15 Sivan · Yahrzeit
Yehuda ben Yaakov Avinu - 12 Tribes
Yehuda ben Yaakov Avinu
Yahrzeit - 15 Sivan Burial place - Yehud (near Ben Gurion) He was the head of the royal tribe. Yehuda was born on 15 Nissan and died at the age of 119. (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemot 162) "Yehuda, your brothers shall praise you. All your brothers will be called by your name." (Bereishit Rabbah 98:6) Yehuda was not ashamed to admit to the incident with Tamar. What was his reward? He inherited a portion in the World to Come. (Sotah 7b) Who caused Reuven to confess to the incident with Bilhah? Yehuda, who set the example. Yehuda convinced his brothers to sell Yosef into slavery rather than kill him. Of this it is written: "He who blesses one greedy for gain spurns Ha-Shem." (Tehillim 10:3) "One greedy for gain" refers to Yehuda, who said: "What do we gain if we kill our brother?" (Sanhedrin 6b) Because Yehuda brought a curse upon himself by saying: "If I do not bring Binyamin back to you, then I will have sinned against you forever." (Bereishit 43:9) During all the time that Israel spent in the desert, Yehuda's bones remained in his coffin, until Moshe came and prayed for mercy. But he was not accepted into the Heavenly Yeshiva until Moshe pleaded: "Bring him to his people." In the Heavenly Yeshiva, Yehuda did not know how to discuss halacha with the Sages, until Moshe pleaded: "Let his hands strive for him." Still, Yehuda's halachic rulings were not entirely correct, so Moshe prayed: "You shall be a help against his adversaries." (Sotah 7b) Yehuda was buried in the portion of Binyamin. On three occasions Yehuda spoke before his brothers, and they made him king over them. (Bereishit Rabbah 84:17) Kingship Yehuda earned the kingship over Israel. (Sotah 37a) Why did Yehuda merit the kingship? Because he confessed in the episode with Tamar, or according to another opinion, because he saved his brother Yosef from death, as it is written: "What do we gain if we kill our brother?" (Tosefta Berachot 4:16) Why did the Most High consider it fitting to give the kingship to the tribe of Yehuda, and not to his brothers? Because the letters of His Name are inscribed in the name of Yehuda. The letter "dalet" in the name Yehuda, which is not in His Name, comes from King David, who bound himself to His Name more than anyone else. Therefore it is written: "They shall seek Ha-Shem their G-d, and David their king." (Hoshea 3:5) (Zohar 1:89b). Reuven ruled over all of Israel in Egypt. When Reuven died, the rule was passed to Shimon; when Shimon died, it was passed to Levi. When Levi died, they wanted to give the rule to Yehuda, but a Heavenly Voice said: "His time has not yet come." But in the days of the Judges Ha-Shem said: "Yehuda shall go up." (Judges 1:2) (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:8) "Yehuda is a lion's cub." (Bereishit 49:9) This teaches that he was given the strength of a lion and the courage of its cubs. (Bereishit Rabbah 98:7) They, the Romans, received a tradition that Yehuda outwitted Esav. (Yerushalmi Gittin 5:7) When our forefather Yitzchak died, Esav, Yaakov, and all the heads of the tribes came to bury him. Yaakov and his sons sat and began to weep in the Cave of Machpelah, but out of respect for Yaakov, the heads of the tribes left the cave so as not to see their father weeping. Then Esav slipped into the cave, for he thought: "Now that my father is dead, I will kill Yaakov." When Yehuda saw that Esav had gone after Yaakov, he thought: "Now Esav will kill my father!" He entered the cave following Esav, and just as Esav was about to kill Yaakov, he struck him dead from behind. Why did he not strike him from the front? Because Esav's face resembled Yaakov's face. That is why his father Yaakov blessed him: "Your hand shall be on the nape of your enemy's neck." (Bereishit 49:8), (Shocher Tov 18:32). May the merit of the tzadik Yehuda ben Yaakov Avinu protect us all, Amen. (http://dailyzohar.com/.../195-Yehudah-Judah-ben-Yaakov-Avinu)
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Grave: Yehudah ben Yaakov Avinu