<b>And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28).</b> Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: <i>The envy also of Ephraim shall depart … Ephraim shall not envy Judah</i> (Isa. 11:13). Jacob our patriarch sent Judah before him because he believed that Judah had killed Joseph at the time he brought him the coat of many colors, as it is said: <i>And he knew it, and said: “It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him”</i> (Gen. 37:33). <i>An evil beast</i> refers to Judah, since it is said: <i>Judah is a lion’s whelp</i>. And Jacob said to Judah: “Thou art the one who hath rent him asunder.” <i>Whereupon Jacob rent his garments … and all his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him</i> (ibid., vv. 34–35).
What is meant by the words <i>Nay, but I will go down to the grave to my son mourning</i> (ibid.)? Jacob said: “Surely I shall die the death of a wicked man in the world-to-come. The Holy One, blessed be He, promised me twelve tribes, and now one of them has been torn asunder. Perhaps I was not worthy of them, and I shall perish in both worlds.” That is why he said: <i>I will go down to the grave to my son mourning</i>. You know this to be so from the fact that when he saw that Joseph was alive, he exclaimed: <i>Now let me die</i> (Gen. 46:30). When did he say <i>Now let me die</i>? He said to himself: “When my sons came to me, and told me that Joseph was dead, I cried out: ‘I am destined to die twice,’ but now that I see that you are alive, I am assured that I did not die, but only now will I die.” Hence he said: <i>Now let me die</i>.
<i>And his father wept for him</i>. After that Scripture states: <i>The Midianites sold him into Egypt</i> (Gen. 37:36). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Judah: Until now you had no sons, and did not experience the grief caused by sons, but since you tormented your father, and deceived him with the words <i>Joseph is without doubts torn to pieces</i> (ibid., v. 33), by your life, you shall wed, bury your children,<sup class="footnote-marker">12</sup><i class="footnote">His sons Er and Onan sinned grievously and were slain (see Gen. 38:7–10).</i> and suffer the grief that comes with children.” What is written after this verse? <i>Judah went down from his brethren … and he took her … and bore a son</i> (ibid. 38:1–2). This teaches us that Judah became separated from his brothers. If at the time he had said to them: <i>Come, let us sell him</i> (ibid. 37:27), he had said instead: “Come, let us return him (to father),” they would have listened to him. Therefore, <i>Judah went down</i>. That is, he was deposed from his role as leader.
<i>And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite</i> (ibid. 38:2). She bore him two sons, Er and Onan, and both of them died. During the years in which Joseph was separated from his father, Jacob was convinced that Judah had killed him. Whence do you learn this? From the episode dealing with Benjamin: <i>Whereas Judah said to Joseph: “For thy servant is surety for the youth”</i> (ibid. 44:32). It was only after he announced that he had pledged himself for Benjamin that Joseph disclosed his identity and Judah was exonerated from guilt in this matter. Therefore <i>And the envy of Ephraim was turned</i> (Isa. 11:13). Hence, Scripture states: <i>And he sent Judah before him</i>.