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Bereishit, 49:8: “Yehudah, you your brothers will acknowledge…”
Targum Onkelos, Bereishis, 49:8 “Yehudah, you admitted and you were not ashamed – your brothers will acknowledge you.”
Targum Yonatan, Bereishis, 49:8: “Yehudah, you admitted in the incident with Tamar, because of that your brothers will acknowledge you and Yehudim will be called on your name.”
Bereishit Rabbah, 98:6: “…Rebbe Shimon Ben Yochai says [that this means], ‘all your brothers will be called by your name. A man does not say ‘I am a Reuveni’, ‘I am a Shimoni’, rather, ‘I am a Yehudi’…
When Yaakov blessed his sons, he began with words of rebuke to Reuven, Shimon and Levi. The next brother, Yehuda, was fearful that Yaakov would also rebuke him for his actions in the incident with Tamar. However, instead, Yaakov praised him, beginning with the words, ‘Yehudah, your brothers will acknowledge you.” The simple understanding of the verse is that Yehudah’s brothers will acknowledge him as the leader. However, many Rabbinic sources write that Yaakov was saying that the brothers would acknowledge Yehudah because of his actions in the incident with Tamar. When Tamar requested that the man in question reveal his identity, Yehudah could have easily remained silent, and let Tamar die. However, he took responsibility for his actions and publicly admitted his role in the incident. The Targum Yonatan goes further and posits that in the merit of Yehudah’s actions here, the Jewish people would be called by Yehudah’s name in particular. In the same vein, the Midrash Rabbah states that Jews were not known by their tribes in particular, rather as Yehudim.
A question arises on the Targum Yonatan’s assertion that the name Yehudim is because Yehudah was humble enough to admit his role in the incident of Tamar. The reason that Yehudah was originally given this name was ostensibly very different. The Torah relates at the birth of Yehudah: “She conceived again, and bore a son and declared, ‘This time let me gratefully thank Hashem.” Therefore, she called his name, Yehudah.”1 When Yehudah was born, Leah expressed her immense gratitude to God by naming him Yehudah, which means thanks. It would seem that Yehudah’s name is more a reflection of gratitude than of humility and acknowledgment. Accordingly, why are we named Yehudim because of an act of humility, when that is not even the reason that Yehudah himself was given that name?!
Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner2 discusses the meaning of the word ‘hodaah’ and his explanation can answer this question. He explains that in truth, hodaah means both acknowledgement and thanks, and that both ideas stem from the same place. When a person acknowledges that he is lacking something or has done something wrong, that leads him to ‘admit’ his lacking or mistake. For example, a person may acknowledge someone of a higher status, and thereby submit to his authority, and he may admit that he made a mistake in a certain situation.
Showing gratitude also stems from a person’s recognition that someone else did something for him or provided him with something that he could not get without that person’s help. That requires the same trait of acknowledgement of one’s lacking and dependence on someone else. In this way, a person’s humility will result in him freely showing gratitude. In contrast, an arrogant person feels that he does not need anyone else’s help, and as a consequence, he will be loath to show gratitude to a person, as this suggests his own lacking and reliance on others.
Returning to Yehuda’s name, Leah’s thanks for having her fourth child, emanated from a humility that she was not deserving of this child. This trait was imbued by Yehudah himself, and enabled him to attain a great level in humility by publicly taking responsibility for his actions. This action caused him to merit that all Jews are named Yehudim, and this reflects both traits of gratitude and humility.
Indeed, it is instructive to note that while great Torah Sages vary very much in their character traits, and strengths, all of them excelled in humility and gratitude. One example of humility was cited by Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller about the great Chazon Ish.3 In the words of Rabbi Yissachar Frand4:
The Chazon Ish wrote on the entire Torah. He wrote a chapter (Siman 12) in one of his books about Masechta Kelim. He later regretted having published that chapter. He didn’t think what he wrote was correct. He expunged it from his Sefer. In the Chazon Ish’s volume on Taharot (the laws of purity) regarding Masechta Kelim, the chapters skip from eleven to thirteen. Siman 12 was removed in all later editions. Someone asked the Chazon Ish why he did not renumber the subsequent chapters and make Siman 13 into Siman 12 and so on? “Let there be one less Siman at the end of the Sefer. Why do you need to announce that there is something missing here?” The Chazon Ish said “I want people to know that I had something to say over here. It was originally included but I decided it was wrong so I removed it. That’s the way it is.”
Yehudah merited to be King because of his humility. The Chazon Ish was not a King but he was a great leader of the Jewish people, and he also epitomized this wonderful trait. May we all merit to emulate are ancestors and tap into their humility, and ability to show gratitude. These traits will enable us to strive to also be leaders, each in his own way.
