In search of nuance

In today’s world that seeks simplicity, politics follows suit.  Ideas, at least as peddled to the public, lack all forms of nuance.  There are enough news outlets repeating clumsy proposals without having to repeat them here.  When it comes to Torah, things are markedly different.  It constantly operates through a multipronged approach that contains facets and layers. 

                A classic example is in the encounter between an Egyptian leader (well, sort of) and a Jewish one, Yoseph and Yehuda respectively.  Yoseph frames the youngest brother Binyamin for stealing a goblet as a pretext to enslave him.  Yehuda, as the leader of the brothers, cannot allow this to happen to him as it would be the final nail in Yaakov’s coffin.  And so he approaches him- the most powerful man in Egypt besides Pharaoh- in an attempt to make a deal.  More than what he says, it is how he says it.  

                Without getting into nuances of the text, the midrash highlights that he employed three different tactics at once.  When it says that Yehuda ‘approached’ (Vayigash, the moniker of our parsha) Yosef, the midrash sites three different opinions of what an ‘approach’ implies. One connotation is an approach with fists ready to fly- an aggressive one. Another opinion says an approach involves humility, in this case, to placate the despot.  And finally, whenever one approaches a complicated situation, it involves prayer. The final opinion is that it was all three at once.   In order to get a job done, one must be ready to stand his ground while at the same time look to appease the other party if possible. And of course, during complicated encounters, a little divine assistance doesn’t hurt.  The Ba’al ha Turim points out a hint to this idea by showing that the numerical value of ‘And Yehuda approached him’ is equivalent to both ‘this is to go to war with Yosef’ and ‘also to appease him’. 

                Human relationships are sticky and all the more so relationships between civilizations.  Consequently, different avenues are needed simultaneously to make things work. Broad brush strokes are not the answer to a world that is vastly more complex than an encounter between two brothers.