Parshat Mikeitz/Chanukah
December 26th-27th, 2003
2 Teves, 5764

"…all the affairs of the world, whether for the good or for the bad, are trials [nisyonos, in Hebrew] for a man: poverty on the one hand, and wealth on the other…"

Those profound words are from a celebrated work of Torah ethics and spiritual guidance, Mesilas Yesharim (Path of the Just), by the 18th-century sage, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto.

I think it would be a very good idea—I’m speaking to myself here as much as to anyone else—to repeat them often, perhaps even on a daily basis. They clarify what all our ups and downs (little or big), all the "successes" and "failures" (the trophies or booby prizes) in this life are really about. In the final analysis--and in the ultimate spiritual sense--, they are nisyonos, trials for a person. This goes for "all the affairs of this world."

We might imagine, from hearing the word, "trial" (or "test," which is another translation for nisayon), that G-d is up there in Heaven concocting new and interesting ways to try to trip us humans up. Some of us may think: "He’s just eagerly waiting to ‘throw the book at us,’ or to give us a failing grade…as all good mean-and-nasty judges or teachers love to do!" In other words, the ominous sound of both "trial" and "test" tends (I would argue) to make us think negatively about the nature and purpose of a nisayon, and even about the designs of the One Who sends them.

Let’s clear up that misconception with the beautiful words of another great rabbinical figure in our tradition, as he comments on the epitome of all nisyonos (trials) in the Torah. Writing about the incident of the "binding of Yitzhak," where G-d commands Avraham to bring his beloved son (the future inheritor of his sacred religious mission) as an offering, Nachmanidies [known as Ramban] writes:

"The matter of ‘trial,’ in my opinion, is as follows: Since a man’s deeds are at his absolute free command, to perform them or not to perform them at his will, on the part of one who is tried it is called a ‘a trial.’ But on the part of the One, blessed be He, who tries the person, it is a command that the one being tested should bring forth the matter from the potential into actuality so that he may be rewarded for a good deed, not for a good thought alone.

Know further that G-d tries the righteous, for knowing that the righteous will do His will, He desires to make him even more upright, and so He commands him to undertake a test, but He does not try the wicked, who would not obey. Thus all trials in the Torah are for the good of the one being tried." [Nachmanidies, Commentary on the Torah; Genesis, p. 275; Chavel translation; my emphasis]

From here, we learn a number of important points. First, the purpose of a nisayon is not to reveal anything new to G-d, but to increase the spiritual reward of the person by bringing forth his or her latent greatness into actual deeds of righteousness. Second, a person is only sent a nisayon that he or she has the potential to "pass," provided the person uses his free will properly. Third (and this is implicit in the first point), the nisayon is intended for the good of the person—to elevate the person spiritually. (Indeed, the word, nisayon, is related to the Hebrew word, nes, or banner: The test is meant to "lift a banner" and reveal to the world, and to the person himself, the potential hidden within a human being.)

We can now go back to Rabbi Luzzatto’s words (quoted at the very start), and "plug in" the understanding of the Ramban. The resulting restatement of the principle—a bit expanded, I admit—might be as follows:

"All of the circumstances we face in life, whether they seem to us ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at the moment [i.e., from our limited, and often not very mature, perspective], are in fact opportunities sent to us by a loving G-d, for our own ultimate spiritual good. Their purpose is to allow us to achieve, in actuality, levels of righteousness (or faith, steadfastness, kindness, etc.) that we may not consciously think ourselves capable of attaining…but that G-d (Who sees the heart and soul) knows we can attain, and wants us to attain."

Far from having the "cards stacked against us" in the tests/trials G-d sends us, then, we actually are always being dealt an eminently winnable hand! Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s predestined that we will "win." We have to "play the cards right" within the context of the particular nisayon, clinging to G-d (and maintaining our faith in Him) and following the dictates of the Torah. Nobody ever said nisyonos were going to be easy. (Just ask Avraham.) By definition: IF IT’S TOO EASY, IT’S NOT A NISAYON. ["No pain, no gain" is a not-too-bad approximation of the idea.]

Now comes the inevitable moment in my parsha sheet where I have to explain to you exactly what this whole sheet--however enlightening I hope it has been so far--has to do with the parsha.

No problem. (It’s not a nisayon.) This portion continues the engrossing story of Yosef and his brothers, an extremely important narrative for many reasons. One is that it shows how Hashem utilizes the free choice of individual human beings (the brothers decide to sell Yosef) to direct history towards His ultimate ends (Yosef is ultimately elevated to authority, and sustains his family following their descent into Egypt—the preface to our exile there).

More to our specific purposes, we see in the life of Yosef (as described in this parsha) a perfect illustration of Rabbi Luzzatto’s words. ALL THE AFFAIRS OF THIS WORLD ARE NISYONOS, TRIALS. All the circumstances of Yosef’s life—and we are shown by the Torah that they ran the gamut from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs—were nisyonos. We are meant to study them in order to learn from the exemplary way he handled them. (What’s more, our Sages comment in the Midrash that Yosef’s life is emblematic of the experience of the Jewish people in exile. So we can discern the dynamics of our whole history as a people in the story of Yosef.)

