Parshat Miketz- Understanding Responsibility
by Rabbi Lobel

(Chapter 41:38-41) “And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Could we find like this a man in whom is the spirit of G-d?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘since G-d has informed you of all of this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and by your command, shall all my people be sustained; only by throne shall I outrank you.’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See I have placed you in charge of all the land of Egypt.’”

It seems from the verse that Joseph had overwhelmed Pharaoh, ruler of the largest empire in the world, with his extraordinary intelligence and wisdom. How did Joseph, just brought from the bottomless pit of the Egyptian jails, standing directly in front of Pharaoh, able to make such a dramatic first impression. No doubt, Joseph’s knowledge was a special gift from G-d and it was G-d who helped him achieve great stature in such a short amount of time.

The Sforno (41:41) seems to ask a very interesting question. If one examines the verse, above (41:38-40), he will notice that Pharaoh had two separate conversations with Joseph in front of his servants. This is evident in the language of verses 39 and 41, where Pharaoh addresses Joseph two distinct times.  The first conversation was to acknowledge Joseph’s wisdom and to appoint him as the second in command to the king. The second conversation, in verse 41, was to make Joseph acknowledge the position he was accepting; “See I have placed you in charge of all the land of Egypt.” The question is what did the second conversation add to the first conversation. Surely, when a king appoints an individual to a position of such stature, he’ll understand his duty and the ramifications of his service.

The Sforno answers that Pharaoh was emphasizing an extra degree of caution. Of course, anybody appointed to such a high position understands his responsibilities and expectations. But there are levels of understanding, awareness, and focus. Pharaoh was making a point that Joseph not only needed to understand his obligations but be constantly aware of his responsibilities and focus all his energies toward them. Pharaoh understood that even such an extraordinary person as Joseph could benefit from this reminder.

We can apply this same lesson to all our responsibilities, especially in serving G-d, following His mitzvos and learning His Torah. Too often, we do things by habit rather than focus on what we’re doing and are actions are lacking. When saying a bracha, we need to focus on the words, not the food. And even while eating, we should strive to be aware that only by the grace of G-d do we have food.

The more we focus on our responsibilities, the further we will understand them, and our actions will have substantially more genuine meaning. To apply this lesson to our daily lives, we need to think before we act, contemplate our actions and the ultimate fruits of our labors. When the time comes to take action, our heightened understanding of what we have to get done will aid us in achieving greater and more genuine results.