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Why did Yehuda lose his stature and even his family after saving Yosef from death? The shiur develops the yesod that starting a mitzvah (מצוה) but not completing it reveals a fundamental error: treating mitzvahs as opportunities we control rather than duties we serve. Yehuda's failure to bring Yosef home showed he viewed the mitzvah as his possession to grant or withhold—the opposite of being an eved Hashem (ה׳).
Rabbi Zweig explores the Midrash on Parshas Vayeishev that says when Yehuda saved Yosef by suggesting they sell him instead of killing him but failed to complete the mitzvah (מצוה) by returning him to Yaakov, he "went down from his greatness." The Midrash teaches that when someone starts a mitzvah but doesn't complete it while someone else completes it, the first person loses their position of greatness. Later, Chazal add that such a person even loses their wife and children, as Yehuda did. The difficulty is obvious: Yehuda did something tremendously good—he saved Yosef's life. Why should he be punished for not doing more when what he did was already a significant improvement over what would have happened otherwise? The shiur develops a profound yesod about the fundamental nature of mitzvah observance. There are two possible relationships a person can have with mitzvahs. The first is viewing mitzvahs as opportunities given to us for our growth and elevation—treasures that serve us and perfect our 248 limbs and 365 sinews. The second is recognizing that mitzvahs are duties and responsibilities—service we owe to Hashem (ה׳), where our growth comes as a result of serving Him, not as the primary purpose. While both perspectives acknowledge that mitzvahs elevate us, they differ critically in who controls whom: do we control the mitzvah, or does the mitzvah control us?
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Parshas Vayeishev
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