Hagaon
Rav Yehuda
Aryeh Leib of Gur zt”l on Parshat Vayechi
(from
Sfat
Emet on the Torah)
The
Humble Lion
Print Version
The blessing of Yehuda
includes the following verse: Yehuda crouches down
and lies like a lion (Bereishit 49:9). What is the
greatness of lying down like a lion? Since the Jewish
people are referred to as "Yehudim," (for example,
in Megillat Esther), our explanation applies to
the whole Jewish people.
The Chidushei HaRim, the grandfather of the Sfat
Emet, explains. Even in a lowly position, Yehuda
remains a lion. Even when Yehuda was exposed and
shamed, like in the Tamar episode, he courageously
admitted his mistake and Tamar's innocence, rising
up like a lion. This ability to retain moral power,
even in difficult situations, is the seed from which
the Mashiach grows.
This trait, explains the Sfat Emet himself, is rooted
in Yehuda's humility. Despite his greatness, he
does not have a bloated self-image. It follows that
even when he does fall, Hashem's presence remains
with him. In fact, the name Yehuda in Hebrew contains
the four letters of the Divine Name, with the letter
dalet in the middle, symbolizing "dal," lowly.
This is alluded to in a slightly different expression
used in Bilam's blessings. Yaakov's blessing says
that Yehuda crouches down and springs up - "kara
ravatz," referring to his ability to rise up when
lowly. The blessings of Parshat Balak (Bemidbar
24:9) say that Israel lies down like a lion - "kara
shakhav," referring to his ability to remain humble
when successful.
The two expressions point to Yehuda's and the Yehudim's
two complementary qualities; to retain our moral
strength when we are down (spring up), and to remain
humble when riding high (lie down). Both humility
and moral strength have a common source, though,
an accurate self-image. This clarity about who we
are allows us to always remember our strength, but
never to forget its source, G-d, whose Name is written
into ours.
[prepared
by Eliezer Kwass]
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