It states (41:52) הִפְרַנִי כִּי אֶפְר ָיִם קָרָא ּׁ ֵנִיהַש שֵׁם וְאֵת ע ָנְיִי בְּאֶרֶץ א ֱלֹק ִים, "The name of the second he called Efraim, for 'Hashem has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
Mei Hashiluach (ויקרא ה"ד) writes that Yosef understood that he merited א ֱלֹק ִים הִפְר ַנִי כִּי, success, because he was ע ָנְיִי בְּאֶרֶץ. He thanked Hashem for the suffering because he understood that through it, he attained his success.
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 91:10) states, "Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, 'I am working to make his son the king of Mitzrayim, and he says, (43:6) אָח לָכֶם הַעוֹד לָא ִישׁ לְה ַגִּיד לִי הֲר ֵעֹתֶם לָמָה, 'Why have you done bad to me, by telling the man that you have another brother?'"
The Ramchal (Daas Tevunos ואמנם ה"בד ה"פ) writes, "This is a lesson for all areas (אב בנין) that when Hakadosh Baruch Hu desires to give greatness to a person, or to the world, the good will only come in concealed ways, and therefore, he will suffer some tzaar first. This is as Chazal (Brachos 5a) say, 'Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave three precious gifts to Bnei Yisrael, all of which were given only by means of suffering.'"
We learn this concept from the shamesh that stands above the Chanukah lecht. The shamesh isn’t as kadosh as the other lecht, as it’s not part of the mitzvah. Nevertheless, it stands above them all. The Maharil (Hilchos Chanukah 3) explains, "למעלה שפלים לשום וסימן, "A hint is 'to place the humble on high' (Iyov 5:11) ." Its lowness is why it is raised higher.
From Prison to King
It states in parashas Vayeishev (37:2) אָבִיו ֵׁינְש זִלְפ ָּה בְּנֵי וְאֶת בִלְהָה בְּנֵי אֶת נַעַר וְהוּא בַּצֹּאן אֶח ָיו אֶת רֹעֶה ה ָיָה שׁ ָנָה עֶשְׂרֵה שְׁבַע בֶּן יוֹסֵף אֲבִיהֶם אֶל רָעָה דִּבָּתָם אֶת יוֹסֵף וַיָּבֵא, "Yosef was seventeen years old, being a shepherd, he was with his brothers with the flocks, and he was a lad, and was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Yosef brought evil tales about them to their father." The Chasam Sofer zt'l (היה ה"ד וישב) explains that Yaakov sent Yosef to befriend his brothers, the הגבירות בני, the sons of Leah. But the brothers didn't want to befriend him and sent him to the השפחות בני, the children of the handmaids. This was the lashon hara that Yosef told his father. He told his father that his brothers refused to accept him, and they were pushing him away. When his brothers heard what Yosef was saying about them, they said (37:8)מָשׁוֹל אִם עָל ֵינוּ תִּמ ְ לֹךְ הֲמ ָ לֹךְ בָּנוּ תִּמְשֹׁל, "Will you reign over us, or will you govern us?" What they meant was that since Yosef wasn't accepting his humiliation, he couldn't become king. "This is because there is a concept: from prison one becomes king. This means that from the lowest level, one reaches the highest. As it states (Tehillim 113:7) אֶבְיוֹן יָרִים מֵאַשְׁפ ֹּת, Hashem raises people from the lowest depths. Therefore (37:8) דְּבָרָיו וְעַל ח ֲלֹמֹת ָיו עַל אֹתוֹ שׂ ְנֹא עוֹד וַיּוֹס ִ פוּ, "They continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and his words." They felt there was no truth to his royal aspirations.
In parashas Vayeishev, the Baal HaTurim teaches us that Tamar merited being the mother of royalty, that malchus Beis Dovid came from her, because she endured suffering. It states (Bereishis 38:14) שלה גדול כי, she saw that Shelah, Yehudah's third son, was old enough to marry, but Yehudah wasn't giving him to her for marriage. She thought to herself that there was no hope for her. Her first two husbands (Yehudah's first two sons, ואונן ער) died, and Yehudah wasn't giving her his third son. But this was the catalyst for the greatness that emerged from her.
The Baal HaTurim notes that the words גדל כי are written three times in Tanach. One is in the pasuk stated above. The other is (Bereishis 26:13) מאוד גדל כי עד, "until he had grown very great". The third is (Iyov 2:13) גדל כי מאוד הכאב, "The pain was very severe." The Baal HaTurim writes, יצא זה ובזכות שלה הכאב גדל שלה גדל כי שראתה בשביל מאד גדל כי עד וגדל הולך שהיה דוד בית מלכות ממנה, "Because she saw that שלה גדל כי , Shelah had grown up, הכאב גדל she had great distress that he wasn't given to her in marriage. In this merit, the kingdom of Beis Dovid came from her, מאד גדל כי עד וגדל הולך שהיה, which became greater and greater." In other words, she merited all her greatness because of the tzaar she endured. For this is the way of the world: From the hardships, greatness is attained. Greatness is given to those who have suffered.
Rebbe Tzaddok HaKohen (Pri Tzaddik, Mikeitz, 5) teaches that on the final night that Yosef was in prison, he contemplated his deeds and found them to be lacking. He determined that his deeds (according to his level) weren't good enough, and he was being punished by Heaven. He became very sad and depressed, and he almost lost hope. But then Yosef HaTzaddik strengthened himself with his emunah in Hashem and with thoughts of hope. In that merit, he was freed from prison and was placed on the throne as the second to the king.
