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Bitachon

This year--a Shemittah year--we are focusing on the related subject of Bitachon / placing one’s trust in Hashem. This week, we are making that subject our primary focus.

Our Parashah opens two years after the end of last week’s Parashah. Yosef had solicited the help of Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, saying (40:14), “If only you would think of me . . . and you will do me a kindness, if you please, and mention me to Pharaoh, then you would get me out of this place.” Last week’s Parashah ends: “The Chamberlain of the Cupbearers did not remember Yosef, and he forgot him.” Rashi z”l explains: He “did not remember Yosef” on that day, “and he forgot him” thereafter. Rashi continues: Because Yosef had placed his trust in the Egyptian, he had to remain in prison for two more years. Thus it is written (Tehilim 60:5) “Happy is the man who places his trust in Hashem and does not turn to the arrogant,” i.e., he does not trust in Egyptians, who are called “arrogant” (see Yeshayah 30:7). [Until here from Rashi z”l]

Midrash Rabbah expounds on the above verse from Tehilim as follows: “Happy is the man who places his trust in Hashem”--This refers to Yosef. “And does not turn to the arrogant”--Because Yosef said to the Chamberlain of the Cupbearers, “Think of me . . . and mention me,” Hashem added two years to his prison time. [This Midrash seems contradictory--first, praising Yosef’s Bitachon, then criticizing him for seeking help. This is discussed below.]

Midrash Rabbah also teaches: We read (Iyov 28:3), “He placed a limit on the darkness”--Hashem decreed how long Yosef would remain in the darkness of the prison. Once that time was up, “It happened at the end of two years to the day, Pharaoh was dreaming” (the opening of our Parashah).

R’ Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik z”l (1820-1892; rabbi of Brisk, Belarus; progenitor of the Soloveitchik rabbinical family) writes: Bitachon means feeling calm, secure in the knowledge that one can cast his burdens upon Hashem.

R’ Soloveitchik continues: The Torah permits a person to engage in Hishtadlut / efforts to achieve one’s ends, because not every person is on a spiritual level where he feels at ease relying on Hashem alone. In the same way that our Sages tell us to begin studying Torah for ulterior motives because that leads to studying Torah with pure motives, so a person is permitted to help himself up to the point where he feels comfortable relying on Hashem and, hopefully, his “comfort level” with Bitachon will grow over time.

As such, continues R’ Soloveitchik, there is no “one size fits all” balance between Bitachon and Hishtadlut. Someone who can work only a little bit and otherwise have Bitachon is considered a sinner if he works more than that small amount. On the other hand, someone whose Bitachon is currently less is permitted to work more. But, if a person is capable of Bitachon and he nevertheless relies on his own efforts, his punishment will be that he will get what he wants, i.e., he will need to work harder and harder.

At first glance, R’ Soloveitchik writes, Yosef did the least Hishtadlut possible--he merely spoke a few words to the Cupbearer. Indeed, it was reasonable for Yosef to think that this was Hashem’s intention, for why else did Hashem cause the Cupbearer to have a dream and look preoccupied in Yosef’s presence?!

Nevertheless, says the Midrash, Hashem added two years to Yosef’s prison time because Yosef said to the Cupbearer, “Think of me . . . and mention me.” R’ Soloveitchik explains: For Yosef, even that small request was too much Hishtadlut, which we learn from the fact that he was punished for it. This is what the Midrash is teaching: “Happy is the man who places his trust in Hashem”--This refers to Yosef, whose level of Bitachon usually was very great. “And does not turn to the arrogant”--Because he said to the Egyptian, “Think of me . . . and mention me”--behavior that was inappropriate for a person on Yosef’s level of Bitachon--Hashem added two years to his prison time.

The second Midrash quoted above (commenting on the verse, “He placed a limit on the darkness”) is also teaching a lesson about Bitachon. R’ Soloveitchik explains: Everything in the world happens because of cause and effect. We tend to think that buying merchandise at a low price and selling it at a high price is the cause of becoming wealthy, and becoming wealthy is the effect of successful buying and selling. In fact, the opposite is true: If Hashem wants a person to become wealthy, He inspires that person to buy merchandise at a low price and sell it at a high price. The fact that Hashem wants the person to be wealthy is the cause; success in business is the effect.

