Lev Zavodnick, a man who never said a bad word about another person. The Moral Courage of a Leader When Yaacov blessed his sons on his death bed, he said to Yehudah, "My son, you withdrew." Yaacov praised Yehudah for "withdrawing" from his brothers counsel to kill Yoseph. In addtion, Yehudah convinced them not to harm Yoseph, saying to them, "What is the gain if we slay our brother?" Similarly, Yehudah "withdrew" his ruling that Tamar be executed, and acknowledged his own responsibility. Yehudah had the strength of character not to follow the crowd nor be swayed by his emotions. Lesson: HaShem selected Yehudah's descendants to be the kings of Israel. Just as Yehudah mastered over himself, so too, the Davidic dynasty had the moral courage to lead the People of Israel and inspire them to act kindly and justly. Visualization: Envision Yehudah overcoming his emotions in order to recognize the injustice in killing Yoseph. See him take the leadership role and convince his brothers not to harm Yoseph. Prevail over your emotions to do the right thing and awaken your leadership qualities to influence others to choose good. (Based on the commentary of Rashi and Da'as Torah)
To schedule a ten-minute phone consultation with Rabbi Zvi Miller, send email to salantorg@gmail.com
New printing of the Salant Foundation's "Ohr Yisrael": Click Here
|
