In Parshat Vayigash, Binyamin is taken away from his family and all Yehuda can say to Yosef, before going back to Yaakov, is: “How can I go up to my father if the boy (Binyamin) is not with me”? Yehuda knows that the most precious thing to Yaakov is Binyamin, especially after losing Yosef, and he makes a promise that he would not return without Binyamin.
From Yehuda’s urgency, we learn about parent-child relationships. The most important relationship is a parent to a child; it is an unbreakable and unconditional bond. No matter the mistakes or the time spent apart, we are like magnets to our parents, always getting pulled back in. At this point, Yaakov had lost two sons, so it was even more important that Yehuda should return with Binyamin.
We can take this lesson and apply it to our relationship with Hashem. Just like our parents, our relationship with Hashem is unconditional, and He is always waiting for us with open arms. No matter which path you may spiral down, Hashem is always willing to have us back.
Whether it is between our parents or Hashem, there is always an invisible string pulling us back to our roots. Our parents need us as much as we need them, and that is why Yehuda was so worried and so adamant about bringing Binyamin home.
Shabbat Shalom!
By: Lily Abrahams (11th)