Vayeshev | "He Creates the Light of the Messiah"

 

 

One who reads the last four books of the Torah learns about God's love for his people, His keeping His promises to the patriarchs, His power and His absolute rule over the universe. Among other things, the reader encounters the principle of reward and punishment, which guides God's governance of the people of Israel throughout history. In contrast, one who reads the Book of Bereishit learns about the establishment of the people of Israel from the seed of Avraham, a process that reconciles the actions of mortals with the plans of God, who weaves all human deeds into processes that encompass the entire world at all times. The most striking examples of this are Ya’akov's theft of the blessings, the sale of Yosef and the story of Yehuda and Tamar.

 

The overall Divine plan, which finds expression in the story of Yehuda and Tamar, is the central theme emerging from the statements of Chazal on this matter in Bereishit Rabba. This plan manifests itself in the establishment of the kingdom of Israel in the past and in the future: the kingdom of the house of David and that of the future messiah. First, we will examine the words of Chazal in Bereishit Rabba; then, we will compare them to what is found in other layers of Rabbinic literature, while pointing out their uniqueness and exclusivity.

 

The matter of kingship and the messiah appears in Bereishit Rabba in connection with our matter seven times:

 

 

 

The three characters from the book of Bereishit mentioned in Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachman's derasha are occupied with family issues, and the crises and events to which they give rise. God, on the other hand, is busy "creating the light of the messiah" — bringing about the union of Yehuda and Tamar for the purpose of establishing the eternal ruling dynasty of Israel.[1] God's part in the process is not separated from human actions, but rather woven into them. Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachman points here to the two layers found in human reality, and perhaps in reality in general. In a manner that is beyond human understanding, God's guiding hand does not impair man's freedom of action, and it is only in hindsight that the process may be discerned. "And it came to pass at that time" — the precise timing of the interactions between the protagonists is a powerful multi-dimensional phenomenon.

 

Ya’akov and the tribes are "occupied" (osekim)[2] in continuous activity; Yehuda and God, mutatis mutandis, are “occupied” in the immediate present. But whereas Yehuda is "occupied" in building continuity for himself, God is creating a new reality not previously in existence, and that is itself the essence of the matter: the light of the messiah.[3]

 

Rav Yitzchak Arama points to the contrast between the activities listed in the derasha and the Divine plan:

 

 

That is to say, there is a fundamental contradiction between human activity and the Divine process. The sale of Yosef and Yehuda's marriage to a Canaanite woman are evil occupations; Ya’akov's grief does not accord with reality. Nonetheless, they lead to the birth of the messianic dynasty.

 

The verse brought from the book of Yirmeyahu relates to a good end: "For I know the thoughts that I think of you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Yirmeyahu 29:11). In other words, even though reality seems bleak on the human plane, Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachman, following Yirmeyahu the prophet, emphasizes that it is precisely at this low point that God causes Israel's salvation to blossom. Out of the rupture ensuing from the sale of Yosef, the seeming breakdown of the family, and the awful shared secret that the sons of Ya’akov bear for many long years, a new narrative of destiny and healing is to be built.

 

Further examination of the verse in Yirmeyahu reveals that it appears in the context of a prophecy that sees Israel's exile to Babylonia as a process that will lead to renewal. Remaining in Eretz Israel, on the other hand, will only lead to dissolution:

 

 

This prevents a striking and fascinating parallel to Yosef's descent to Egypt as the beginning of the realization of the decree, "Your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs" (Bereishit 15:13).

 

What does God think about? Tehillim 33:10-11 relates it to the historical process:

 

 

Similarly, the prophet Yeshayahu (55:8-11) characterizes God's "thought" in relation to the created world as a process that comes into being over the course of time, standing in contrast to the limited thoughts of man:

 

 

 

 

The global Divine plan refers to salvation. While the first derasha deals with its very emergence from the complexity of human reality, the second derasha relates to the timing. The verse that is brought for the derasha, "Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child" (Yeshayahu 66:7), describes sudden salvation, which arrives without preparation on the part of man, skipping over the difficult stages that precede it. In the derasha, not only does the natural birth process become shortened and reach a successful conclusion earlier than expected, but the order is also reversed, and the first redeemer comes before the last subjugator.[5] When the Torah describes an occurrence from God's perspective, the dimension of time, as it were, shrinks.

 

 

 

In contrast to Rav and Rabbi Aivo bar Nagri (an Amora of Eretz Israel of the third-fourth generation, a disciple of Rabbi Chiya bar Abba and of Rabbi Yochanan), who relate to the geographical data of the city (or cities), Rabbi Simon refers to the symbolic meaning of the Torah's wording which expresses spiritual ascent or descent. The names of the places in which the stories of Yehuda and Shimshon transpire emphasize the similarity and the difference between the two protagonists.

 

In both stories, men in leadership positions establish intimate relationships with non-Jewish women native to the area. So too, in both stories, the initiator of the relationship is not interested in the act itself but in its consequences: Tamar wants to bear children for the house of Yehuda, and Shimshon wishes to create grounds for conflict with the Pelishtim.[6] However, the Mishna points to the existence of other intentions in Shimshon's dealings with the Pelishti women, beyond his mission: "Shimshon followed his eyes" (Sota 1:8).

