ויכר יהודה ויאמר צדקה ממני ... (לח-כו)
MASHAL: A young boy was not doing well in school. His parents were well-to-do people - his father was a prestigious lawyer and his mother was a doctor - and it was a tremendous blow to them that their highly intelligent child was not succeeding in school. Not only that, but he was getting involved with the wrong crowd of kids. Things weren’t looking good for him.
His parents tried encouraging him and offering him incentives, but it was only of minimal help. The parents even hired a private tutor to assist the boy with his schoolwork, which helped his grades rise gradually - but not enough. The boy claimed he was behaving in class and working hard on his work, but his grades were not showing it.
Finally, PTA night came. His parents dreaded the night for the fear they would hear the worst - which they indeed did. Not only did all his teachers have very uncomplimentary things to say about their son, but his report card was awful. He got straight C’s and D’s, and even a few F’s.
The father confronted his son, “What’s this all about?!” he demanded. The son looked his father straight in the eyes, he seemed to truly be unaware as to why his father was so agitated. Finally, he blurted out with honesty and sincerity, “So dad, what do you think the problem here is - a genetic issue or an environmental one?”
NIMSHAL: In this week’s parsha, Yehuda taught us a lesson of immeasurable value. Instead of looking around for someone to blame his issue on, he took responsibility for his own actions (even though there was a basis for his actions). This is the attribute of a responsible leader and essentially the attribute of every Jew. Accountability brings one to rectify his own deeds and ultimately to a measure of perfection.