It’s not enough to have the right goals – they need to be pursued the right way. Good ideas must be followed up by good planning and good execution, for otherwise they will remain only as ideas.
The Torah in Parashat Vayeshev describes the pit into which Yosef was cast by his brothers: “the pit was empty; it had no water” (37:24). Rashi cites the Gemara’s famous comments to this verse: “It had no water, but it had snakes and scorpions” (Shabbat 22a).
The Gemara makes this comment to answer the question of why the Torah bothered to specify, “it had no water” after it had already informed us that the pit was empty. It explains that the pit was, in truth, not entirely empty, as it contained dangerous reptiles.
The question arises as to why this information is significant. Why does it matter that the pit had snakes and scorpions? How does this detail add to the story?
One the simplest level, the fact that the pit was inhabited by dangerous creatures reveals the miraculous nature of Yosef’s survival. A person trapped in a pit with poisonous snakes does not ordinarily survive for too long, but Yosef miraculously lived until he was lifted and sold as a slave.
It is likely, however, that the Gemara here also makes this point for the purpose of criticizing Reuven, who had proposed throwing Yosef into the pit instead of murdering him. His intention, as the Torah clearly tells (37:22), was to later return and rescue Yosef. Reuven told his brothers that it would be preferable to kill Yosef passively – by throwing him into a pit where he would die of starvation – rather than kill him directly. His true intention, however, was to come back and lift Yosef from the pit to save him.
The Gemara’s comment should perhaps be read as a subtle, yet scathing, criticism of Reuven’s plan. The Sages here note the absurdity of the situation: the brothers ensured that there was no water in the pit, so Yosef wouldn’t drown, but didn’t they realize that there other dangers lurking? Did Reuven seriously think that Yosef would survive for even several hours? Didn’t he anticipate the presence of dangerous animals?
Ultimately, thanks to God’s supernatural protection of Yosef, Reuven is credited with saving his younger brother’s life. However, the Gemara perhaps notes Reuven’s failure in properly following through on his noble intentions. He admirably intervened to save Yosef, but he did not plan his strategy in a sound, detailed manner.
Many writers have attempted to find a point of connection between this statement of the Gemara and the immediately preceding comment, disqualifying Chanukah lights that were kindled at a height of twenty amot or higher. The only clear point of connection is that both statements were taught by Rabbi Natan bar Minyumi in the name of Rabbi Tanchum. But darshanim throughout the ages have searched for a deeper connection between the disqualification of high Chanukah lights and the snakes in Yosef’s pit.
We might suggest (al derekh ha-derush) that kindling the Chanukah lights at a height where they cannot be easily seen symbolically represents a failure to follow through on noble, idealistic intentions. We kindle the Chanukah lights out of a desire to glorify God’s Name and publicize the great miracle of the Hasmonean victory. If a person sets out to achieve this noble goal but places the candles in a place where they will not be seen, he acts irresponsibly. He has the right idea, but does not pursue it in a careful, calculated, responsible manner. Like Reuven, who laudably stepped in to save his brother but failed to take critical details into account, this individual admirably seeks to shine the light of Torah, but his execution of that goal is reckless and shoddy.
It’s not enough to have the right goals – they need to be pursued the right way. Good ideas must be followed up by good planning and good execution, for otherwise they will remain only as ideas.