וַיַּכֵּ֣ר יְהוּדָ֗ה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ צָֽדְקָ֣ה מִמֶּ֔נִּי כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֥ן לֹֽא־נְתַתִּ֖יהָ לְשֵׁלָ֣ה בְנִ֑י וְלֹֽא־יָסַ֥ף ע֖וֹד לְדַעְתָּֽהּ Then Yehuda recognized them, and he said, "She is right, [it is] from me, because I did not give her to my son Shelah... " (Bereishis 38:26) Tamar married Er, the oldest son of Yehuda, who passed away before they could have children. Yehuda's next son, Onan, performed the Mitzvah of Yibum and married Tamar but he too died before they could have children. Yehuda told Tamar " Remain as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up," for he said, "Lest he too die, like his brothers. " (Bereishis 38:11) Eventually Tamar realized that Yehuda was not going to allow her to marry Shelah so she took matters into her own hands. Dressing up as a harlot on the side of the road she covered her face so she would not be recognized and seduced Yehuda. Having no money to pay her, Tamar took collateral instead in the form of Yehuda's signet, cloak and staff. When Yehuda returns to pay her, he finds that the harlot (Tamar) is gone. Several months later Tamar is found pregnant and Yehuda sentences her to death by fire. Rather than embarrassing Yehuda, Tamar says him, " From the man to whom these belong I am pregnant," and she said, "Please recognize whose signet ring, cloak, and staff are these ?" (Bereishis 38:25) Recognizing his own collateral, Yehuda confesses that it was he who unknowingly impregnated his daughter in law. This is a complex sto
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