Bat Kol International, Weekly Torah Nuggets
Parashat Vayigash. Genesis 44:18-47:27
In Genesis 44:18–34, Judah steps forward not as the brother who once sold Joseph, but as a man transformed. Standing face to face with Joseph—I to Thou—he places himself vulnerably before him and offers his life for Benjamin and for peace in the family. This is repentance lived as self-gift. By entering an I–Thou relationship, accepting his brother without conditions, Judah becomes a living bridge toward healing a fractured family.
Reflection:
Which of my relationships needs mending? How might Judah’s bravery lead me to choose the risky path of I–Thou encounter as a way to heal the relationship?
My Prayer:
O God of Peace, grant Israel—Jewish descendants of Judah—the courage of Judah to enter I–Thou relationships with the Palestinians.
Prepared by Prof. Sr Maureena Fritz
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“Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies.”
Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: Nostra Aetate, No. 4