“Yehuda approached him.” (Bereishis 44:18).
“For behold the kings have assembled; they passed through together” (Tehillim 48:5). “For behold the kings have assembled” — this refers to Yehudah and Yosef … “Trembling took hold of them there” — these are the shvatim. They said “Kings are debating each other and why does it concern us? It is fitting for a king to debate with a king?” (Midrash Rabbah 93:2).
Why did the brothers consider Yehudah and Yosef to be kings? We must examine what kingship is. We are accustomed to calling a person who rules a country with many subjects under his jurisdiction a king … when he rules over them with the help of his government officials police officers and soldiers.… It is said about such a king that “there is no king without a people ” and since his servants give him the kingship and he relies on them … he becomes a servant to them (Rav Yosef Leib Bloch Shiurei Daas vol. 3 p. 301).
I spent four months in slavery and no one but me knew about it. I continued getting up every morning and going about my day. But in truth I was in prison.
It all began with a few unpleasant words a woman said to me. I stoically kept quiet and tried to move on. But my strength turned out to be very fragile merely a thin veil for my all-too-turbulent and all-too-painful emotions.
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