The Rabbi Sacks Legacy To Wait Without Despair (Rabbi Sacks on Mikketz, Covenant & Conversation)
Dec 16, 2025
Explore the intriguing theme of waiting as Rabbi Sacks delves into Joseph's journey. He highlights Joseph's passivity and rare moments of initiative, showcasing the emotional turmoil of forgotten hopes. The narrative's pacing mirrors Joseph's struggles, emphasizing divine timing and the unexpected turns of fate. Sacks argues for a balance between human effort and humility, urging listeners to be proactive while waiting for blessings. This rich commentary invites reflection on patience, despair, and the nature of divine intervention.
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From Passivity To Agency
- Joseph appears throughout as the object of others' actions rather than their author, highlighting human passivity in narrative fate.
- This framing prepares the shock when he first takes agency and then must still wait two years for deliverance.
The Forgotten Plea That Precedes Triumph
- Joseph asks the chief butler to remember him and is later forgotten, creating a desperate pause in his story.
- Two years later Pharaoh's dreams trigger the butler's memory and Joseph's swift rise from prisoner to viceroy.
Story Pause As Moral Lesson
- The week-long Parsha gap mirrors Joseph's two-year delay, making listeners experience his waiting.
- The structure teaches that narrative pauses can carry pedagogical weight about patience and timing.