Reuven heard it, and saved Yosef from their hands. He said ‘Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him’—so that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father… And Reuven returned to the pit; and, behold, Yosef was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. [Bereishis 37: 21-29]
Rav Yitzchok taught. Here the Torah teaches us the proper way (“Derech Eretz,” literally, “the way of the land”). ‘A person must always do mitzvos with a Joyful Heart.’ Had Reuven known that the Torah would record for eternity, ‘Reuven heard it, and saved Yosef from their hands,’ he would have immediately carried Yosef back to his father.’ [Midrash Rabba, Parshas Behar, Chapter 34]
The brothers were gathered around discussing Yosef’s fate. Reuven, opposed to their plans, comes up with a plan of his own. He will save Yosef and come back and rescue Yosef later. Reuven meant well. In fact, the Torah itself testifies that Reuven’s sole intention was to save Yosef.
The Midrash, however, understands that the Torah is in effect critical of Reuven. According to the Midrash, the Torah tells us this story to teach us to do Mitzvos with a “Joyful Heart.” The Midrash goes further and implies that had Reuven intervened to save Yosef with a Joyful Heart the saga would have ended differently. What is a Joyful Heart, and why would it matter whether a mitzva is done with a Joyful Heart?
Rabbi Noach Weinberg ZT’L, founder of Aish HaTorah, once traveled to Haifa to meet an elderly philanthropist. The donor had lived a long and fulsome life. Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, this man had been a member of Lechi (“Stern Gang”), a militant group fighting to evict the British authorities from then Mandatory Palestine. Later in life he married, raised a large family and built a nationally known business.
Rav Noach asked the man: “You have had such an extraordinary life, tell me, when were you happiest? Are you happiest now, a successful man, with a large family? Were you happiest when your children were young and you were starting out? Or was there a different point in time, which, to you, was the happiest time of your life?”
The man from Haifa replied: “The happiest time in my life was when I served in Lechi. I carried a gun, and I knew that if I was caught by the British they would immediately hang me. I faced death every day, but my life was full of meaning. That was the happiest time of my life.”
Rav Weinberg explains. The greatest pleasure a human being can have is the feeling that his or her life has meaning. Our greatest happiness is achieved when we live purpose driven lives.
When the Midrash talks about a Joyful Heart, it refers to a heart full of the knowledge that our actions have immeasurable meaning. The Midrash then teaches us something further. When we are cognizant of the meaning and eternity of our actions, we will make better decisions.
Yes. Reuven acted with good intentions (as the Torah testifies), but had Reuven realized the significance of his actions, and how those actions were going to affect the course of Jewish History for thousands of years, he would have chosen a different path to accomplish the goal of saving Yosef, and, the Midrash teaches, that path would have been more successful.
What do we take away from these verses? Understanding the eternal significance of the mitzvos we do will change our lives. We will be blessed with Joyful Hearts, and, above all, we, with G-d’s help, will merit making the right decisions as we grow in Torah and service of Hashem.
Rabbi Bentzion Turin
