Mikeitz parsha: Courage is acting even in uncertainty

Jacob hesitates to allow Benjamin, his youngest child, to return with his brothers to Egypt. Reuben, the eldest of the brothers, guarantees he’ll bring Benjamin home, proclaiming, “Let two of my sons be killed if I fail to bring him back to you” (Genesis 42:37). Jacob rejects Reuben’s offer.

In the end, Judah steps forward and declares, “If I do not bring [Benjamin] back to you…I will have sinned to you forever” (43:9). These words are accepted by Jacob. But one wonders why Jacob embraces the argument of Judah and not that of Reuben.