 

In the margins of one of the important manuscripts of Bereishit Rabba, an explanation is added to the words of Rabbi Simon: "Because it was for the sake of heaven."[7] What this addition means to say is that whatever Tamar does is for the sake of heaven, and therefore it leads to spiritual ascent and not descent. This explanation accords with Chazal's tradition concerning Shimshon, in contrast to Tamar. What is more, it accounts for another difficult point in the derasha, that Yehuda too appears to have married a non-Jewish woman. This teaches the critical impact of the purity of one's intention upon one's action.[8]

 

 

 

Rabbi Yochanan emphasizes Yehuda's passivity in contrast to Tamar's resoluteness and the heavenly assistance she receives when she carries out her plan. The Rambam in the Guide for the Perplexed cites this derasha as proof for his interpretation of the word malakh in Rabbinic literature as a power in the soul or in reality.[9] Yehuda is merely a means for establishing kings and redeemers from his seed.

 

 

 

This derasha is the earliest of the derashot about kingship and the messiah that are brought in connection with Yehuda. Rabbi Chunya is among the first Amoraim of Eretz Israel, one of the teachers of Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. Like the previous derasha, this one as well sees Tamar's actions as a realization of the Divine desire to create the light of the messiah. The articles that Tamar asks of Yehuda are signs not only of political rule, but also of Torah authority. The exposition “’And your cord’ — this is the Sanhedrin" relates to the fact that most of the members of the Sanhedrin come from the tribe of Yehuda and wear tallitot.[10] In contrast to the signet, which expresses the authority of kingship, the staff expresses the ability to subdue the enemy until it is destroyed, which is the role of the messianic king. This follows from the psalm from which the verse “The staff of your strength the Lord will send out of Zion” is taken:

 

A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my lord: Sit you at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. The staff of Your strength the Lord will send out of Zion: Rule you in the midst of your enemies. Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your warfare; in adornments of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, yours is the dew of your youth. (Tehillim 110)

 

 

 

In contrast to Yehuda's perspective which is stated explicitly in the verse, the midrash presents Tamar as expressing the Divine plan which she is implementing.

 

 

 

God will gather the remnant of Israel at the end of days, but it will need leadership that will give it direction and lead it toward realizing its historical destiny:

 

 

The messiah is the breaker, he who will lead the entire herd after him. Tamar's initiative and resourcefulness find expression in Peretz, whose name and the story of his birth testify to his innate ability to burst forth and lead, as is fitting for a kingdom whose role it is to establish the throne of God in the world.[11]

 

 

Four speakers appear in the seven statements cited here: Rabbi Chunya, Rabbi Simon, Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachman. Everyone except for Rabbi Shemuel bar Nachman is among the earliest Amoraim of Eretz Israel. All of the statements mark the birth of Peretz and Zerach as the creation of the light of the messiah, and Yehuda and Tamar as acting and being acted upon in the framework of the Divine will. Nowhere else in the literature of Chazal is there further reference to the Yehuda and Tamar story from this perspective.[12] We will examine several sources from different periods of Rabbinic literature.

 

The first source is found in a halakhic midrash from the school of Rabbi Yishmael:

 

 

Rabbi Tarfon detaches Yehuda's meriting the kingship from his acknowledgement that "she is more righteous than I" and from the story of Yehuda and Tamar. In addition, he sees Yehuda's relations with Tamar as a sin that requires atonement. He directs his disciples to search beyond Yehuda's personal biography, to a distinct leadership trait that reveals itself in his descendants at the time of a national test. This trait manifests itself in the initiative taken by the tribe of Yehuda under the leadership of Nachshon ben Amminadav, to jump into the waters of the Sea of Reeds on God's orders moments before the miracle of the splitting of the sea occurs. The wording of the Mekhilta, "Nachshon ben Amminadav and his tribe behind him jumped into the waves of the sea," emphasizes that this initiative reflects a characteristic of the entire tribe, and not just of the person Nachshon ben Amminadav.

 

 

A second source that we will examine is from the Babylonian Talmud:

 

 

 

"She is more righteous than I" — how did he know this? A heavenly voice issued forth and proclaimed: From Me came forth secrets. (BT Sota 10a-b)

 

The Babylonian Amoraim focus on Tamar and Yehuda's righteousness: The Gemara first brings the words of the Amoraim of Eretz Israel who focus on Tamar's righteousness, and then it brings the words of the Babylonian Amoraim who focus on Yehuda's image. Most of the citations appear also in Bereishit Rabba, but they are reworked here. There is almost no reference to the fulfillment of a Divine plan.[13]

 

So too, in a later midrash, Yehuda's meriting the kingship is presented as a reward for his acknowledgement, "She is more righteous than I," and not as the fulfillment of God's original intent:[14]

 

 

These three sources indicate that the approaches of the Amoraim of Eretz Israel, as they appear in Bereishit Rabba regarding the story of Yehuda and Tamar, are unique and exclusive within the literature of Chazal. This may be due to the nature of their composition, which constitutes a continuous reading that incorporates exposition of the text — the language and style of the Torah — together with penetrating theological-spiritual statements.

 

This may be the essence of all aggadic midrash — listening to the subtle undertones, the music that arises between the stories of the Torah, which relates not only to the narrative but also to the nascent movement, the names of God which become revealed. Thus, between the lines, the darshan exposes the emerging process, giving it depth and meaning.

 

Each generation that reads the Torah uncovers new shades and raise new questions. What are the questions that concern us in the story of Yehuda and Tamar? It seems that the question that concerns today's students would be the following: why is it necessary to establish the kingdom of Israel in such an extraordinary way? This question does not concern the Amoraim of Eretz Israel at all. To them, it is clear that God establishes a kingdom which is the realization of a Divine plan, and as such they have no questions about it.

 

 

We live in a time when the light of the messiah is rising up and beginning to shine before our very eyes. God's seeming absence during the Holocaust and the subsequent establishment of the State of Israel are a perfect expression of light emerging from the darkness. Let us strengthen our ability to experience everyday life amidst the emerging light with faith and enthusiasm.

 

 

(Translated by David Strauss)