One of the great mysteries of the story of יוסף הצדיק and his brothers is the question of why יוסף did not take the trouble of informing his father יעקב, that he יוסף, was still alive. Was he not aware that his disappearance would be a source of great anguish for his father?

 (There is a novel approach which Rabbi Rivlin discusses in his book עיוני פרשה which suggests that יוסף was under the impression that יעקב was well aware of, and perhaps supportive of, יוסף's sale. Had יעקב not expressed anger upon his hearing the dreams which spoke of the supremacy of יוסף over his brothers and over his father as well? Presumably יעקב was aware of the great feelings of ill will that existed between the brothers, and if nevertheless, יעקב sent יוסף who was then immediately mistreated by his brothers, יוסף had reason to suspect that his father was "in on the deal" and was interested in יוסף being removed from the scene. However, the more conventional approach is the one taken by Ramban.)

The Ramban writes that יוסף felt that he had an obligation to see to it that his dreams would come to fruition. Furthermore he realized that the way this would come about, is through his rising to a position of power in Egypt. The Ramban elaborates and says that when יוסף saw the great success he had in the house of Potiphar, he assumed, or at least suspected, that he was destined for greatness. Therefore if he would report to יעקב that he was a slave and יעקב would come and redeem him, the dreams would never be fulfilled. 

If we take into account what we know about יוסף from other parts of his story, something fascinating emerges. On one hand Joseph is exceedingly humble. When he is brought in front of Pharoh who attributes to Joseph a reputation of being an expert dream interpreter, יוסף does not take any of the credit. Rather he makes it clear that his ability is purely based on G-d’s providing him with the solution and the interpretation. On the other hand, the Ramban indicates that Joseph had high aspirations and expectations- he expected and anticipated a rise to power even as he was a slave in the house of Potiphar.

The lesson to be learned is that humility is not to be confused with a lack of self-worth. Rav Kook writes (מוסר אביך פרק ג) that there are certain character traits that need to be sharpened and perfected lest they be confused with others. One such trait, says Rav Kook, is the personality trait of humility. Humility is sometimes associated (incorrectly) with the trait of sadness and meekness. Although these traits sometimes do come together and, as Rav Kook discusses, do have something in common, they are nevertheless clearly distinct. Thus one that seeks perfection, needs to see to it that his drive for attaining humility does not come at the expense of courage and joy. Certainly יוסף הצדיק did not suffer from this confusion. He understood that, on one hand he had potential greatness and an important mission to fulfill, but on the other hand he realized that it us only with constant סייעתא דשמיא that he was able to accomplish and attain.

May we all seek to discover and develop the great potential that we have, while realizing that the key to reaching our lofty goals is הקדוש ברוך הוא’s constant support and assistance.    

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