Royal propaganda in the story of Yehuda and Tamar

Within this overall narrative, we find some episodes that appear, at first glance, to be of marginal importance, and their contribution to the advancement of the plot is not immediately apparent. The most obvious example is the story of Yehuda and Tamar. Other than the identity of the characters involved, which anchors this episode within the family history of Yaakov's sons, there is no clear connection between this narrative and the sale of Yosef with its significant repercussions in Chevron and in Egypt. Ancient midrashim and later commentators alike tried to find some link between the narratives, proposing both psychological explanations (describing Yehuda's pangs of conscience and consequent depression as the motivation behind the story) and the connection between the sin and its punishment (with Yehuda's embroilment in the affair concerning Tamar viewed as repayment for his dominant role in the sale). Nevertheless, the seeming out-of-place story demands some explanation indicating a broader connection with the surrounding plot.

We address this question after examining the unique midrashic approach to the story of Yehuda and Tamar.