Parshas Vayeishev: Responsibility Beyond Interpersonal Forgiveness — Reuven's Nine-Year Repentance

Rabbi Zweig addresses a profound question from Parshas Vayeishev: Why was Reuven absent when his brothers sold Yosef? Rashi (רש"י) explains that Reuven was either tending to his father or engaged in penitential fasting and wearing sackcloth—practices he had maintained for approximately nine years since he moved Yaakov's bed from Bilhah's tent to Leah's tent after Rochel's death. This timeline seems inexplicable: Reuven was around 14-15 when the incident with the bed occurred, and now at 23-24, he was still doing intense penance. Could Yaakov have been so unforgiving that he kept his son in a state of guilt for nearly a decade? The Midrash states that Reuven was the first person to truly engage in teshuva (תשובה) (repentance), and therefore his descendant Hoshea became the prophet whose words we read on Shabbos (שבת) Shuva, calling the Jewish people to repentance. But this raises another difficulty: Adam repented after his sin, as did Cain after killing Hevel. Why is Reuven considered the first penitent? The standard answer is that Adam and Cain only repented after being called to account by God, whereas Reuven's repentance was more voluntary. But this distinction is weak, since the Torah (תורה) indicates Yaakov knew what Reuven had done, suggesting he may have confronted him as well.