Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

66
Mikeitz
Straight to the Top
Aaron Wengrofsky
I t seems strange that a seventeen year old boy picked up from a pit would become
a very powerful man in Egypt. Even after being thrown in jail, Yosef still manages
to get taken out of jail by Pharaoh himself. How is Yosef able to climb the ladder of
leadership so quickly?
Rav Soloveitchik1 points out that there are several critical points in which the action
seems to be directed by a mysterious character identified only as an “ish.” Ya’akov
struggles with an ish (32:25) that Chazal identify as the angel of Esav. Later, Yosef ’s
trials and tribulations begin with the help of a mysterious ish in Parshat Vayeishev. The
pasuk (37:15) states, הדשב העת הנהו שיא והאצמיו, “A man discovered him, and behold!
– he was wandering in the field.” This mysterious man led Yosef to his brothers, who
subsequently started to plot ways to discard of Yosef. We find a similar term again in
our parsha when the brothers tell Ya’akov about their difficulties in Egypt. The pasuk
(42:30) states: ץראה תא םילגרמכ ונתא ןתיו תושק ונתא ץראה ינדא שיאה רבד,
“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and considered us as if we were
spying out the land.” Again this mysterious man causes trouble for Yaakov’s family, as
he calls the brothers spies, thereby leading them to have to bring Binyamin away from
his father and to Egypt.
1. Quoted in Darosh Darash Yosef, by Rav Avishai David.