In this week’s Parsha Yosef was sold by his brothers. Rashi at the beginning of the Parsha writes that Yaakov Avinu wanted to have tranquility but then had the trouble with Yosef. Hashem said, “It’s not enough what is waiting for Tzaddikim in Olam Haba, they also want to have tranquility in this world?!”
The question is, what is wrong that Tzaddikim enjoy both worlds?
There is a story told over that happened in the time of Rabbi Avraham Ibin Ezra.
There were two people travelling together. One had three loaves of bread and the other had two. They met another traveller who had no food and was very hungry. They all sat down together and shared out their bread equally between all of them.
The hungry traveller was very grateful and before he bid them goodbye he gave them five golden coins.
The one who had three loaves of bread claimed that he was entitled to three coins and his partner should only get two. The other one claimed that they should split the money in half.
They decided to go to the local judge.
The judge ruled that the one who had three loaves of bread should receive four coins and the one who had two breads should receive one gold coin.
The latter was very disappointed with the ruling of the judge. Whoever heard the story agreed that the judge had ruled with injustice. He decided to go to the Ibin Ezra and told him his story.
Rabbi Avraham listened, but his reply took the man completely by surprise.
“The judge is right!,” said Rabbi Avraham, “let me explain.”
Altogether between both of you, there was five breads. You were kind and shared your bread equally between the three of you. So if we split every bread into three, each one of you had a third of a bread. To start, you had two breads, which is six thirds of bread. You ate five thirds and gave the traveller one third of one of your breads. Your friend, however, had three breads, that is nine thirds of bread. He ate five thirds and gave the traveller four thirds of bread.
If so you rightfully deserve one coin and your friend deserves four coins for the four thirds he gave the traveller.
So simple and fair. But until someone explained it to him he never understood.
The truth is that the same is with all of us. We don’t understand what Hashem and why. To us it may look unfair but that is because we don’t understand or know what Hashem does. Our Avoda is to realize that even if it doesn’t make sense, if it looks wrong to us, but to know and realize that Hashem knows exactly what He is doing and it is what is best for us.
By Rabbi Dovid Caro
