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By Rabbi Shloimie Lindenbaum
ירא פרעה איש נבון וחכם (פרק מא פסוק לג)
Pharoah pulls Yosef out of jail in a desperate attempt to find out the meaning of his confusing dreams. Yosef successfully interprets the dreams as a prediction of the future economy of מצרים and then continues to advise Pharoah how to utilize the years of plenty to prepare for the successive years of famine. Yosef makes it clear that the first step is to appoint an understanding (נבון) and wise (חכם) individual to oversee food collection and distribution. R’ Chaim Kanievsky points out that any time these two descriptions appear in the Torah, wisdom always precedes understanding (see Devarim 4:6, for example), but here Yosef said to find an understanding and wise person. R’ Chaim explains based on the גמרא חגיגה יד. that differentiates between חכמה (wisdom) and בינה (understanding), that חכמה refers to the knowledge that someone possesses while בינה refers to what someone can deduce and calculate based on what they already know. In general, חכמה must preempt בינה because first one must have the knowledge and only afterwards can they deduce new conclusions and plans. By Yosef, however, he had already disclosed all of the facts that a person would need to know- that there will be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of hunger. Therefore, it was no longer necessary to find a חכם who knows the correct knowledge, rather to find a נבון who can now use all of Yosef’s information to plan accordingly and execute proper economic decisions for מצרים. That is why Yosef mentioned first that the person must be understanding. Only afterwards he added that they must also be wise because he assumed that if the appointed individual is successful then they will continue in their position for future agendas and that will further require new חכמה.
ויען ראובן אתם לאמר…אל תחטאו בילד (פרק מב פסוק כב)
After Yosef demands from his brothers that they bring Binyomin to him, they realize that this is a punishment from Hashem for the cruelty that they had displayed to Yosef when selling him. Reuven reprimands his brothers that he had told them at the time not to do anything to “the child.” The Ramban explains that the usage of the expression ילד, child, is Reuven reminding his brothers how he tried to save Yosef. He had told them that they shouldn’t punish him because he is merely a child and that is why he had acted badly against his brothers. He shouldn’t be held accountable for mistakes that he made because of his young age. R’ Simcha Broide points out that while Yosef was still at home, Yaakov had taught him all the Torah that he had learnt at the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever. And the Ramban himself said earlier that Yaakov taught him great secrets of the Torah because he saw that Yosef had a very mature understanding. And yet, Reuven attempts to excuse Yosef by blaming his misdemeanors on “immaturity”! R’ Simcha learns from here the tremendous obligation that we have, to be דן לכף זכות, to judge others favorably. Even when it seems unlikely, when we have the opportunity and excuse to view others in a positive way and justify their actions, we should do so with certainty.
