אין לך אדם שאין לו שעה

A final point from Parshat ויחי: It is interesting how things have a way of changing. When Yosef’s brothers came down to Egypt, they were in a state of dependence on Yosef.

He comforted his brothers by telling them that it was part of Hashem’s plan that they go down to Egypt and be sustained there.

Yosef lived up to his part of the bargain and took care of his family until close to his death.

However, the tables suddenly were turned at this time. Now Yosef needed his brothers to promise that they will take care of his burial in Eretz Yisrael. All of the power and prestige that Yosef achieved in Egypt could not guarantee that this desire of his would be fulfilled.

The message here is very powerful. Chazal tell us that we need to be respectful of every individual because אין לך אדם שאין לו שעה, for every person has his time. We never know when we might need someone. Therefore, being kind and respectful is always the correct path to take. One minute a person could be up, and the next minute, down.

Still another relevant life’s lesson learned from our holy Torah.