In the beginning of this week's Parsha, after Yosef rules that Binyomin was doomed to remain in Egypt, we are told of the brothers' dramatic attempt to save Binyomin. Yehuda steps forward, and in a desperate plea says, "If you please, my lord, may your servant speak a word in my lord's ear and let not your anger flare up at your servant." His statement "let not your anger flare up at your servant" implies that his words were indeed worthy of an angry response. Rashi comments that Yehuda spoke with a harsh tone towards Yosef, a way of speech inappropriate when speaking to royalty.   But what is especially strange is the stark contrast to the way Yehuda speaks now and how he spoke to Yosef a bit earlier. In last week's Parsha, upon finding Yosef's goblet in Binyomin's sack, Yehuda pleads with Yosef, "What can we say to my lord? How can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves?" Here Yehuda speaks in a lowly, needy and desperate fashion, in a way befitting of a commoner pleading with royalty. Why, then, does Yehuda's tone become harsh and demanding?

Rav Shimon Schwab says that from here we learn the power of responsibility. We know that Yaakov was not fond, to say the least, of sending Binyomin down to Egypt. It was Yehuda who stepped forward and convinced his father to send Binyomin. Yehuda took personal responsibility for Binyomin's safety and welfare, as he says, "Send the child [Binyomin] with me . . . I will personally guarantee him, etc." This sense of responsibility for Binyomin's safety is what pushed Yehuda to speak to Yosef in a more forceful tone. When Yehuda saw that his first, respectful attempt to rescue Binyomin from Mitzrayim was futile, he knew that he needed a different approach. As the adage goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. Yehuda was given siyata diShmaya, Heavenly assistance, to muster up the courage to speak the way he did despite the risk of jeopardizing himself and his family.

There are a plethora of stories of great people, throughout the history of our people, who rose to the occasion when feeling the sense of achrayus, responsibility, for the people of Israel. But, perhaps more importantly, one must feel the sense of responsibility to one's self when it comes to the service of G-d. Every day, three times a day, we recite kriyas shema which is a form of kabolas ol malchus shamoyim, accepting the yolk of Heaven. We accept the responsibility to perform Hashem's mitzvos. If we realize the power and awesomeness of this responsibility, Hashem will in turn give us the strength and zeal to serve Him.