I Will Bear the Blame Before You All My Life

In genesis 38, judah had to leave. Judah was with the brothers, and then after joseph gets sold into slavery, judah leaves the family. But somewhere in between, judah learned a lesson with the tamar story that he now employs here. He says, if i lose your son, benjamin, i will put my own life on it. And this is what seems to get jacob, as you point out, to become israel and kind of surrender to what god's wanting to do.