Welcome to the Mussar haTorah podcast for Parshas Vayigash. Join us as we explore the weekly Parsha, uncovering valuable insights and striving to become the best versions of ourselves through Mussar teachings.
In this week's parsha, Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. During this revelation he says the following:
וְעַתָּ֗ה לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם אֹתִי֙ הֵ֔נָּה כִּ֖י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִֽי לְאָ֜ב לְפַרְעֹ֗ה וּלְאָדוֹן֙ לְכׇל־בֵּית֔וֹ וּמֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּכׇל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
Now [then] it was not you that sent me here, but [it was from before] Elohim; and He has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and master of all [the people of] his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Yosef recognized that the entire sequence of events starting from when his father gave him the special coat up until (and through) this point was a product of Hashem's Hashgacha Pratis and not a result of his brother's selling him into slavery. When the brothers sold Yosef, they thought they were getting rid of him and his dreams when in reality they were fulfilling his dreams.
The concept of bechirah can be confusing to people. Does Hashem allow events to unfold with people's free will or is everything preordained? Rav Wolbe says the answer can be found in Chovos HaLevovos (Avados Elokim; Chapter 8) where Rabbenu Bachaya writes that both things are true. Everything is dependent on our bechirah and is preordained by Hashem. When making a decision we have to act like we are the ones who are deciding on what the outcome will be. However, in the end it is Hashem that is arranging things the way Hashem wants them.
A personal example of this is several years ago I applied to be the General Studies principal in a school. I wanted the position very badly and I thought I would do well in the job. I wound up not getting the job and I took a teaching position. What seemed like a disappointment at the time turned out to be Hashem's guidance - during that year of teaching, I came to realize that being a principal wasn't actually aligned with what brought me the most satisfaction in education. The administrative duties would have taken me away from what I truly loved - being in the classroom, directly impacting students' lives. Through this experience, I learned firsthand how Hashem can guide us to where we need to be, even when - and sometimes especially when - things don't go according to our carefully made plans."
When we make a decision we shouldn't just take a shot in the dark and rationalize that whatever Hashem wants will happen no matter what we choose to do. Rather, we need to analyze the issue from all angles, consult with knowledgeable people, and come to a conclusion which makes sense. At the end of the day, Hashem may have things turn out differently than expected. This however does not exempt us from our obligations to act in a rational, well thought out manner. This is because Hashem judges us by our actions and not be the ensuing results.
We don't know what Hashem's plans are but Hashem gave us the ability to calculate what is the best for us and make the decisions that are right for us. Even if things turn out differently than we expect, we can be sure that what happens is what Hashem wants and that is what is truly best for us.
This narrative of Yosef and his brothers beautifully illustrates how our human choices and divine providence interweave in ways we often only understand in retrospect. Just as I discovered that not getting the principal position led to greater satisfaction in teaching, Yosef recognized that his brothers' actions – though intended for harm – were ultimately part of Hashem's greater plan.
The wisdom from Chovos HaLevovos teaches us a profound paradox: we must act with full deliberation and responsibility, while simultaneously knowing that Hashem orchestrates the final outcome.
Perhaps that's the most powerful lesson we can take from this parsha: our obligation is to make thoughtful choices with the wisdom we have, while maintaining the humility to recognize that Hashem's plans may differ from our own, often in ways that reveal themselves only with time.
Thank you for joining us this week. Until next time, may we all merit to see the divine guidance in our lives, even when – and perhaps especially when – things don't go as planned.
