Yosef was appointed to the position of second in command of Egypt by Pharaoh, specifically to oversee food storage and distribution during the years of famine. As it states in this week’s Torah portion of Miketz, “Now Yosef, he was the viceroy over the land, he was the provider to all the people of the land” (Breishis 42:6).
The Pirkei DiRebbe Eliezer (perek 39 with the Be’ur Maspik) says that the angel Gavriel taught Yosef all the seventy languages of the world so when people of many languages came with their taxes and gifts to buy provisions, Yosef would speak to ever single person in their own language. For this reason, he was called The Translator. Some people came to buy provisions to stave off the starvation of their household, others came to buy food for themselves, and they would each ask the other how much they were sold the food for. So, when they came to Yosef, he would say that whatever amount you heard, that is the price, to ensure that he would not sell it for less. The Pirkei DiRebbe Eliezer concludes that from here we see that whoever sells merchandise for less than its market value will never find blessing. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Toaliyos HaRalbag learns from the above pasuk that one should not be lackadaisical in upholding what he was appointed to do, and to not leave what he was instructed and expected to observe up to someone else, simply because of the high position and power he was given by the ruler. For if he does, then he will be delivering acts of evil in place of good. Rather, one should put in extra effort to fulfill what he was appointed to do, as much as possible. This means taking into consideration the right thing to do and acting in a manner in which you are not withholding any good that could be given. For this reason we see that Yosef, though he was the ruler over the entire country, decided to himself provide the provisions to each individual. This was to ensured that what he was appointed to do would be fulfilled to the best of his ability in the best manner possible, and to guarantee that he didn’t let his control and power prevent him from observing his duties. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
Yosef was a highly talented individual, proficient in all languages, a dream interpreter, and a skilled and shrewd businessman. He understood economics quite well and knew exactly how to take care of both Egypt and the world during these years of great depression and famine. He had to have delegated jobs and responsibilities to people throughout the kingdom to build the storehouses and organize the collection of food in the years of plenty to ensure an ample amount of food for everyone during the famine. There would have been no choice but to delegate, because it is not a one-man job. But why did he put himself in the position of being the seller and cashier of all the goods, to deal with every single person, from all walks of life, to provide them directly with their needs? Couldn’t he have hired a layman, maybe even a few interpreters, to do such a menial job? He could have just stayed in the palace and delegated authority to others, sitting around advising Pharaoh or discussing economic issues, within the comforts of royalty instead of standing behind the counter and shmuzing with the common folk. So why didn’t he?!
The answer the Ralbag gives is simple in that, that is not what he was hired to do, exactly. He was expected to take care of the country in the best way possible, and delegating responsibilities and sitting back in the palace would not have been putting his full efforts and potential into the position he was given. The Ralbag adds that it would be an act of evil not good to simply delegate. This sounds even worse than being an ingrate, (כפוי טוב), the opposite of being grateful (הכרת הטוב), because not being grateful is just not showing a feeling of gratitude. But in this case, completely delegating and not being actively involved would be proactively not acceptable and an act of not doing what is good for those who hired him. (Note: It’s debatable whether the ultimate authority, like a king or president, should be put on a much higher pedestal and stay on the side lines because of his high-level status. But that can be questioned to an extent as well, because we find all over Tanach where the king or leader of the people went out to war with the army, and personally led them in battle.)
What we see from here is that when a person is hired to be a leader he is expected to do everything he can to get the job done in the best possible way, and only delegate when needed. But if not needed, then he has to be ready and willing to do even the menial work with all his heart and energy.