Mikeitz: 5785 - "Fortunate is the man who makes Hashem his trust, and does not turn to the arrogant" was said about Yosef, who said to the chief butler "remember me" and "mention me", and was punished…

00:01 Speaker 1 “And it came to pass at the end of two full years.” Yosef the tzaddik remained in prison for another two years. Why? Rabbi Dessler says something interesting: “Fortunate is the man who makes Hashem his trust”—that refers to Yosef. It refers to Yosef, who trusted in Hashem and did not turn to the arrogant. Yet because he said “Remember me” twice—he told the chief cupbearer, “When you get out, remember me”—he remained there for another two years. That is what the Midrash says about Yosef. So first of all, there is a question about the Midrash itself. At first we say that “Fortunate is the man who makes Hashem his trust” refers to Yosef. Then we say that Yosef was punished because he placed his trust... So did Yosef the tzaddik have trust in Hashem or not? There is another question, one that many people ask: A Jew is supposed to do everything he can through natural means. Yes, “Hashem will bless you in all the work of your hands.” So what, seemingly, was Yosef the tzaddik’s wrongdoing here? As far as he was concerned, he did everything he could through natural means to be saved, to get out of that pit. That is what a person is supposed to do. Why was he punished by remaining there another two years? The explanation, which is also brought in Chassidus, is that Yosef the tzaddik was on such a high level that he did not need to make any vessel through natural means at all. For every other person, it is right to do everything possible through natural means, and then Hakadosh Boruch Hu will help. But there are exceptions, like Yosef the tzaddik. He truly was on a level where he did not need to make any, any, any, any vessel through natural means. He did not need to ask the chief cupbearer twice to remember him. He did not need to ask. And in fact, as soon as Yosef the tzaddik said it, he regretted it afterward. What is the proof? Where do we learn this? At the end of the previous parsha it says

02:26 Speaker 1 “The chief cupbearer did not remember Yosef, and he forgot him.” That is a repetition. If he did not remember him, obviously he had forgotten him. Why does it also say, “and he forgot him”? Rather, as soon as Yosef the tzaddik made his request, he realized that he had not acted as he should have. He should not have asked him for anything through natural means, so he prayed that the chief cupbearer would forget him. That is the meaning: “The chief cupbearer did not remember Yosef.” Why didn’t he remember? Because “he forgot him”—Yosef prayed that he would forget, and therefore he did not remember. But there is another explanation. I heard a very beautiful explanation that says Yosef was actually punished not for saying “Remember me,” but for something else he added. When Yosef says to the chief cupbearer, “When you get out of here,” right? His words are: “But remember me when things go well for you, and please do me a kindness: mention me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this pit.” He adds another sentence, and it was for that sentence that he was punished. What sentence? He says, “For I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews.” The brothers had made everyone swear that no one would tell. And here Yosef reveals the secret: “For I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews.” Why does he add that? That is what he was punished for. Not for relying on the chief cupbearer to go and speak for him, but because by revealing this secret, he broke the oath that had been imposed on everyone, himself included. And that is why he was punished: “And it came to pass at the end of two full years.” He remained in prison for another two years because he broke that oath. So it is very interesting: in Parshas Vayechi, it says that after Yaakov became ill, he “called for Yosef.” They brought Yosef from the land of Goshen; they brought him to come

04:42 Speaker 1 to Yaakov. They brought him to the land of Goshen. It is explained that throughout those seventeen years that Yaakov was in Egypt, they did not meet. Yosef did not meet with his father. Why didn’t he meet with his father? Because Yosef was concerned that his father would ask him, “Tell me, how did you get to Egypt? What happened?” He would have to tell him the whole story of the sale, and then his father, Yaakov, might curse his brothers. So he avoided meeting him until the time of Yaakov’s passing, when Yaakov sent for Yosef. Yosef came, but until then he had avoided meeting him so that, G-d forbid, his father would not blame his brothers. That shows how great Yosef’s righteousness was. So this is the point about Yosef the tzaddik: he did not need to make any vessel through natural means. And for this he remained another two full years—because he revealed something here: “For I was sto—

05:42 Speaker 2 stolen, stolen

05:42 Speaker 1 from the land of the Hebrews.”

05:43 Speaker 2 That’s it.

05:44 Speaker 1 May we have a peaceful Shabbos, and may we hear good news.