When It Hurts, You Speak From the Soul

When It Hurts, You Speak From the Soul

The parsha opens with a moment of intense drama:

“Let your servant speak a word in my master’s ears…”
Yidaber-na avdecha davar b’oznei adoni (Bereishis 44:18)

Yehuda steps forward.
He’s not whispering. He’s not flattering.
He’s speaking with courage, urgency — and pain.

But the phrase is strange:
“In my master’s ears”?
It’s just the two of them. Why mention his ears?

Not a Whisper — A Cry

Rashi explains:
It means, “Let my words truly enter your ears.”

Yehuda isn’t just talking.
He’s pleading — from the depths of his soul.

And then he says something even more bold:
“Let your anger not burn…”
Which, Rashi tells us, means:
Yehuda was speaking harshly.

To the viceroy of Egypt.
While standing in chains.
With nothing but desperation.

Why So Intense?

Why didn’t Yehuda try a softer approach first?
Why not plead gently, carefully, respectfully?

Because this wasn’t politics.
It wasn’t business.
It wasn’t negotiation.

It was about his father.
It was about his brother.
It was about the soul.

And when something touches your soul —
you don’t calculate. You cry out.

Like the saying goes:
“When it hurts — you scream.”

The Power of Raw Emotion

Sometimes, only raw, honest, unfiltered intensity
can show the other person how real it is.

When Yehuda raises his voice —
Yosef sees:
This isn’t a ploy.
It’s not manipulation.

It’s pain.
It’s love.
It’s truth.

And that breaks the walls between them.

Don’t Wait — Act

The Rebbe sees in this story a lesson for us.

When a Jewish child is being pulled into “Mitzrayim” —
into a life of spiritual slavery,
away from Torah,
away from their own soul —

We don’t wait.

We don’t call for academic conferences
or slow committees
or psychological cost-benefit analyses.

We move. Fast. Loud. Now.
We speak up with holy chutzpah.

And when we do —
G-d Himself moves the world for us.

Pharaoh doesn’t just let them go.
He gives them the best of the land.

If you want to reach someone’s soul — speak from your own.
With fire. With love. With no fear.

May we each become Yehudas — willing to speak hard truths with soft hearts, and bring every Jewish soul home.