[Avodah] how to reconcile

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

When I taught Parsha Class @ Mt. Sinai I tuaght this as follows... 
 
I don't read the 2 years as punishment 
At all 
 
A careful read of Rashi says HUZQAQ not punished! Huzqaq because Yad
Hashem had to NOT be diluted with assistance from the sar hamashqim.
 
And So this was really a Teaching a Lesson. That If Yosef had been
released by the sar hamaskim he would have
 
1 been beholding to him 
2 been less beholding to Hashem 
 
So aderabba, Hashem had to force Yosef to show that Yosef was mamash
under Hashem's direct hashgacha only. [BH I don't have to worry! I'm not
on Yosef's madreiga -- so I can accept human help and see it as Hashem
having pity ;-)]
 
Now no one is denying Yosef lost his Freedom, but not as retribution
for a misdeed! Just that the alternative sequence would have created an
undesirable narrative.
 
This parallels and is m'yussad upon Abarbanel on "meshubadim hayyinu
l'far'oh" in the haggadah.
 
 
VIZ. If Par'oh had been a nice guy, a liberal, and HE let us go -- then
we would be m'shubad to him, just as American Slaves became meshubad to
Abe Lincoln! While instead we became Avdei Hashem because par'oh REFUSED
to let us go until he was forced to -- kicking and screaming.
 
So AISI Yosef was not being PUNISHED but instructed. By HKBH 
 
[Unless Jewish guilt impels you to see punishment instead! ;-)] 
 
KT 
RRW 
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