The Ways of G-D and Man

Scripture says, “Thus Joseph reassured them, speaking kindly to them,” indicating that these were words of consolation and peace and that they should not be looked at too closely or used to draw conclusions regarding divine providence and its relationship to human actions and free will. This, indeed, is the way of Scripture in general, to speak of matters of faith in statements which accord with the dictates of the moment and the nature of the audience, rather than setting out philosophic axioms. Nevertheless, we ought to take a closer look at the ways of G-d and Man as implied in Joseph’s statement, without getting into the nitty-gritty of medieval philosophical formulations.