Vayayshev

The purpose of life is alluded to in this parasha.  It can be found in Judah’s question to his brothers after they threw Joseph into the pit:

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?  Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.  So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.  Genesis 37:26-28

While some may be tempted to credit Judah with saving Joseph’s life we cannot ignore the fact that he was the one who sold Joseph as a slave for the purpose of lining his pocket with silver.  Who would do such a thing?  While we learn later that Judah felt great remorse and repented, at this moment he was thinking only of himself and how he could better his position in life by betraying his brother.

Most of us are or have been in some kind of business in our lives.  That meant interacting with people and buying or selling.  If we make a “killing” (optimal and appropriate use of the word) how have we behaved like Judah?  

The Talmud has several great tractates finely detailing what is appropriate profit and what is simply wrong.  While societal pressures push us to make as much money from the poor schlmiel that knows no better, God watches and assesses our character when we take advantage of someone less knowledgeable or fortunate than us.  That is a sin.  It took many years before Judah understood the full ramifications of his bad judgment.