The Author of Our Lives
Family Edition

The Summary

This is an abridged version of the essay The Author of Our Lives, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2011.

Early in Yosef’s life, almost everything significant that happens to him is done to him. His father loves him above all others. He gives him a stunning cloak. His brothers are envious of him. His father sends him to check on the brothers. A stranger points him in the right direction. The brothers plot to kill him and sell him as a slave. He is taken to Egypt. He is bought as a slave by Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce him, falsely accuses him, and he is sent to prison.

This is extraordinary. Yosef is the centre of attention and yet he is merely the ‘done-to’ rather than the doer, an object of other people’s actions rather than the subject of his own.

Then Yosef begins to act. He runs Potiphar’s household. He organises a prison. He interprets the butler's and baker’s dreams. But each time the Torah states his actions and their success are thanks to God.

Yosef is the figure in Tanach where this is said most clearly, and most often. Even when he resists Potiphar’s wife, it is made clear that God strengthens his resolve. That is why we sit up and take notice when Yosef takes destiny into his own hands at the end of Vayeshev. Hearing the butler’s dream and knowing what it means, he asks him to plead his cause with Paroh and secure his freedom. But “the butler did not remember Yosef. He forgot about him.” The repetition is powerful. He did not remember. He forgot. The one time Yosef tries to change his story, he fails.

Then the key phrase at the very start of Mikketz: “Two full years passed.” Paroh is disturbed by his dreams, and none of his men can interpret them. So Yosef is taken from prison, and asked to interpret them. He does so, he is set free, and given a high position. Yosef planned his release, and he was released, but the way he planned it. His own attempt ended in failure. The steward forgot all about him. But God did not forget about him. God, not Yosef, brought about the sequence of events – specifically Paroh’s dreams – that led to his release.

What we want to happen will not always happen when we expect, or in the way we expect, or merely because we wanted it to happen. God is the co-author of the script of our life, and sometimes He reminds us of this by making us wait and taking us by surprise.

That is the paradox of the human condition in Judaism. On the one hand we are free. Adam and Chava were free not to sin. Kayin was free not to kill Hevel. We might make excuses for our failures, but we are free and we do bear responsibility.

God is intimately involved in our life. With hindsight we often see that a story was taking shape, a destiny slowly emerging, guided in part by events beyond our control. Only in retrospect can we see where events were taking us. Nowhere is this clearer than in the story of Yosef in Bereishit, and nowhere more so than in the sequence of events told at the end of Vayeshev and the beginning of Mikketz. Without Yosef’s acts – his interpretation of the butler’s dream and his plea for freedom – he would not have left prison. But without Divine intervention in the form of Paroh’s dreams, it would also not have happened.

This is the paradoxical interplay of fate and freewill. We and God are co-authors of the human story. Without our efforts, we can achieve nothing. But without God’s help we can achieve nothing either.

Judaism found a simple way of resolving the paradox. For the bad we do, we take responsibility. For the good we achieve, we thank God. Yosef is our mentor. When he tells his brothers of his success, he attributes it to God. That is how we, too, should live.

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There is a delicate balance between human effort and Divine providence and Rabbi Sacks highlights that very clearly in the story of Yosef. Yosef’s life is marked by events beyond his control - his is sold by his brothers, accused by Potiphar’s wife, and ultimately imprisoned. 

Yet, when Yosef does act, the Torah repeatedly attributes his success to God. Then the pivotal moment when Yosef attempts to take control of his fate by asking the chief cup-bearer to plead his case to Paroh, and the cupbearer forgets his promise. Eventually, Paroh’s dreams lead to Yosef’s release, but the timing and circumstances of this are ultimately up to God, not Yosef. 

All this expresses a profound truth taught within Judaism: humans have freewill and must take responsibility for their actions. But ultimately God has a plan and He shapes the outcomes, often in unexpected ways. Our role is to act diligently while trusting in God’s guidance, giving thanks for the good we achieve along the way.

• Consider a time in your life when you feel like you and God worked together to shape an outcome? What helped you keep faith while also maintaining the motivation and responsibilty to act?

Our story begins with Skye, a young girl who loved her dog, Pip. One day Pip ran towards a forest that was known to be full of dangers. Risking it all for her best friend behind, Skye followed. But the forest was dark and cold, and Skye began to panic.

She tripped over a root and fell, when suddenly a gentle glow filled the forest. She looked up and saw a tall figure standing before her. The warm glow gave her courage to rise.

“I’m the Lightkeeper,” said the stranger, smiling. “This forest isn’t endless, but it can feel that way. I’ll light your path, one step at a time.”

The Lightkeeper lifted his hand, and a bright light began to float just ahead of Skye, guiding her forward. “It won’t show you the whole way to your Pip,” he explained, “but trust it. It knows where you need to go.”

Skye followed the light. Along the way, she faced many challenges - a rushing river, a rocky hill, and even a pack of growling wolves. Each time, the light seemed to hover near something helpful: a fallen branch to use as a staff, a high tree to climb for safety, or a hidden bridge over the water. Though she didn’t always understand how or why, the light’s guidance always proved true.

At last, Skye heard Pip’s barks. She reached a clearing and helped Pip out of a tangle of branches that had trapped him. Pip wagged his tail and, as Skye hugged the small dog, the Lightkeeper appeared again. “Thank you so much,” said Skye, “for showing me the way!”

     “Know this,” he replied. “The light will always be there for you. It always has been. Just remember to look ahead, and forever shall you find it.”

