Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, was once offered a blessing by his grandfather, the movement’s founder. Rabbi Schneur Zalman wished to bless his grandson with the gift of a deep understanding of Torah.
The young man declined the offer, saying that he preferred to achieve Torah knowledge through toil. After all, he reasoned, the goal of Torah is not simply to acquire knowledge, but to foster our relationship with its Author. And for this, great effort is required.
The Tzemach Tzedek, as he was later known, came to regret that decision. Whatever levels of Torah perception he could have received as a gift from his grandfather, there would always be loftier levels that he could accomplish through hard work.
***
In this week’s parsha Vayigash, Yoseph implements the delivery of produce to the inhabitants of Egypt during the years of famine. In return, he acquired virtually all the lands as property of the state. Yoseph then supplied the people with seeds to grow the land once the famine ended.
Although Yoseph could have provided everything, he only supplied the seeds. And although he could have told them to find their own seeds, he readily offered them seeds.
Yoseph is regarded as a great Tzaddik, retaining his righteous status while serving in the upper echelons of power and society. His purveyance of sustenance is symbolic of a Tzaddik’s providing for the spiritual welfare of his people.
And herein lies the Torah’s deeper message.
Yoseph provided the seed but the people did the work of planting and harvesting. So, too, when we receive spiritual sustenance from the "Yoseph" of our generation, its spiritual leaders, we must not be satisfied with our own survival; we must plant these spiritual seeds and actualize their potential.
We may only be midgets, but we stand on the shoulders of giants. As such, we have been blessed with tremendous opportunity. But, it’s our effort that will clinch the deal and bring Moshiach!