(from Meshech Chokhma on the Torah)
Yosef’s Unique Education
Divine Providence is a central theme in the Torah’s Yosef stories. The process of the Jews’ coming down to Egypt (already foretold to Avraham in Parshat Lech Lecha) develops through the drama of Yosef and his brothers, the famine, and Yosef’s rise to the highest levels of Egyptian government. The whole development is specially guided by the Divine hand, as Yosef emphasizes when he reveals himself to his brothers, “G-d sent me before you to bring life (Bereishit 45:5).”
The Meshech Chokhma points out that the scheduling of Yosef’s jail sentence and that of the butler and baker’s dreams was also part of the special Divine Providence all-present in these parshiot. Pharoah’s chief butler and baker were actually high-level officials, in charge of wine and bread in all of Egypt, then the center of civilization. Yosef, thrown in jail along with two government ministers, was able to learn the ins and outs of government life and Pharoah’s court. The jail experience actually gave Yosef an education, preparing him to be viceroy of Egypt, the second most powerful person in the country.
Their dreams took place only three days before they left the jail. Had the dreams and interpretations happened much earlier, the baker, whose execution Yosef predicted, would have been angry with Yosef. It is very unlikely that he would have been willing to teach him about taxes, distribution, storage, and administration.
All of the above relates to most of Yosef’s jail stay. However, the last two years of Yosef’s jail stay were different. Those were added by G-d in response to Yosef’s mistake. The Midrash criticizes Yosef for putting his trust in a human being, asking the butler to use his connections with Pharoah to get him out of jail. The last two years in jail ended up adding another essential aspect of Yosef’s education, placing total trust in G-d and not in a human being.
[prepared by Eliezer Kwass]