The forest seemed far less dark on the way home, and Skye noticed many things she hadn’t before, like the sparks of fireflies, babbling brooks, melodious songbirds. She knew now that although new journeys can be frightening, the way forward is always just one step away.

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This year we will not be reading the regular Haftara for Mikketz on Shabbat, because there is a special Haftara read on Shabbat Chanukah, taken from the Book of Zechariah. 

This year only one Shabbat falls on Chanukah, but some years there are two Shabbatot over the eight days of Chanukah. In such cases, a passage from I Kings 7:40-15 is read on the second Shabbat.

In this week’s edition we will briefly give an outline of the two special Haftarot for Chanukah (even though as second Shabbat Chanukah does not occur this year), and then we will discuss the Haftara read together with the Parsha of Mikketz in rare times when it does not fall on Chanukah.

Shabbat Chanukah (1) Zechariah 2:14-4:7 (we will read this Haftara this week) 

God calls for rejoicing as He promises to dwell among His people, bringing restoration and peace to Jerusalem. The prophet foresees many nations joining the Lord, emphasising a future where God’s presence will unite and protect His people. 

Like Yosef, Zechariah then dreams. He has a vision of the high priest Yehoshua being cleansed of sin, symbolising Israel’s purification and renewal. 

In chapter 4, Zechariah sees a golden lampstand flanked by two olive trees, representing God’s Spirit empowering the leaders, specifically Zerubavel, to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. The key message is that success will come “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6). The passage highlights God’s commitment to restoring Israel, emphasising Divine support, spiritual renewal, and the ultimate triumph of God’s plans through His chosen leaders.

Shabbat Chanukah (2) I Kings 7:40-15 (this Haftara will not be read this year)

The second passage selected for a Chanukah Shabbat Haftara details the completion of the Temple’s furnishings by Hiram, a skilled craftsman from Tyre. Hiram makes intricate bronze vessels, including basins, shovels, and bowls, as well as the ornate bronze pillars, stands pomegranates. These items are crafted with exceptional skill and placed in the Temple courtyard. 

The passage emphasises that all the sacred objects commissioned by King Solomon are made according to God’s specifications, demonstrating the care taken to honour God in the Temple’s construction. Once all the work is completed, Solomon has the gold and silver treasures, originally dedicated by his father David, brought into the Temple. The completion of these elements marks the final preparations for the Temple to become the spiritual centre of Israel, symbolising God’s presence among His people.

Haftara for Mikketz - I Kings 3:15-4:1 

King Solomon (aka Shlomo HaMelech) awakens from a Divine dream in which God has granted him great wisdom. He travels to Jerusalem, stands before the Ark of the Covenant, and offers sacrifices in gratitude. 

Solomon’s wisdom is soon put to the test when he is required to resolve the conflict between two women each claiming to be the mother of the same baby. The women both have good cases and this long before the days of DNA tests. And so Solomon proposes what is now a famous judgment - he rules that the fairest way forward will be to divide the living child in two, so that each woman will be able to keep an equal half of a child. Only one woman declares that she would rather lose her child to the other woman than see him harmed. Solomon then declares that her response has proven that she is the child’s true mother.

This case - and his reaction to it - solidifies Solomon’s reputation to all of Israel. At the end of the Haftara, Solomon’s rule over Israel is firmly established. The passage highlights his God-given wisdom, which brings justice and strengthens his authority as king, setting the stage for a prosperous reign.

• Of all the gifts God could have given Shlomo, why do you think wisdom was the one bestowed upon him? 

There is a clear connection between the Parsha and Haftara this week. The link? Dreams! 

Bereishit 41:7 tells us “and Paroh awoke, and behold it was a dream.” In I Melachim 3:15, we are told, “And Shlomo awoke, and behold it was a dream.” 

Despite both dreams being dreamed by Kings, their responses are very different. Paroh wakes up feeling confused and troubled. As a result, he seeks the advice of his advisors and magicians, and when none of them can interpret them, he takes the unusual step of inviting a hebrew prisoner to stand before him and hear his dreams. 

In contrast to this, King Shlomo takes his dream as a call to action, and once he awakens he goes to Jerusalem, offers sacrifices, and makes a feast for his servants. 

When thinking about dreams, Rabbi Sacks wrote, “Never be afraid to let your imagination soar. When people come to me for advice about leadership, I tell them to give themselves the time and space and imagination to dream. In dreams we discover our passion, and following our passion is the best way to live a rewarding life.” Perhaps this highlights the different responses of Paroh and Shlomo Hamelech to their dreams.

Rabbi Sacks wrote about the three qualities of Yosef, “Dream dreams; understand and articulate the dreams of others; and find ways of turning a dream into a reality – these three gifts are leadership, the Yosef way.” 

• How can you understand the dreams of others?

The Book of Zechariah is a blend of visions, oracles, and messages of hope. It is set during the period of Israel’s return from Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Temple. The first part (chapters 1-8) contains a series of eight night visions, representing God’s promise to restore Jerusalem, punish Israel’s enemies, and cleanse the land of sin. Key themes include the high priest Yehoshua’s purification and the vision of a golden lampstand representing God’s continuous presence. 

The latter part of this book (chapters 9-14) shifts to future prophecies concerning the Messianic age. Zechariah predicts the coming of a humble king, often interpreted as a foreshadowing of Mashiach. The book emphasises themes of repentance, Divine protection, and ultimate victory for God’s people. It concludes with visions of the end of times, where God will triumph over all nations and establishing His reign over the entire world for evermore.

• What's the difference between dreams and prophecies?