Did Yosef Really Ask the Chief Butler to Mention Him to Pharaoh?

THE DAILY CHIZZUK BY MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A – EVERY TRUE TZADDIK HAS FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HIM

HOW COULD YOSEF HATZADDIK HAVE ASKED THE CHIEF BUTLER TO MENTION HIM TO PHARAOH AND NOT RELY ON HASHEM?

SUNDAY, 27 IYAR 5785

There is no [true] Tzaddik who doesn’t have false accusations against him.  Rabbi Natan had false accusations against him.  All [true] Tzaddikim had false accusations against them.  A tzaddik who doesn’t have false accusations against is not…

Yosef HaTzaddik, after spending a year in Potiphar’s house and another ten years in prison, asked the chief butler, “Just remember me…and mention me” (Bereishit 40:14).  For this, he received another two years in prison.

What did he ask for?  He witnessed such amazing Divine providence with the chief butler.  The chief butler arrives and tells him, “What do you want?  You’ll get everything through me.”

Yosef said, “Just mention me to the king.”  That’s all.  Then it’s written, “The chief butler did not remember Yosef and forgot him.”  What does that mean: “The chief butler did not remember… and forgot him”?

The chief butler actually did want to remember.  Every day, he made knots in his handkerchief in order to remember to tell Pharaoh.    Whenever he would take out the handkerchief to wipe his eyes or nose, he would see the knot and remember to tell Pharaoh about Yosef.  So the Tanya untied the knots.

“The chief butler did not remember Yosef and forgot him.”  The Rebbe of Satmar explains it differently in his commentary on chapter 27 in Tehilim.  He explains that really Yosef prayed for Pharaoh to forget him.  He prayed: “I don’t want help from the chief butler.  I want help directly from Hashem Yitbarach”

“I DON’T WANT ANY HELP FROM THE CHIEF BUTLER.  I DON’T PRAY THAT HE WILL RESCUE ME – I WANT HIM TO FORGET ME!”  WHAT IS THE MEANING OF, “AND FORGOT HIM”?  THAT YOSEF PRAYED FOR THE CHIEF BUTLER TO FORGET ABOUT HIM!

https://vimeo.com/1086930089