Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story/1

Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story

Introduction

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An Unnecessary Interruption?

Bereshit 38 is the only chapter in the last third of Sefer Bereshit in which Yosef plays no role. It interrupts the story of Yosef's sale, ignoring his subsequent fate, to focus instead on the figure of Yehuda. The chapter tells of Yehuda's marriage to Bat-Shua and the births of his children Er, Onan and Shelah. Er marries Tamar, but dies prematurely without progeny. His brother, Onan, performs an incomplete act of yibbum, as he weds Tamar in a levirate marriage, but refuses to consummate it.  He is punished and dies, making Yehuda hesitant to offer his third son, Shelah, to Tamar.  This leads to Tamar's desperate ruse in which she tricks Yehuda into sleeping with her and siring her two children.

Why does the Torah deem it important to share all these details of Yehuda's personal family life? If the story were absent from Tanakh, would we have felt that something was lacking? Moreover, why is it placed where it is, completely interrupting the drama of Yosef's sale?  

Yehuda's Marriage

Several aspects of Yehuda's behavior throughout the story make the reader question the appropriateness of his deeds. Yehuda's wife is identified as Bat-Shua, the daughter of an "‎‎אִישׁ כְּנַעֲנִי".‎¹ Does this suggest that, despite the efforts taken by Avraham and Rivka to ensure that their children not marry Canaanites, Yehuda for some reason did not share their concerns and nonetheless married a local woman? Moreover, if the Torah later prohibits intermarriage with Canaanites, referring to their actions as "abominations", how can it be that Yehuda, one of the founding tribes, did not find this problematic?²

Reneging on a Promise?

After Yehuda's son, Onan, dies, Yehuda is somewhat reluctant to give his third son, Shelah, to Tamar in levirate marriage. He, thus, asks Tamar to return to her father's home and wait until Shelah matures. The story suggests that years pass without Yehuda acting to fulfill his promise, leaving Tamar with the status of an agunah – a woman chained in marriage, but with no husband.  How are we to evaluate Yehuda's actions?  Why does he not take responsibility and either free Tamar, or give her his third son in marriage?

¹ In Divrei HaYamim, the same wife is herself described as "הַכְּנַעֲנִית".

² For a larger discussion of the marriages of all of Yaakov's children and whether or not each wed from the local Canaanites, see Did Yaakov's Sons Marry Canaanites.