The Jewish monarchy, Rav Amital explained, cannot occur naturally, because it is not natural.  Its origins are shadowy because it itself is fraught with complexities.  As we firmly believe that all human beings are servants of the one King, it is no simple matter to appoint a human monarch who would exert his authority over the rest of the nation. 

What connection might there be between Reuven’s sin with Bilha and his rescue of Yosef?  Why did Reuven hope to rectify the mistake he had made by intervening to save Yosef?

    The Torah in Parashat Vayeshev describes Yosef’s travails after being sold as a slave and brought to Egypt.  Somewhat surprisingly, the Torah in this context uses the uncommon word “matzli’ach” (“successful”) no fewer than three times: “The Lord was with Yosef, and he was a successful man, while he was in his Egyptian master’s home” (39:2); “His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made him successful in everything he did” (39:3); “the Lord made everything he did successful” (39:23).

     So often, the cause of hatred is not differences of opinion, or even gravely misguided words and actions, but rather the unfounded assumptions that quarreling parties make about one another.  

 When it seems as though life has turned sour, we must stop to “smell” the “fragrance,” to identify and appreciate the pleasant aspects of life.

We learn from Yosef that we must follow our own standards without being influenced by the standards and values of the society around us. 

Reuven was overcome by guilt because he detected the true reason why he failed to rescue Yosef.  He shared his brothers’ resentment toward Yosef, and these feelings prevented him from committing himself wholeheartedly to rescuing him.