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Why did Yaakov credit Yehuda for saving Yosef when Reuven was the one who prevented the murder by suggesting the pit? The key distinction is responsibility versus evasion. Reuven's approach taught the brothers they could cause Yosef's death without being murderers, while Yehuda insisted they take full responsibility and abandon the plan entirely.
Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L analyzes the apparent contradiction between how the brothers viewed Reuven and Yehuda's roles in the sale of Yosef versus how Yaakov Avinu later credited them. While Reuven initially saved Yosef from death by suggesting they throw him in the pit, his secret plan was to return later and bring Yosef back to their father. However, Yehuda prevented this by convincing the brothers to sell Yosef instead, saying "What do we gain if we kill our brother?" When the brothers saw their father's anguish, they blamed Yehuda and removed him from his leadership position, saying that if he had told them to return Yosef to their father, they would have listened to his authority as their leader. They held no grievance against Reuven because he wasn't the leader and had done the best he could under the circumstances. Yet paradoxically, in his blessings to the tribes, Yaakov Avinu gives Yehuda credit for saving Yosef, praising him with "from prey you rose above" (miteref alita) for saying "let's not kill him," while giving Reuven no credit for his role. Rabbi Yeshaya Greenberg ZT"L cites the Gemara (גמרא) in Sanhedrin where Rabbi Meir criticizes anyone who praises Yehuda for his "what do we gain" statement, arguing he should have said to return Yosef to their father. The resolution lies in understanding the fundamental difference between Reuven and Yehuda's approaches to responsibility. Reuven's strategy was to avoid direct culpability - he told the brothers they could cause Yosef's death indirectly without being actual murderers, essentially teaching them how to kill without taking responsibility. Even though Reuven secretly planned to save Yosef, his public position endorsed the idea that they could be "gorem l'miso" (cause his death) without being "retzachim" (murderers). Yehuda, by contrast, took the position of full responsibility. He argued that if they put Yosef in the pit to die, it would be equivalent to killing him and covering his blood - they would bear full responsibility either way. This philosophy of taking complete responsibility is demonstrated later when Yehuda guarantees Binyamin's safety, saying "I am responsible" (anochi e'ervenu), while Reuven merely offered his own children as collateral if he failed. Yaakov Avinu therefore credited Yehuda because he alone removed himself (masalek) from the murder by taking responsibility and insisting they not go through with it, even though the alternative of selling Yosef was also problematic. Reuven, despite his good intentions, gets no credit because his approach fundamentally endorsed avoiding responsibility for one's actions, which is antithetical to true leadership and moral courage.
Parshas Vayeishev - Sale of Yosef
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