There's a Yiddish expression my mother loved to remind us as children: mensch tracht un Gtt lacht, “People plan, and Gd laughs.”
I thought about that a lot this week. Especially on Wednesday night.
If you were at our Annual Campaign Kickoff, you know what I'm talking about. We did our homework. We checked reviews. We vetted the comedian thoroughly. And somehow, we still ended up with an evening that was... let's call it “unexpectedly educational in the art of gracious audience behavior.”
We planned. Gd laughed. (BUT, unfortunately, our audience didn't.)
Which brings me to this week's Torah portion, Vayeshev, a parashah that might as well be titled “When Everything Goes Wrong Despite Your Best Efforts.”
Consider Joseph's trajectory: He's his father’s favorite, blessed with prophetic dreams and a fabulous custom-made coat. Seems like a solid plan for success, right? Instead, his brothers throw him in a pit and sell him into slavery.
But Joseph adapts. He works hard, earns trust, rises to run Potiphar’s household. New plan, fresh start! Until Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses him, and he ends up in prison.
Still, Joseph perseveres. He interprets dreams for fellow prisoners, helps the cupbearer, and asks only to be remembered when the man returns to Pharaoh’s service. Surely THIS plan will work!
The cupbearer forgets him… For two years!
Here’s what strikes me: Joseph does everything right. He’s diligent, talented, righteous, and prepared. And yet, again and again, circumstances beyond his control derail his plans. The text doesn’t blame Joseph for any of it, these are failures of systems, of other people, of timing, of life being life.
Sound familiar?
We live in a world that worships preparation and competence. Do your due diligence, check every box, and success is guaranteed, right? But Torah teaches us something different: You can do everything right and still end up in a pit. Or in Potiphar’s prison. Or with a comedian who bombs.
The question isn’t whether our plans will sometimes fail, they will! The question is: what do we do next?
Joseph doesn’t give up. He doesn’t blame himself for things beyond his control. He stays true to his values, maintains his integrity, and remains open to what comes next. And eventually (spoiler alert for next week's portion) all those “failures” become the path to him saving nations from famine.
Wednesday night wasn’t our finest hour. But you know what was? The way our community responded. You stayed. You were kind. You showed up for each other. That's the real story.
Mensch tracht un Gtt lacht, yes, Gd laughs at our plans. But maybe the laughter isn’t mocking. Maybe it’s the affectionate chuckle of a parent watching a child learn that perfection isn’t the goal. Resilience is. Community is. Showing up again, even after the pit, the prison, or the painful comedy set.
This Shabbat, as we read about Joseph’s journey through failure after failure, let’s remember: We're in good company. Our tradition is built not on people who never failed, but on people who failed, learned, adapted, and tried again.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll all laugh about Wednesday night someday… maybe? Because we are Stronger Together!
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