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Sefer Bereshis
Parashas Mikeitz
Bereishis: Chapter 40, verse 14
"But remember me when the good
occurs to you and please show kindness to me and remember me to Pharaoh and
bring me out of this house."
Bereishis: Chapter 40, verse 14
"And after two years Pharaoh
dreamt."
Our
Rabbis tell us that the two years that Yosef spent in prison after
interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's two servants were connected to Yosef's request for aid from the chief butler. For each
of the two times he asked to be remembered, he was punished for one year.
It
is difficult to imagine the suffering Yosef experienced being in prison for
such an extended period of time. It is even more difficult to understand
the reason for the punishment.
In
our daily lives, we often try things because "we have nothing to
lose". We look at Yosef's request of aid to
the chief butler as a legitimate attempt at procuring his freedom from
prison. What else was he supposed to do?
What
we do not realize is that serving G-d is NOT like serving our employer or
our family. Our lives are in G-d's hands in an
absolute way. Our income comes from Him and our protection is from Him. The
fact that we work for our income or lock the door for our protection does
not mean that we are overriding the fate that was ordained for us from
Heaven. We are simply "going through the motions" to receive
whatever has been prepared for us.
Let
us look at a couple of examples:
(1)
If I am told that a sum of money is waiting for me is at a certain address,
should I walk or drive or fly there to pick it up? Of course I should
because this is called "going through the motions." Similarly
working to earn the sum of money is called "going through the
motions."
(2)
If I am told that there is a lottery prize available, should I buy a ticket
since the chances of wining are small?Not
necessarily, because we know that G-d's plans for
us are much more "solid" than the chance of winning a lottery.
What
would we say about this case? Shmuel would like a
new car so he instructs an acquaintance of his to ask a particular rich man
to provide Shmuel with a car. Would we say
"he has nothing to lose"? An analysis of this situation will lead
to several reasons why the very request shows a basic lack of belief that
G-d provides us with our daily needs. First of all, an
"acquaintance" is not the same as a "friend" - perhaps
this casual acquaintance will not remember the request at all. Second, even
if he remembers, he may be embarrassed to make such a request from the rich
man. Third, even if he asks - the rich man will most likely refuse the
request.
Yosef's request to the chief butler was similar
to the above example. The Hazon Ish (EMUNAH UBITACHON page 20) wrote that the Egyptian
was unlikely to remember and unlikely to want to help Yosef. Therefore Yosef's request was made out of despair and considered
a mistake. Even if there was nothing else to do Yosef should not have acted
out of despair. He had to spend two more years in prison during which he
ceased to act like someone who had "nothing to lose".
In
our service of G-d we must include how well we put our trust in Him. We
should consider our actions before acting and learn through study and
experience those actions which are not proper for a believing Jew. My
advice is to consult with others before making decisions.
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