And Jacob let himself be convinced; he left his home and settled in Egypt, reunited with his entire family at last.

• • •

But now let us pause once more to raise the obvious question that has admittedly been troubling me: In what way was Joseph a Tzaddik, a Just Man? What did he do to deserve this rare distinction? Why is he considered a Just Man, he and not Moses, for instance? Did he really lead such a perfect, such an untainted and altruistic life? Was his behavior really so irreproachable, always?

Let us go back to his biography, and since it is so closely linked to the biographies of his father and brothers, let us take a closer look at those as well. One shocking fact becomes immediately evident: in this whole intricate narrative, not one of the characters behaved like a Tzaddik. None was entirely above reproach, none was truly engaging. Indeed, the whole family does not withstand scrutiny too well.

First, the brothers: quarrelsome, envious, resentful, constantly involved in sordid plots. Split into clans, they treated one another with contempt. The sons of Jacob’s wives lived apart from the sons borne to him by his servants. Only Joseph had dealings with the latter. By the way, this did not prevent them from turning against him later; they joined the others when it came to throwing Joseph into the snake pit. In the matter of persecuting Joseph, they were all united. They should have felt sorry for their small orphaned brother, whose mother had died tragically; instead they pounced on him, harassed him. They should have tried to console him; instead they made him feel unwanted, an outsider. Their father favored him above all others, and why not? Jacob loved him best because he was unhappy. But they refused to understand and treated him as an intruder. He spoke to them but they did not answer, says the Midrash. They turned their backs on him. They ignored him, they denied him. To them he was a stranger to be driven away. How is one to explain their insensitivity? How can one understand their hate, their murderous scheming? Or the pain they inflicted on their father? Even if they wanted to punish Joseph, why did they torture their father?

Nor did they have much affection for one another. When the Egyptian ruler seized Shimon as a hostage, they did not go to his aid; they simply abandoned him. Later, when the same ruler tricked them by hiding a silver cup in Benjamin’s bag and having them all arrested, they started the blows raining on the poor boy, accusing him of the theft. So the Midrash tells us. It also tells how, later yet, they turned against their leader, Yehuda. They excommunicated him, blaming him for not having dissuaded them from selling Joseph into slavery: Had you advised us to bring him home safely, we would have listened to you.

For it had been Yehuda’s idea: better to live in bondage than die. A compromise the Midrash judges harshly: It is forbidden to praise Yehuda. When human life and dignity are at stake, one has no right to settle for half-measures; Yehuda should have fought to the end to save his brother, not only from death but also from shame.