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    16 Dec MIKETZ: THE SAR HAMASHKIM’S REWARD FOR CONFESSING

    Posted at 15:11h in by
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    Pharaoh had
    troubling dreams.
    None of his sorcerers
    or dream interpreters
    could satisfactorily
    explain them.
    Finally, the Sar
    HaMashkim (wine
    butler), who had been released from
    prison a couple of years prior, popped up
    and told Pharaoh “Es chata’ai ani mazkir
    hayom” (“I remember my iniquity this
    day…”) He related the story of how he
    and the royal baker had been thrown into
    prison, and how they each had dreams
    that were interpreted by a Hebrew lad in
    prison. Yosef’s interpretations came true
    100%. Pharaoh summoned Yosef from
    prison and gave him a shot at interpreting
    the dreams.
    The precise translation of the words “Es
    chata’ai ani mazkir hayom” is actually
    not “I remember my iniquity this day”
    because the word chata’ai is plural! The
    correct translation is: I remember my
    iniquities today. Now, according to the
    well know Medrash, this Sar HaMashkim
    had but a single aveira – namely serving
    to Pharaoh a wine goblet, into which a fly
    had fallen. What then is the implication
    of the plural chata’ai?
    The Alshich shares a very interesting
    idea: This Sar HaMashkim, as despicable
    of a character as he may have been, will
    go down in history as having a tremendous
    zechus —because of him, Yosef was
    released from prison. People received
    great reward for a lot less throughout
    Tanach. We have a principle that zechus
    comes to those who merit it (Megalgelim
    zechus al yedei zakai). What prior zechus
    allowed the Sar HaMashkim to gain the
    additional zechus of being the one to free
    Yosef from prison?
    The Alschich quotes the Riva that the
    “two aveiros” mentioned by the Sar
    HaMashkim were (1) the incident of the
    fly falling into the royal goblet and (2)
    that it took two years for him to remember
    the fact that Yosef asked him to mention
    his plight to Pharaoh. The Alshich writes
    it was for the sense of guilt that he felt for
    his negligence in not mentioning Yosef to
    Pharaoh for two years after his own
    release that the Sar HaMashkim was
    rewarded by being able to be the enabler

    for Yosef getting out of prison.
    The pasuk in Mishlei states: “He who
    covers his sins will not succeed, but one
    who confesses and abandons them will
    receive mercy (fromHashem).” (Mishlei

    28:13) The Sar HaMashkim was
    rewarded for his sense of submission and
    his confession to Pharaoh of this dual
    negligence, and in that zechus, he was the
    enabler who was able to cause Yosef to
    be released from prison.