RAV KOOK ON Miketz Part 1: Joseph and Judah (II)

PLEASE LEARN THIS L"N MY BOBIE ESTHER BAS Yichiel Dovid The strife among Jacob's sons centered on two conflicting viewpoints vis a vis the sanctity of the Jewish people. Judah felt that we need to act according to the current reality and that, given the present situation, the Jewish people need to maintain a separate existence from other nations in order to safeguard their unique heritage. Joseph, on the other hand, believed that we should focus on the final goal. We need to take into account the hidden potential of the future era, when "nations will walk by your light" (Isaiah 60:3). Thus, according to Joseph, even nowadays we are responsible for the spiritual elevation of all peoples. So which outlook is correct — Judah's pragmatic nationalism or Joseph's visionary universalism?