Bereishit 44:18-47:27 - Diplomacy
Diplomacy has become a dirty word. The seventeenth century English diplomat Henry Wotton said that a diplomat someone who is sent abroad to lie for his country. And there is a fine line between sycophancy, being dishonest and on the other hand finding the right way of making one’s point with greatest effect.
The Torah has several examples of how important diplomacy is. Avraham must negotiate all the time with the people and monarchs he encounters. Sometimes he uses ambiguous language. Sometimes he says what the other party wants to hear. So too does Isaac. He certainly uses diplomatic language to humble himself both before Laban his father-in-law and his brother Esau.
The Midrash plays on the opening word in the Torah this week Vayigash because the word means ‘to approach. It is used both of approaching for war and approaching to settle terms of peace. and suggests that Judah was prepared for both possibilities. Joseph arranged to sequester his silver cup silver cup into Benjamin’s sack of provisions. He would pretend to be surprised that it was found by Josephs men as the brothers were on their way home. So that he could accuse him of theft and bring back to prison in Egypt. Why he chose to do this is of course subject to plenty of speculation.
Judah, the strongest of the brothers, steps forward to deal with this crisis and addresses Joseph in what sounds like a conciliatory manner. He refers to himself and to his father as Joseph’s servants. The Midrash (Bereishit 75:5) seems to approve of this tactic. It records that Rebbi Judah the Prince who was head of the Jewish world during the second century had to send diplomatic messages to Rome. We are not sure which Roman Emperor he addressed. But he instructed his secretary R. Afess to write a letter in his name to the emperor Antoninus. R. Afess wrote “From Judah the Prince to his Majesty the Emperor.”
Rebbi Judah took the letter and tore it up. He told him to write: “From your servant, Judah, to his Majesty the Emperor Antoninus.” R. Afess objected that Rebbi was debasing himself. Rebbi Judah replied “Am I any better than my elder, Jacob? Did not Jacob say [to Esau]: “Thus says your servant, Jacob”?
Yet in the Rashi commentary this week on Judah’s approach he disagrees. Rashi says that first Judah opened aggressively threatening to destroy Joseph and only then did he turn to a more conciliatory approach.
Different times call for different responses and I suspect the aggressive approach reflected a Jewish response both to Roman and Christian oppression. However, to think that the biblical Judah was in any position to threaten Joseph is laughable. Unless it was bluff! But this tactic, of using two ways of negotiation opened up a huge debate throughout the medieval period as to how one should deal with non-Jews. This issue was particularly controversial when it came to whether we should negotiate with Hitler and indeed today with Hamas.
This episode clearly supports the need for diplomacy eve if it means using language that might be considered beneath one’s dignity. Very often we have different options in dealing with ethical and diplomatic matters. As with Simon and Levi, the two sons of Jacob who led the massacre at Shechem as retaliation for the rape of Dina, the ethical issue is left unanswered.
THE FAST OF TEVET
This Friday is the Fast of Tevet. One of the Minor Fasts that run from Dawn to Dusk. It records, primarily, the beginning of the sieges of Jerusalem that eventually led to its destruction. Poor leadership caused the initial crisis and here, in a way, was G-D giving notice and warning. But by then there was no one of caliber to turn things round and reverse decades of corrupt leadership. The lesson is clear. Being born to lead is not enough if you don’t have the character to go with it.
Shabbat Shalom
Jeremy