One morning, the boss arrived at work in a Ferrari. He noticed an employee was looking and said, “if you work hard for this company, if you stay overtime without asking for compensation, if you truly believe you can make a difference and instill the same passion into your colleagues, next year I will be able to go for a Lambo.”
Sometimes, mid-level employees and the rest of humanity may wonder what exactly their effort accomplishes. Many people work only to see no results from their labor, while others make a fortune by barely breaking a sweat. In fact, the Gemara (Beitzah 16a) writes that a person's disposable income is determined for him on Rosh Hashanah, excluding what he spends to honor the Shabbos and not counting the sum he expends on tuition to educate his children in Torah. If that’s the case, why must we go to work altogether? Why not immerse ourselves in Torah study and Divine service and just wait for this income to arrive?
Our Parsha, Mikeitz, opens with the following fact (Bereishis 41:1): “At the end of two full years, Pharaoh had a dream.” The Midrash says that this means that this is connected to the fact that Yosef Hatzaddik was in jail for an extra two years. The reason why he was punished to be in jail for an extra two years was that he depended on Pharaoh’s butler to take him out of jail. Since he placed his Emunah (faith) on the butler, but not on Hashem, he was punished an extra two years. The Rabbis wonder what was wrong with what Yosef did. A person must make an effort. He was in jail. There was no natural way for him to get out of jail. The only way to get out was by making some type of connection, which included networking with the butler. So, what did Yosef do wrong?
The answer is that for an average person to make a little bit of hishtadlus (effort) is no problem, but Yosef was judged on a higher level. This was a message to Yosef: “You saw Hashem holding your hand the entire time. When you were in Yaakov Avinu’s house, you were number one. When you were in Potiphar's house, you changed around the whole house and became the head of the household. When you were in jail, Hashem made you the head of the jail. He brought you up again. He's holding your hand the whole time. Someone like you should realize everything comes from Hashem. You don't have to depend on anyone else.”
However, asks Rabbi Chaim Dahan, ZT”L: if Yosef was punished with the two years because he said two extra words (Bereishis 40:14), so punish him with two months, or give him two extra weeks, or two days? Why did it have to be, to the fullest extent, two complete years? Also, if Hashem wants to teach Yosef a lesson to only depend on Him, Yosef’s release should have had nothing to do with the butler. Perhaps, the butler should have died, and Hashem should have made some unexpected way on how Yosef got out of jail. Yet, how did Yosef come out of jail?
He came out of jail because the butler reminded Pharaoh. So, what was accomplished? Rabbi Dahan offers the following answer. There's a Gemara (Brachos 58b) that says that if something is in your memory and you want to act on it, it only is in your memory for a year. After a year, the memory goes to the back of one’s subconscious, and one will not remember to do it. That's why we remember Amalek every twelve months, since after a year we might forget about him. That's why every year, on Shabbos Parshas Zachor, we remind ourselves about Amalek. The Chasam Sofer even adds that during a leap year, we have an extra month, then in the middle of the summer, when we get to Parshas Ki Setzei, you should have in mind that we are remembering Amalek.
Now, when it comes to this subject of hishtadus, does it mean that when we make effort Hashem causes that effort to help, and suddenly, the cause comes because of the effort? The Michtav M’Eluyahu explains, we must make an effort, but we should not think our effort causes the result. The result is only coming because of Hashem. The condition is that if we make effort, then Hashem will bring our result into action. That's a lesson Yosef needed to learn. Yosef went to the butler, and he told the butler, “Please remind Pharaoh about me.” He made that his effort. So, how long is he going to keep in the butler's mind what Yosef told him? The most it could be in his mind for is 12 months.
Now let's say on that last day of the 12 months, he remembered Yosef and told Pharaoh. How long can Pharaoh now remember Yosef? Another year. Altogether, the most that Yosef's effort of talking to the butler can work for is two years. Hashem was telling Yosef that “your effort/plan has nothing to do with you because it's going to take more than two years until this effort comes out exactly with the butler”. Furthermore, Hashem used the butler to show that Hashem is the One Who can make the actual cause and not Yosef. This is a tremendous lesson on what it means to try. We should understand that when it comes to parnassah (earning a living), we MUST endeavor, but then Hashem will decide.
How many artists have you seen in history that while they were alive, when they created a painting, everybody looked at their work and wondered, “What is this mess?” Then, when they passed away, people saw these paintings and honored the work posthumously. At the time that the artist was alive, Hashem felt he should not find the ratzon (desirability) in people and that the effort should not bear fruit in their lifetimes. It turns out that effort is like the tax we pay on an item (result) which has nothing to do with the item. It’s also there to test us – like Yosef was tested – in realizing how it has nothing to do with results. Yes, we must put in the effort, but we must remember Who is responsible for the success of all endeavors!
