A “Rashomon” is a situation in which a specific event is described by a number of people with contradicting narratives. Can we find examples of "Rashomon," or at least something similar, within the Chumash? This is unlikely, as the events are written by the omniscient God, Whose version of any story needs no verification. However, when the narrative itself omits its objective description of events, providing them only through the mouths of the biblical characters, then we may speak of "Rashomon" even in the Chumash. By studying the story of Yosef we can see if we perhaps may categorize this drama as Rashomon. Only here, the conflict arises between the narrative itself and one of the characters.
Yehuda's report to Yosef of the brothers' discussion with their father upon their return from Egypt deviates somewhat from the Torah's account in last week's parasha. By carefully examining the second part of Yehuda's monologue, we can identify these changes and determine the reason behind them.