Likewise, R’ Soloveitchik concludes, we might mistakenly read the beginning of our Parashah as saying that Yosef got out of prison because Pharaoh had a dream. No! says the Midrash: Hashem decreed that Yosef would remain in the darkness of the prison for two additional years [for the reasons discussed above]. Once that time was up, “At the end of two years to the day, Pharaoh was dreaming.” The fact that it was time for Yosef’s release was the cause of Pharaoh’s dreaming; the dreaming was actually the effect. [Bitachon includes understanding that Hashem has a plan (“cause”), and He influences our lives accordingly (“effect”); our efforts are not the causes of the results we see.] (Bet Halevi Al Ha’Torah)

Another perspective:

R’ Eliyahu Dessler z”l (1892-1953; head of the Gateshead, England Kollel and Mashgiach Ruchani of the Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak) writes: When a person attributes events in his life to natural causes, he is, in effect, forgetting Hashem. Measure-for-measure, Hashem acts as if He has forgotten the person, casting him into a world of “darkness,” where Hashem’s “light” is hidden.

The Midrash is teaching: Yosef recognized that he had made a mistake in appealing to the Cupbearer, and that he was now in “darkness,” so he worked hard to reconnect with Hashem. Once Yosef did that, Hashem “placed a limit on the darkness”; He responded to Yosef’s repentance with a miracle: “Pharaoh was dreaming.” That was miraculous because Pharaoh was not otherwise on a level to have a quasi-prophetic vision. (Michtav M’Eliyahu III p.242)

From the same work:

“Now let Pharaoh seek out a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.” (41:33)

R’ Dessler asks: Yosef seems to be asking Pharaoh for a job. Hadn’t he learned from his extra two years in prison to place his trust in Hashem alone?

R’ Dessler answers: The Torah does not object to Hishtadlut, only to the belief that man’s Hishtadlut makes a difference. Indeed, exerting one’s effort but giving all the credit to Hashem is what the Torah expects of us.

Here, Yosef had told Pharaoh about dream interpretation (verse 16), “That is beyond me; it is Elokim Who will respond with Pharaoh’s welfare.” Why did Yosef feel the need to discredit himself to Pharaoh? Precisely because Yosef had worked on his Bitachon. But, with the recognition that credit belongs to Hashem, it was appropriate for Yosef to engage in Hishtadlut. (Michtav M’Eliyahu IV p.30)

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R’ Yitzchak Arama z”l (Spain; died 1494) writes: Though man has Bechirah / free will to act as his heart desires about almost everything in the world, he cannot change one iota whether Hashem’s will is ultimately carried out. For example, if Hashem has decreed that a person should become rich, there are many different ways that can happen. Man’s Bechirah can play a role in how it happens, but the outcome is predetermined: the subject of the decree will become rich. Sometimes, the very means that someone uses to try to prevent Hashem’s decree from bring fulfilled is what leads to its fulfillment, as we see in the case of Yosef’s brothers selling him as a slave to prevent his dreams of ruling over them from being fulfilled. (Akeidat Yitzchak No.28)

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“Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.” (42:8)

R’ Chaim ben Attar z”l (1696-1743; Morocco, Italy and Eretz Yisrael) writes: Granted that Yosef did not have a beard the last time his brothers saw him, and now he did. Even so, human nature is that, when one person recognizes another, recognition will dawn on the second person as well. The reason for this is that their hearts communicate silently with each other, as we read (Mishlei 27:19), “As a face reflects a face in water, so does one man’s heart to another.” People tend to study each other’s eyes, foreheads, and speech, and slowly recognition dawns.

Nevertheless, the Torah tells us, Yosef’s brothers did not recognize him. The reason is that they had actively pushed from their minds any possibility that Yosef’s dreams would be fulfilled. (Ohr Ha’Chaim)

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“They then said to one another, ‘Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother inasmuch as we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us and we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has come upon us’.” (42:21)

Midrash Tehilim states: Hashem said to Yaakov’s sons, “You sold Yosef into slavery. Therefore, I swear by your lives that you will read every year, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt’.” [Until here from the Midrash]

R’ Moshe Yehuda Leib Rabinowitz shlita (Munkatcher Rebbe in Brooklyn, N.Y.) explains: In our verse, Yaakov’s sons fault themselves for not having compassion on Yosef when he pleaded with them. [They could have shown compassion toward Yosef even though they believed selling him was Halachically and morally justified.] The Tikkun / correction for the sin of not showing compassion is showing compassion. When the Midrash says that we will read “We were slaves . . .” every year, it is referring to the Haggadah in general, which opens with “Ha lachma anya,” where we express compassion for all who are hungry and need a place to eat. (Haggadah Shel Pesach: Munkatch p. 62)

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