A young man in Eretz Yisrael was desperate for employment. Despite his education, he sent out dozens of resumes and attended interview after interview, only to face rejection at every turn. Months passed, and his savings dwindled.
In despair, he turned to his rebbe for guidance.
The rebbe told him, “You are not unemployed; you are being employed by Hashem to learn bitachon. The minute you absorb that lesson, the true position destined for you will appear.”
Shortly thereafter, the young man received a phone call from a company to which he had never even applied. They had seen his name through a friend of a friend, and they offered him a position tailor-made for his skills. The job turned out to be far better than any of the opportunities he had previously pursued.
Looking back, the young man understood: had one of the earlier “doors” opened, he might have thought his own efforts had borne fruit. Only when every avenue had been shut tight could he truly appreciate that his salvation came directly from Above.
This is the eternal message of Yosef HaTzadik. The prison doors did not open until the exact moment that Hashem decreed. And when they did, Yosef was not simply released; he was elevated to the position of viceroy of Egypt. Salvation is not merely escape from difficulty; it is the hand of Hashem guiding us to a destiny greater than we could have envisioned.
Reprinted from the Parshas Mikeitz 5786 email of Peninim on the Torah compiled and edited by Rabbi L. Scheinbaum, a publication of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland.
