With the opening phrase of this week's parashah, "And Yehudah approached him (Yosef)," we are witness to the culmination of an incredible transformation. Yehudah, the brother who had spearheaded the plan to sell Yosef, assumes his role as leader in the family to beseech the Egyptian ruler to release Binyamin. In his plea to his disguised brother, Yehudah brazenly points out the duplicity in Yosef's request only to "set eyes on" Binyamin; the Egyptian ruler clearly had other plans when he demanded that the youngest brother be brought to Egypt.  In addition, Yehudah bravely proposes that he take his brother's place in prison and become a slave to the Egyptian sovereign so Binyamin can return to Yaakov, and Yaakov need not face more misery. With his stepping up to Yosef and making this petition, Yehudah ascends to his destined position within his family; he transforms himself into a leader. The power that propels this change first appears after Yehudah's tryst with Tamar in Parashat Vayeshev. When confronted with the staff, belt, and signet of the man that Tamar had requested from him as collateral after their meeting, Yehudah acts with courage and admits that Tamar is in fact more righteous than he. As his name suggests, he admits his wrongdoing and accepts responsibility for Tamar's situation. In Hebrew, the root of the verb "to admit"   is also the root for Yehudah's name. From this admission, Yehudah begins to take charge. He places himself as the guarantor for Binyamin's safety-both when Yaakov is reluctant to send Binyamin to Egypt and when the Egyptian ruler wants to imprison Binyamin. The word used for guarantor is familiar; being a guarantor is a position or claim of responsibility for another, as in the famous dictum: Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh, "All of Israel is responsible for (literally: guarantors) for each other." Leadership, as seen in this parashah, originates from several character traits: gevurah (courage), areivut (mutual responsibility), and keinut (honesty). When Yehudah embraces all these traits, after he bravely faced his wrongdoing and honestly accepted his responsibilities, he is poised to lead his family and stand up to the viceroy in Egypt; ultimately, his traits empower his descendants to rule the Jewish People, both in Biblical times and in the future when Mashiach will come.

The leadership that Yehudah exemplifies when he admits his error and assumes responsibility for his brother serves as a model for the leadership training that we teach at Akiba. From the youngest grades, students are encouraged to reflect on their actions, stand up for what is right, and behave in a way that demonstrates responsibility for their classmates and community. Our Lower School morning assemblies and Middle School committees provide fertile ground for practicing essential leadership skills that are enforced through guidance lessons, classroom instruction, and special programs.

Shabbat Shalom,