Parshas Vayeishev 5786: The True Storyline

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Parshas Vayeishev 

לעילוי נשמת האדא בת מרדכי 

לעילוי נשמת מרדכי יוסף בן אברהם מאיר  

 

The True Storyline 

Parshas Vayeishev presents one of the most emotionally charged narratives in all of Sefer Bereishis. Yosef’s life seems to unravel in front of us step by step: the jealousy of his brothers, being thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, framed by eishes Potiphar, and thrown into prison. On the surface, it appears as if Yosef’s life experiences are merely a series of consequences of the actions and motivations of those around him, however in reality nothing could be further from the truth.  

Woven throughout the very same story is a remarkable pattern of open nissim as well as subtle but unmistakable hints of hashgacha pratis (Divine involvement). From the very beginning, as Yosef searches for his brothers, the Torah (37:15) tells us he “encountered a man” who directed him to Dosan. Rashi explains that this “man” was none other than Malach Gavriel, who appeared specifically to point Yosef forward. Immediately afterward, when Yosef is thrown into the pit, the Torah (37:24) describes that “v’habor reik ein bo mayim” - the pit was empty, there was no water in it. Rashi famously comments, “there was no water, but there were snakes and scorpions”. Clearly his protection in the pit was also evidence of the yad Hashem actively present. When Yosef’s brothers then take him out and sell him to the passing Yishmaelim, the passuk (37:25) adds that “the camels were carrying spices”. Rashi explains that this too was a clear signal of hashgacha pratis as these caravans normally carried foul-smelling petroleum and resin, yet this particular one was transporting fragrant spices for the tzaddik Yosef.  

Yosef’s experiences once he arrived in Mitzrayim, was also one of clear hashgacha p’ratis. First, he didn’t end up just anywhere, but rather as a slave to Potiphar, an advisor to Pharaoh (39:1). Then, after eishes Potiphar tried to frame him and he ultimately got put into jail, the story shifts to the two servants of Pharaoh who quicky followed. Rashi (40:1) comments that the fictitious story of Yosef that eishes Potiphar made up quickly spread and was in all the headlines and became the talk of the town. Hashem therefore timed the story of the sar ha’ofim and sar ha’mashkim - an even bigger story – to remove the spotlight from Yosef.  Clearly the story of Yosef is threaded together not by a series of consequences from others, but as an expression of ratzon Hashem. In fact, the Torah explicitly states this four times (39:2, 39:3, 39:21, 39:23) with variations of the expression “Hashem was with him”.  

The question we must ask is why Yosef? Why doesn’t the Torah emphasize this the same way with the avos? After all, the avos too clearly lived lives actively engaged in ratzon Hashem, and actively witnessing hashgacha pratis. So why was the story of Yosef chosen to be woven with the concept of recognizing Yad Hashem?  

The answer is obvious. As mentioned, Yosef’s life on the surface is one that looks tossed around by the actions and motivations of others. Precisely for this reason, the Torah goes out of its way to underline that Hashem was directing every step. Each time the story of Yosef could be misread as human causation alone, the Torah interjects: “Hashem was with him.” It reframes the narrative. What looks like human chaos is actually Divine engineering. 

However we must still understand, what was unique about Yosef himself to merit such a detailed level of hashgachas Hashem? 

When Yosef was in beis Potiphar, the passuk (39:3) says that, “...[Yosef’s] master saw that Hashem was with him...” and Rashi comments that Potiphar noticed something about Yosef – that “shem shamayim shagur b’phiv” (Yosef would constantly mention Hashem). This is precisely Yosef’s great uniqueness. Yosef lived his life in full clarity that Hashem is present in every moment. Shem shamyim shagur b’phiv was the mantra of his life and this itself merited an even more precise hashgacha p’ratis.  

The Derech Hashem (2:4) writes that hashgacha is not identical for every person. The closer a person attaches themselves to the ratzon Hashem, the more particular and individualized Hashem’s hashgacha becomes. Yosef’s internalization of Hashem’s Presence created the conduit through which Hashem provided him an even elevated level of hashgacha. 

This idea resonates powerfully with Chanukah. The Yevanim tried to eliminate us by primarily attacking the very premise that spirituality (ie Torah and mitzvos) could have any real-world impact. To them, the world was pure cause-and-effect via nature and science-based physical interactions, not one with spiritual ties and certainly not with any form of hashgachas Hashem. The Maccabim fought back with, “Mi la’Hashem eilai!”, insisting on maintaining “shem shamayim shagur b’phiv” . This mantra merited a tremendous sense of hashgachas Hashem, expressed as countless of miracles that occurred on Chanukah. 

During times such as Chanukah we certainly celebrate the miracles that occurred bayamaim haheim b’zaman hazeh. However perhaps this idea sheds a new connection to what we say every day in modim. Multiple times a day we take the time to recognize and thank Hashem for the daily nissim – the ones that are so common that they feel normal and to be expected, as well as ones that we may not even know about. It could feel like a broad catch all, but if we treat it as an opportunity to train ourselves in having shem shamyim shagur b’phinu, then that itself will become the cause of experiencing an even higher level of hashgacha p’ratis.  

May we all be “L’hagid baboker chasdecha, v’emunasecha ba’leilos”,  to recognize Hashem’s direct involvement and kindness in all moments, and may Hashem be with us, granting us clarity, protection, bracha, hatzlacha, and elevated hashgacha p’ratis in everything we do.