This title borrowed from the memoirs of scientist and Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini should help us learn from the weekly reading Vayigash what makes a good leader. In the context of the 2024 presidential election in the United States, there is much debate around the world about the personal qualities of a leader. Judah, one of the protagonists of this weekly reading, becomes the leader of his brothers and the progenitor of King David’s royal dynasty. His story sheds light on what Jewish tradition says about leadership and power.
The chapter begins with the resolution of a brotherly strife triggered decades earlier by jealousy over their father Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph, culminating in his sale as a slave to Egypt. As the eleven brothers stand in fear before Joseph, they see only an Egyptian viceroy who wants to imprison their youngest brother, Benjamin. Benjamin is one of the two sons of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, the other being Joseph. While Joseph allows the rest of them to leave, they realize that their tribulations in Egypt are the price they must pay for selling Joseph into slavery. They repent and are ready to suffer for their deed. But Benjamin is the only brother who did not participate in the sale of Joseph, and it would be unjust to make him pay for a fault he did not commit. At this moment, Judah steps forward and makes an impassioned plea for justice. His courage and honesty break down the walls between the brothers and the viceroy, who bursts into tears and reveals himself as their brother, Joseph.
Indeed, courage and honesty are essential qualifications for a good leader. But Jewish tradition goes beyond these qualities when addressing the appointment of a king.
To begin with, the Torah is ambivalent and cautious about the very concept of royalty. When the Hebrews, former slaves, declare, “I will set a king over me, as do all the nations around me” (Deuteronomy 17:14), the reason they invoke—wanting to be like everyone else—contradicts their mission to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). But when they insist, Torah stipulates that a king must have a Torah scroll at his side, study it, and follow its teachings. He should not acquire many horses or wives and must not “amass silver and gold to excess” (Deuteronomy 17:17–20).
When the Hebrews ask the prophet Samuel to appoint a king, he appeals to God, who considers the request akin to idolatry but, nonetheless, agrees, warning that the king:
“will take your sons and appoint them as his charioteers and horsemen, and they will serve as outrunners for his chariots… They will have to plow his fields, reap his harvest, and make his weapons and equipment for his chariots. He will seize your choice fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his courtiers… The day will come when you cry out because of the king whom you yourselves have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you on that day.’ (1 Samuel 8:6–22).
Kings appear in the Torah with all their faults and blemishes. King David himself was not allowed to build the Temple because he had shed blood in wars, even though they were fought with God’s sanction. Furthermore, impeccable ancestry may actually be a drawback for a king. A discussion in the Talmud makes this clear:
“One appoints a leader over the community only if he has a box full of creeping animals hanging behind him, i.e., he has something inappropriate in his ancestry that preceded him. Why is that? It is so that if he exhibits a haughty attitude toward the community, one can say to him, ‘Turn and look behind you,’ and be reminded of your humble roots.” (Yoma 22b)
Judah, as the progenitor of the Davidic dynasty, embodies the capacity to admit fault and repent. This becomes evident in the episode with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, accused of adultery and facing a death sentence. Judah declares her to be more righteous than he is (Genesis 38:26). He does not hide his misdeed, even though this threatens to damage his reputation.
He is also loyal to the promise he made to Jacob to return Benjamin safely and is ready to take Benjamin’s place in prison. Moreover, Judah never forgets his sins and attributes his misfortunes to his own deeds. When he and his brothers are falsely accused of espionage upon their arrival in Egypt, “They said to one another, ‘Alas, we are being punished on account of our brother because we looked on at his anguish yet paid no heed as he pleaded with us. That is why this distress has come upon us’” (Genesis 42:21). Similarly, Judah’s descendant David admits: “I am aware of my transgressions and my sin is always before me” (Psalms 51:3).
To sum up, the very concept of kingship challenges the vocation of the Hebrews and is tinged with idolatry. Appointing a king constitutes a concession to human frailty and is accompanied by multiple warnings about the pitfalls of power. As for the qualities required of a leader, Jewish tradition emphasizes humility, loyalty to promises, honesty and the readiness to admit fault—even at the risk of losing face. Perfection is not required; moreover, imperfections serve to remind a haughty king of his humanity and humble origins.
