Rashi explains that since Yosef put his trust in the butler, he was punished by being confined for two extra years. Rabeinu Bachya explains that undoubtedly, Yosef was a righteous baal bitachon (one who puts his complete trust in Hashem). Despite this characterization, he was punished with additional incarceration because Hashem is especially strict in appraising the actions of tzaddikim. Superficially, this indicates that true “bitachon” (trust) consists of doing absolutely nothing. Apparently Yosef should not have made any active attempt to gain release from prison. This would suggest that hishtadlus (exerting any effort) contradicts the concept of “bitachon”. Throughout…
