Parshas Mikeitz

In this week's parsha, the Torah recounts the discussion between the Shevatim upon hearing that one of them must remain in Egypt as a hostage. The pasuk tells us how they admitted one to another that they were guilty for not listening to their brother Yosef's cries, and were therefore suffering their current predicament as punishment. Reuven then said to them, "did I not tell you not to sin against the child?" What was the purpose of Reuven's statement? The brothers had just admitted what they had done wrong - why did he feel the need to chastise them after they had already expressed their remorse?

Rav Yosef Dov Solovetchik answers that we must pay closer attention to the exact words of the pasuk in order to appreciate what was going on. In their statement of regret, the brothers specifically use the word "achinu", meaning brother; Reuven merely uses the ambiguous word "yeled", meaning child. The brothers were expressing regret for their actions based on the fact that Yosef was a member of their own family, and that to commit such a horrible crime against one's own flesh and blood is a terrible sin. What Reuven was trying to tell them was that they should not regret their actions solely on the basis of the victim being a family member; even if the victim was simply a "yeled", a random individual with no relation to them, what they did was still very wrong. Selling an innocent person into slavery is a grevious sin, no matter who he is. And that is why Reuven felt the need to make his statement: he wanted to drive home the point that an offense committed is just as serious even if the victim is not a close family member, and thus they must do teshuva accordingly.

As human beings, we have a tendency to be more caring and compassionate toward members of our own family, and toward people we can relate to. Someone who is "not our type" can often wind up being neglected, or even oppressed. We must learn from this week's parsha that no one should be written off just because they do not have a close connection with us - every person is special, and every yid must be treated with dignity and care, like members of our own family.