Vayeshev 5766
Towards the end of Parashat Vayeshev, we find the story of the Egyptian butler and baker, who were imprisoned in the same jail cell as Yosef. The Torah tells that these two prisoners dreamt recurring dreams and were very disturbed by them. The next morning, Yosef saw their troubled faces and approached them. He asked, "Madu'a Peneichem Ra'im Hayom" – "Why are your faces troubled today?" These four words changed the course of history. As a result of this question, the butler and baker told Yosef their dreams and he accurately interpreted them. The butler was freed from prison, and when Pharaoh dreamt his dream two years later, the butler recalled Yosef's ability to interpret dreams, and Pharaoh summoned Yosef to interpret his dream. Yosef's successful interpretation of Pharaoh's dream of course led to his rise to power in Egypt, his family's descent to Egypt from Canaan, and so on.
Imagine if Yosef had not shown the concern to approach his fellow inmates and ask them why they look troubled – he would never have been freed from the prison!
The butler and baker were high-ranking officials in the Egyptian government. They weren't mere servants; they served as Pharaoh's advisors, and were men of noble rank and stature. We can easily imagine their disinterest in Yosef when they were imprisoned. He was, after all, but a Hebrew slave, who had been convicted for a terrible crime. The royal advisors obviously paid little attention to him. And yet, when Yosef noticed that something troubled them, he showed enough concern to go over to them and ask, "What's wrong?" What this teaches is that very often a simple expression of concern, a kind word, or a friendly smile can make all the difference in the world to a person. It is possible to perform profound Chesed (kindness) and even change a person's life without necessarily donating large amounts of money or starting a new institution. At times even a simple "Hello, how are you" can have a profound effect on another person. We all know how a warm, friendly smile or greeting can brighten our moods and help us feel much better when we are down. In Yosef's case, this expression of concern changed his own life, and indeed the course of Jewish history.
My wife recently phoned a woman to thank her for a favor she had done, and she took the opportunity to acknowledge and express gratitude for the work in which that woman was involved in helping others. The woman broke down crying on the phone. She told my wife that she had been having such a difficult week, she had felt so unappreciated, people were speaking about her negatively, and it meant so much to hear my wife's kind words.
Even when we are unaware that somebody is feeling down, a friendly word can do wonders in cheering them up. All the more so when we see somebody looking visibly upset, there is a Mitzva to show concern and do what we can to lift that person's spirits.
