Free Will Against Temptation

וימאן ויאמר הן כו' וכל כו' יש לו נתן בידי כו'.

“And he refused and said: Behold … all … he has placed in my hands …”

The Sefat Emet begins by noting Joseph’s refusal and the rationale he gives, emphasizing that everything has been entrusted to him.

יש ללמוד מזה לדחות היצה"ר ע"י חשבון זה שהי' ביד הקב"ה למחות מלעשות נגד רצונו ית' והוא נתן הבחירה לאדם.

From this we may learn to push away the evil inclination by reflecting that God could have prevented a person from acting against His will, yet He granted humans free choice.

This teaches a method of strengthening oneself: realizing that free will is a divine gift obligates us to use it toward God’s will.

זה עצמו נותן שלא נעבור על רצונו.

This very awareness enables us not to transgress His will.

The Sefat Emet explains that recognizing the gift of free will becomes a source of inner restraint.

ויוסף נראה שאמר זה להוציא גם מלבה כי עליו כתיב וימאן ופי' וימאן שלא היה לו כלל תאוה לזה.

And it seems that Joseph said this also to remove the matter from her heart, for it is written about him “and he refused,” meaning he had no desire for it at all.

Joseph’s words were not excuses; they reflected an inner state of genuine resistance and purity.

שנתגבר לגמרי נגד היצה"ר.

He overcame the evil inclination completely.

Joseph exemplifies total mastery over temptation, not merely restraint.

[וי"ל שע"י המיאון נמצא אח"כ לידע ולראות כי הכל הוא כנ"ל וימאן ויאמר]:

And it may be said that through this refusal he later came to know and see that everything is as stated above — “he refused and said.”

The act of refusing itself opened Joseph to deeper recognition of God’s guidance and the nature of free will.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that Joseph’s refusal embodies the true use of free will — recognizing that God could have denied humans the capacity to sin, yet entrusted them with choice. Joseph models total mastery over the evil inclination, and his act of refusal deepens spiritual awareness.