יהודה בן יעקב

Judah, Jacob's fourth son, is the root of the monarchy, and one whose greatness is measured by his ability to admit. His name is from the word for thanksgiving, for Leah called him 'this time I will thank God,' and in his life the admission became a royal trait: not only to thank God but to admit the truth even when it is against you.

In the affair of Tamar, when she was about to be burned and sent him the signs, Judah could have stayed silent, but declared before all 'she is more righteous than I' (Genesis 38:26), admitting his guilt in public. And when he stood before the Egyptian ruler for Benjamin, 'please, my lord,' he took full responsibility, 'I will be surety for him.' One who knows how to take responsibility and to admit is fit to reign.

Jacob blessed him 'the scepter shall not depart from Judah' (Genesis 49:10), and from Judah came King David and Solomon, and by tradition also the Messiah. The kingship was given not to the strong or the handsome but to the one who knew how to bow to the truth, even when it incriminated him.

What do we learn from him? That true leadership is measured by the ability to say 'she is more righteous than I,' to admit an error in public and take responsibility. Judah teaches that one who does not flee from the truth even when it is against him is fit to reign, and that the trait of admission, to God and to truth alike, is the root of the eternal kingdom of the house of David.