We've been talking about the great bitachon of Yosef HaSadik. How did he get there? Rabbenu Yonah writes in his perush on Mishleh that there's something called bitachon al hapratim, which means you rely on Hashem on every little, small thing. In that way, you will have Hashem on your mind, and you'll grow on Bitachon.
We spoke yesterday about the fact that Yosef’s ability to stay away from his boss's wife came from bitachon, and the opening words of Midrash Tanchuma ( Vayeshev perek ט) say that “He said No to his boss's wife; that's what it means Baruch Hagever Asher Yivtach B’Hashem.” It’s clear that his ability to say no came from his bitachon, it’s almost black on white in the Midrash. The midrash continues and says, “Hashem was with Yosef.”
Where do we see this? Because it says, “His master saw Hashem was with him.” What does that mean, that he saw Hashem was with him? Could Potiphar see God?
It means that, “The name of God did not leave Yosef’s mouth. Lo Zaz M’piv
It was constantly there. He would walk in to serve his master, and whisper, “Master of the universe. You are the One I rely on. You're my Patron. Let me find grace and mercy and favor in Your eyes, and all those that see me, and the eyes of Potiphar, my master.”
So, he was asking Hashem for chen, and Potiphar asked, “What are you whispering? Are you trying to put some incantations on me?”
Yosef said no. He didn’t hide it. He was very open, “I'm praying that I should find favor in your eyes.”
And therefore, whenever he poured something for his master, no matter what drink he poured, it would turn into the specific drink that Potiphar wanted. If he poured water, but Potiphar wanted wine, it became wine. No matter what he poured, it would turn into what Potiphar wanted, because Hashem was there. Why? Because he was constantly whispering and praying, every second of the day.
His master saw this and he gave him all the keys. And that's what it means when Yosef told his boss's wife, “I have everything.” That is the power of Yosef. And where did Yosef get this from? From this ability to keep whispering Hashem's name.
The Yalkut Shemoni in Bamidbar, Perek ז, Remez תשטו also talks about Yosef. And interestingly, it connects his bitachon to his his self control, as we discussed previously.
It says that all people, when they're poor, rely on Hashem, when they’re down and out. But when someone is wealthy, he's reliant on his own wealth, and he has no fear of God anymore. Notice the connection between bitachon and yirah.
When you’re poor, you rely on Hashem. You have fear of God. But when you're wealthy, you rely on your own wealth. You don't have bitachon and you don't have yirah.
Yosef was different. When he was a servant, he feared Hashem. When his boss's wife was trying to seduce him, he said, “How can I do this horrible sin against Hashem? And when he becomes a king, he says, “I'm afraid of God.”
The Midrash is clearly connecting Yosef's Bitachon and his Yirat Shamayim. The Midrash continues and tells us that when the Yosef's boss said, “You're talking to this God? I want to see your God.”
Yosef said, “If you can't see the Sun, who's one of His servants,how you going to see see Him?”
But Hashem said, “Out of respect for you, I'm going to reveal myself to him.” Potiphar saw that Hashem was with Yosef. Hashem actually revealed himself to Potiphar HaRasha in order to back up Yosef's bitachon. Wonder of wonders. And where does it all start from? It all starts from constantly having Hashem on your mouth.
That's the power of Yosef.