The Overview Perspective: The Lion and the Ox: Two Modes of Jewish Leadership #5

The Lion and the Ox: Two Modes of Jewish Leadership

• Yosef is being led by the hand to his destiny. His descent to Egypt is the catalyst for the Jewish nation being exiled there, surviving spiritually, and ultimately emerging as a nation, and it all begins with Yosef’s descent. This story is so much bigger than him! And Yosef knows this, else, he wouldn’t survive the loneliness and suffering. He knows there’s a big picture. And yet, he also focuses 100% on his small picture – the one in front of him today. Being the most useful servant of the depraved Potifar. Why? Because he knows that this small picture of today will build his own story, and ultimately the story of the Divine plan. How they exactly connect isn’t his business at the moment, but he knows with perfect faith that they connect.
• The meeting point between free-will and Divine providence.
• The above idea leads us to a deeper understanding of the serenity prayer. We don’t merely accept that which we can’t control as something that is not worth focusing on, because, hey, there’s nothing we can do about it anyways, rather, we accept the inevitable as part of our place in the Divine plan that is way bigger than we are. And then we get to work on the aspects that are within our control, and therefore our responsibility. Never forgetting that there is a bigger picture as well.