Vayeishev 5774

“And the chief wine butler did not remember Yosef (Joseph), and he forgot him.” (Bereishit/Genesis 40:23)

At the end of this week’s Torah portion, Yosef still is unjustly imprisoned in Egypt and shares his incarceration with the chief wine butler. Yosef interprets the butler’s dream and foresees that the butler soon will be released. Yosef asks the butler for a favor upon his release:  to remind Pharaoh that Yosef remains in prison.

Rashi comments based on the Midrash in Bereishit Rabbah: “Because Yosef relied on him [the butler] to remember him, he [Yosef] was compelled to be confined for two [additional] years, as it is said (in Tehillim/Psalms 40:5), ‘Praiseworthy is the man who makes the L-rd his trust.’” In other words, the Midrash faults Yosef for relying on the butler, rather than solely on Hashem.

Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein in A Shabbos Vort writes that The Maharam of Amshinov notes the redundancy in the verse: “did not remember” and “forgot.” The Maharam explains that as soon as he petitions the butler, Yosef realizes his mistake and he immediately prays to G-d that the butler will forget his request.

Rabbi Yaakov Beasley on torah.org considers the balance required between having bitachon (faith) and hishtadlut (taking steps to influence results.) He explains that the requirements for tzadikim (righteous people) differ from those demanded of average people: “The average person must use every human means possible to save himself from a difficult situation. For a tzadik such as Yosef, however, this is considered lacking in his reliance upon Hashem.”

True story: A boy comes home from his first semester in high school with failing grades in every subject but gym. The boy has always struggled with academics and his mother has always helped him with homework or found tutors for more challenging material. Now it seems that this effort, this hishtadlut, is insufficient. The desperate mother turns to G-d, first thanking Him for giving her such a “good boy” and then asking Him for help. Within a day (!), she receives a phone call from someone who is able to help her find a learning specialist she would not have been able to locate without this person’s intervention.

As parents, we must by all means do everything humanly possible to ensure our children’s health, safety and well being. While this may mean turning to other people, such as doctors, teachers, rabbis or trusted relatives or friends, we must never forget to first turn to G-d to ask for assistance. After all, it is He Who looks out for our well being, guides our lives and ensures that we encounter people who can help us.

http://vbm-torah.org/archive/intparsha70/10-70miketz.htm