Salvation at the Lowest Point
For the first few years after his chasunah, Reb Meir of Apta, the author of Or l'Shamayim, and his wife were extremely poor. There were days when there was literally nothing to eat, and they went hungry. Once, the rebbetzin had some דייסא, porridge, but she didn't have a pot in which to prepare it. So she went to a neighbor and borrowed a pot. She was happy that her holy husband would finally have something to eat to satisfy his hunger.
The problem was that the food was still in the pot when the neighbor came to take it back, and the rebbetzin didn't have a dish to pour the food into. She asked the neighbor to wait a few minutes until her husband came home from his learning, but the neighbor insisted that she needed the pot immediately. During these moments that she was pleading with the neighbor, the pot fell, and all the porridge spilled on the ground. Everything was ruined. There was nothing edible to eat.
This was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back". The Rebbetzin broke down and cried bitterly over her sad financial situation, which they have endured for several years. Just then, her holy husband came home. He heard her cries and saw her tears. He asked her what happened, and she told him the entire story. Reb Meir calmed her down and told her, "This was the last test.. For now on, we will be eating from silver dishes." A few days later, the leaders of the city of Stavanitz came to their home to invite Reb Meir to be their rav. On Pesach, a wealthy person from Stavanitz gave them a present: silver dishes! (written in Gedulos HaTzaddikim). When they came to their lowest place, that is when they received their salvation.
Hard Times as an Eis Ratzon
It states (Tehillim 69:2) ׁנָפֶש עַד מ ַיִם ב ָאוּ כִּי א ֱלֹק ִים הוֹשִׁיע ֵנִי, "Save me, Hashem, for water has come up to my soul." And then it states (ibid pasuk 14) רָצוֹן עֵת 'ה ָלְך תְפ ִלָּתִי וַאֲנִי, "But, as for me, may my tefillah to You, Hashem, be in an acceptable time." The Mei HaShiloach zt'l (האלקים ה"ד) says that this tells us that when one goes through hard times, he should pray to Hashem, for these times are an eis ratzon for his tefillos to be answered.
It states (42:1) בְּמ ִצְר ָיִם שֶׁבֶר ׁיֶש כִּי יַע ֲקֹב וַיַּרְא, and the Beis Aharon (Vayigash) writes that שבר can mean hope (as in Tehillim 146:5) אלקיו 'ה עַל שׂ ִבְרוֹ, "His hope is in Hashem, his G-d." This implies that in Mitzrayim, representing hard times, there is hope.
In fact, specifically because of hard times, Hashem raises us to the highest levels. Tzror HaMor writes that this is what happened to the Chashmonaim. They reached the lowest level; they were the only people fighting against the large army of the Yevanim. But from that low place came their salvation.
He writes that this is alluded to in the chapter (Tehillim 30), which discusses the Chanukas Beis HaMikdash during the days of the Chashmonaim. It states there, בְּאַפּוֹ ר ֶגַע כִּי רִנָּה וְל ַבֹּקֶר בֶּכִי יָלִין בָּעֶרֶב בִּרְצוֹנוֹ חַיִּים, "For His wrath lasts but a moment; life results from His favor; in the evening, weeping may tarry, but in the morning, there is joyful singing." There was a moment of worry and despair, but from that low place came the joy of the salvation.
The Shechinah with the Suffering
One of the benefits of hardships is that the Shechinah is with the person then. Reb Shmuel Wosner (Chanukah Drush 13) tells that his Rebbe, Reb Meir Shapiro zt'l, went to perform the mitzvah bikur cholim for one of his outstanding students who had become deathly ill, r'l. The student was a giant talmid chacham, and despite his illness, he was happy. Reb Meir Shapiro asked him how he was able to be in this state of contentment. The student replied, "Chazal (Shabbos 12b) say that the Shechinah is above the head of the ill. But they also say (Shabbos 30b) that the Shechinah won't reside on someone who is sad. Now that the Shechinah is above my head due to my illness, should I banish the Shechinah by being sad? I must force myself to be happy so that the Shechinah will remain with me."
The Maharal (Gur Aryeh, שהשכינה ה"ד ויחי) teaches that when Chazal say the Shechinah resides above the head of the ill, it isn't just the ill. Whoever feels down and broken, Hashem is there with them. The reason Hashem resides above the head of the ill is that it states (Yeshayah 57:15) רוח ושפל דכא ואת אשכון, "I am with the despondent and lowly of spirit," to revive them. And no one is more דכא than someone who is sick. But if he is down for some other reason, Hashem will be with him, as well, to encourage him.
The holy Ruzhiner zt'l would say, "The yesurim of the nefesh are like the yesurim of the body, and they are even worse." So, also for them, the Shechinah is above their heads. Whoever suffers וגוף הנפש יסורי, afflictions in the realm of his soul or in the realm of his body, he should know that the Shechinah is with him. (And who doesn’t have these yesurim?) And now that the Shechinah is with him, he must be cautious not to banish the Shechinah from himself by remaining b’simcha.
Concealment and the Dreidel
Sometimes, the Shechinah is concealed, and the person doesn't see the hashgachah pratis in his life. It can be compared to a dreidel that is turning swiftly, and at that time, no letters can be seen. Similarly, in his life, he doesn't see any letters of Hashem, any sign of hashgachah pratis or of Hashem's kindness. But he shouldn't despair. Continue dancing, and the time will come when you will see the letters, and you will understand how it was all for the good.
The dreidel's primary function is to spin quickly on its axis. When it spins, and you can't see the letters, that is a sign that the dreidel is functioning correctly. So, too, at these concealed times in a person's life, he should understand that those times are correct and good, because his primary purpose is to pass tests like those. Things don’t occur randomly or out of control. These difficult situations are tests Hashem prepared for mankind.
