Why people listen

When Reuven spoke up to save Yosef, the Pasuk says that he saved Yosef’s life. But when Yehudah said “What do we profit by killing our brother, let’s sell him instead” we are informed; “the brothers listened to him”. Didn’t they listen to Reuven too? Or were they still planning to kill Yosef, as soon as Reuven’s back was turned? The classical commentaries explain that Reuven really told them; “You want to kill Yosef? Fine, just don’t do it directly; throw him into this pit and he will die by himself!” That’s what he said. The reason he said that was in order to stall for time, so that he could save him later. Yehudah, on the other hand, suggested not killing him at all, but selling him instead. So we suggest that Yehudah was speaking sincerely; he really meant what he said. Reuven, on the other hand, was employing a trick to stall off the killing; he didn’t really mean what he said. People tend to really believe what is really sincere, and that’s why the brothers listened to Yehudah and not to Reuven.

A second possibility is that Reuven wasn’t suggesting a radical and substantive change in their plans, so the pasuk doesn’t have to indicate that they indeed took up his suggestion, while Yehuda’s idea, to drop the thought of killing, needed acceptance.

Suggestion number three is that while they listened to Reuven because he was their oldest brother, they weren’t convinced; they sorta just went along with him. Yehudah, on the other hand, was a leader, and his were words that moved and convinced people. And that’s why Yehudah was the one they really listened to.