In last week’s portion, the 17 year-old Yosef—favorite of his father, the patriarch, Yaakov—is sold by his brothers (who fear that he is a usurper, with unwarranted ambitions to dominate the family). He is taken down to Egypt, and ends up in the household of the Chamberlain of the Butchers. Whisked from the spiritual heights (learning divine wisdom with a Patriarch) to the depths (polishing knives—or the equivalent—for Potiphar). That’s how Yosef’s life—and that of the Jewish people—tends to go.

Characteristically, Yosef does not stay at the bottom. The Torah tells us, "Hashem was with Yosef, and he was a successful man…whatever he did, Hashem made him succeed." (39, 2-3) Soon he is running Potiphar’s whole household. That certainly is remarkable. But all we see from this—it would seem—is that G-d is taking care of Yosef, and directing the outcome of his endeavors. How is Yosef "taking care of G-d," though? In other words, what do we know about Yosef’s response to his situation—how he himself stood up to the nisayon of his initial fall into the "pit" of Egypt?

Here, Rashi cites a Midrash. What does the Torah mean to say by writing that "Hashem was with Yosef," when it says just a bit later that Hashem made him successful (which means He was with him!)? It means, Rashi explains, that the name of G-d was constantly on Yosef’s lips and in his conversation.

We see the very same pattern in Yosef’s life—and expression in the Torah—after he is once again thrown from the heights (running Potiphar’s house) to the depths (a dungeon full of the king’s prisoners), following the false accusation from Potiphar’s wife. As before, he doesn’t stay on the bottom. He rises up to a position of leadership in the prison, being put in charge of all the work of the prison warden. How did he get there? Besides his talent and charisma (both of which he had), there was a deeper reason: "Hashem was with Yosef…Hashem was with him; and whatever he did Hashem made successful." (39: 21, 23).

Even in the darkest moments, the name of Hashem was never absent from Yosef’s lips. Yosef responded to the nisayon of his (seemingly never-ending) tribulations by remaining strong in his faith. Yosef never lost faith in Hashem—or lessened in his constant awareness of His guidance

In this week’s portion, we see Yosef elevated (permanently) to the very highest pinnacle of success. We can witness here how he deals with the very "brightest"
moments of success. He is whisked from the dungeon—after accurately interpreting the dreams of the imprisoned baker and the wine steward—to stand before Pharaoh, who is troubled by a pair of dreams he himself has had. When called on by Pharaoh to show his mettle at dream interpretation, what are the first words that spring from his lips? "That [i.e., comprehending a dream] is beyond me; it is G-d Who will respond with Pharaoh’s welfare." (41, 16) In other words: "It is not I who has the talent, but G-d Who is the true dispenser of this wisdom."

Even in the highest, and most propitious, moments in his life—a personal interview with the most powerful person on earth—G-d is not far from Yosef’s lips or his thoughts.

And so, too, when he begins his long tenure as viceroy of Egypt. Rav Avigdor Miller, zt’l, great 20th century Torah leader, points out [in his comments on this week’s parsha] just what a great nisayon being appointed second-in-command to Pharaoh was for Yosef:

"This was one of the greatest tests which he underwent in his career. Wearing the king’s ring, clothed in royal linen with a golden chain around his neck, riding in the second royal chariot with runners before him, having full power over the land, having an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife, the daughter of a priest, he had every reason to disown his family which had so wronged him, and he could have without effort become a full Egyptian in heart and soul…

Therefore, Yosef was tested by opportunities to become arrogant; but he became more perfect than ever, because he continued to fear Hashem always and to bear humility in his heart." [The Beginning, p. 582]

Yosef never gave up hope even in his darkest moments (or years), never lost his faith in G-d or his steadfastness in clinging to Him. He never lost his faith that the meaning (and ultimate goodness) of G-d’s plan in putting him through his various ordeals would one day be revealed. He also never lost his head amidst the most dazzling displays of worldly success and splendor.

In other words, it would seem that Yosef had internalized the concept we started with: all the circumstances of life are meant to be a test. This is how we can understand his remarkable perseverance and success—not just mere survival—in the most difficult of circumstances. (Meaning: both in wealth AND in poverty!) The source of his success, and his real spiritual accomplishment, was in the way he viewed the circumstances of his life: not as unfortunate accidents (or lucky breaks), but as constant tests sent from

G-d to develop his own righteousness, and to fulfill His purposes for the family of the future Jewish people.

May we all meditate on the perspective that everything that G-d sends us is a nisayon, an opportunity to improve ourselves spiritually. It is somewhat fitting on this last day of Chanukah, holiday of spiritual dedication to our Torah and its mitzvos—a holiday commemorating the actions of those Jews who stood up to the nisayon of an enemy’s religious persecution. Thank G-d nobody is outlawing our Torah study or mitzvah performance as of this writing (and long may it continue that way). But living in our society is a nisayon nonetheless, for material success and societal acceptance is a nisayon as well. We are being tested to see if we maintain our Jewish identity—our love of, and dedication to, the Torah and its mitzvos—amidst all the blessings of material success in America. May we rise to the occasion, like our ancestor, Yosef, and maintain our righteousness in all the circumstances of our lives.

GOOD SHABBOS.

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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