It was to sustain life that Hashem sent me
It was the custom of Duber – the strongman of the town, that in everything that he would do he would mention the Name of Heaven. No matter what happened in the town, he would always say that everything is from Heaven. Even when from time to time he would steal from others, he would announce that everything is from Heaven. And even when he would bring down the force of his arm upon the townspeople who did not find favor in his eyes, even then everyone knew that regarding everything that he did he claimed that everything was from Heaven. And when someone would ask him how it could be that in Heaven they agree to his evil deeds, he had a decisive answer: If I succeeded in doing what I did, it is a sign that this is what they desired in Heaven. If HaKadosh Baruch Hu would not want this, He would not allow me to do such a thing.
Yosef HaTzaddik says to his brothers (45:5), ‘ועתה אל תעצבו ואל יחר בעיניכם כי מכרתם אותי הנה, כי למחיה שלחני אלוקים לפניכם’ - “And now do not be distressed and let it not anger your eyes that you sold me here, for to sustain life Hashem sent me before you.” He says that he has nothing in his heart against them, because he believes with complete faith that everything that happened was from Heaven.
And this was after the brothers had already been aroused and had returned in complete repentance for selling him, and he speaks to their hearts in order to encourage them and strengthen them in hashgacha pratis. And did the brothers not know what hashgacha pratis is? Certainly and without any doubt they did! So for what purpose did Yosef speak to their hearts?
This is the way of the yetzer hara, that it encourages a person to believe in Hashem and in His hashgacha when it is convenient for him. A person can transgress all the most severe transgressions, Rachmana litzlan, and in his mouth there are words of faith about hashgacha pratis, and he will even find support for his claims from seforim of Mussar and Chassidus. And certainly all this distances him from repentance. But we do believe in hashgacha pratis?! Correct, but not in order to evade responsibility. Therefore, the correct path is: to take responsibility for our deeds. If a person erred, sinned, acted improperly, the very first thing he must do is to repent for his sin. But then comes the “righteous” yetzer hara, and torments him over his deeds in order to cast him into sadness, which is the root of evil. That is the time to believe in hashgacha pratis. And this is also what Yosef HaTzaddik did. After the holy brothers regretted with all their heart their deeds, he encouraged them with words of faith so that they should not fall into the net of the “righteous” yetzer hara: “Do not be distressed!”
- Tiv HaTorah - Vayigash
