Blessings of wealth and comfort cast upon a person enormous responsibility; one's resources come to him so that he can utilize them in the pursuit of spiritual goals and for the betterment of the world.
Yesterday, we discussed Yosef's harsh treatment of his brothers when they came to Egypt to purchase grain, as told in Parashat Miketz, and we focused on the purpose of his returning their money to their bags. Recall that Yosef imprisons Shimon and orders the remaining brothers to return to Canaan to bring to Egypt their youngest brother, Binyamin. Before their departure from Egypt, Yosef has his servant return the money with which they had purchased grain to their bags. Upon discovering the money in their bags, the brothers shuddered in fright: "Their hearts sank; and, trembling, they turned to one another, saying: What is this that God has done to us?" (42:28).
The "Saba" of Kelm, among the foremost personalities of the Musar movement, noted the glaring irony of this scene. Generally speaking, when a person suddenly discovers that he has received money he does not deserve, he responds with joy and exhilaration. In this instance, the brothers react to their windfall with panic, wondering, "What is this that God has done to us?" In context, of course, their response is easy to understand. They naturally assumed that since the Egyptian viceroy accuses them – for whatever reason – of spying the land, he – or perhaps some other Egyptian – sought to frame them with theft to substantiate the accusation. Indeed, upon their return to Egypt, they are brought to Yosef's house, which they initially assumed to mean that they will be arrested for allegedly stealing money from the country: "It must be because of the money replaced in our bags the first time that we have been brought, as a pretext to attack us and seize us as slaves" (43:18). Quite understandably, they reacted to the sight of their money not with celebration, but with panic.
Nevertheless, the "Saba" of Kelm suggested that this reaction provides us with a subtle lesson regarding the proper approach to monetary gain and material success. Our response to the acquisition of wealth, he claimed, must include a degree of anxiety, similar to the fear experienced by Yosef's brothers. For one thing, wealth is not always a blessing; the affect it has on its owner can often turn around and ruin him. But in addition, a person who enjoys material success must ask himself, as the brothers did, "What is this that God has done to us?" or, to phrase the question a bit differently, "Why has God done this for us?" Blessings of wealth and comfort cast upon a person enormous responsibility; one's resources come to him so that he can utilize them in the pursuit of spiritual goals and for the betterment of the world. Therefore, when one looks into his "bag" and finds resources that he hadn't expected to see there, he must immediately ask, "What is this that God has done to me" – what purpose am I to serve with these new, unexpected resources?