Natan (Haftarat Chayei Sarah) vs. Yosef (Parshat Vayeshev-Miketz)

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  • #614271
    northwardb
    Member

    I would be glad if anyone could help me figure out something I have never figured out.

    Haftarat Chayei Sarah (I Melachim 1:1-31) is all about Natan running around mad as a hatter in an effort to foil Adonijah’s attempt to seize power and make sure that he, and not Shlomo, would inherit their father David’s throne. Natan enlists Bath-Sheva’s help & together they get David to make a public pronouncement that Shlomo would succeed him. Now, Natan knew that Hashem wanted Shlomo to be king. He knew that Adonijah would never rule. Yet Natan did not sit back, put him his feet & wait for this to happen. This whole haftara is all about Natan’s histadlut. Chazal commend Natan and do not condemn him for any lack of emunah.

    However, when Yosef asked the butler to remember him, Chazal come down on him & say that for his lack of emunah, he stayed in jail for another 2 years.

    What is the difference between what Natan did & what Yosef did? Why is Natan’s running around seen as praiseworthy histadlut & not a condemnable lack of emunah? Why is Yosef’s asking the butler to remember him seen as a condemnable lack of emunah & not praiseworthy histadlut?

    Nu, what say you (plural)?

    #1042420
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    The difference is between doing hishtadlus for yourself or for someone else (in this case, Someone else).

    #1042421
    ☕️coffee addict
    Participant

    this was asked by yosef “whats wrong with asking” the answer is because he asked twice.

    theres doing histadlus and doing more than necessary, yosef didnt need to ask twice, while nosson had to say everything he said

    #1042422
    northwardb
    Member

    DaasYochid, you mean that Yosef erred by seeking to do hishtadlut for himself whereas Natan did the right thing by his hishtadlut not for himself?

    coffee addict, Yosef was in prison. So he asked twice; how is that so different from asking only once? Why did Natan “have” to say everything he said?

    I thank you both but your answers seem awfully arbitrary. What sources can you cite?

    Thanks!

    #1042423
    catch yourself
    Participant

    I don’t remember offhand where I saw this, but I recall some Meforshim proving from the story of Shlomo, Adoniyah and Nassan (as well as from the story of Miriam waiting to see what would happen to Moshe in the river), that a Navi has a mandate to see to the fruition of his prophecy. Having announced in the name of Hashem that Shlomo would be the next king, Nassan was required to take the necessary steps to ensure that this would in fact happen.

    #1042424
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Northwardb, yes, and it’s something which I think is obvious that we can’t get out of a command from Hashem by saying, “no, You do it”.

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