And according to Jewish tradition, his extended stay behind bars had a very specific reason.

We all know the story: Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises in power in Egypt, only to be falsely accused and thrown into prison. While there, he interprets the dreams of two fellow prisoners, the royal butler and the baker. Joseph correctly predicts the butler's release and restoration to Pharaoh's service, and naturally, he asks the butler, "Hey, when you're back in Pharaoh's good graces, remember me! Mention me to him, so I can get out of here!"

You'd think that would be the end of the story, right? Joseph's dream-interpreting skills get him out of jail. But no. He languishes in prison for two more years. Two. More. Years. What gives?

According to Legends of the Jews, Joseph should have been released the very day the butler was freed! He had already served ten years, making amends, in a way, for the lashon hara (evil speech) he had committed when he told his father about his brothers' misdeeds. So why the delay?

The answer, in the eyes of the Rabbis, is a powerful lesson about trust. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord," goes the verse (Psalm 40:4). Joseph, in that moment, put his faith in the butler, in "flesh and blood," instead of solely in God. He asked the butler for help, and that, it seems, was his mistake.

Now, it's not like Joseph was wrong to ask for help. But the tradition emphasizes the importance of placing our ultimate trust in the Divine. As Ginzberg retells it in Legends of the Jews, Joseph's reliance on a human intermediary delayed his freedom.

The Midrash elaborates on just how this happened. The butler didn't forget Joseph intentionally. The Zohar tells us that God orchestrated the butler's memory lapse. Whenever the butler tried to remind himself – "If this happens, I'll remember Joseph" – the situation would reverse. Or, if he tied a knot in his garment as a reminder, an angel would come and untie it! It was all part of a divine plan to teach Joseph—and us—a valuable lesson.

It’s a reminder that while human help is valuable, our ultimate reliance should be on something bigger than ourselves. Sometimes, the delays and setbacks we face aren't random misfortunes, but opportunities to deepen our faith and redirect our trust. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How often do we place our hopes in the fleeting promises of the world, when a deeper source of strength is always available? Maybe Joseph's extra two years were precisely what he needed to learn that lesson, and for us to learn it too.