When the brothers were setting out with Benyamin to return to Mitzrayim, Yaakov blessed them saying, "Kel Shakkai will be merciful to you" (Bereishit 43:14). Kel Shakkai, the midrash says, means the One Who said to His creation "Dai (Enough), only to this extent shall you expand." "Kel Shakkai will say 'Enough' to my suffering and this will protect you."
To understand this we have to look more closely at why Hashem said "Enough" to the world. Because the world was continuously spreading out from its point of greatest closeness to Hashem, becoming "distant" from the Creator. Hashem's purpose in making this vast expanse was so that the tzaddik could come along later and transform the bitterness of exile to the sweetness of being close, to clarify the truth of Gd's existence in a world of "falseness" and separation.
But the human potential to make these rectifications is limited. Therefore Hashem joined the aspect of mercy to the aspect of judgment, making it possible to overcome the separateness through prayer and supplication without doing the actual rectification through action. This is what it means that He said "Enough," He made the aspect of strict judgment extend only so far.
The final rectification needs to be done through the merciful help of Hashem. Up to this point in Yaakov's life he felt that it was humanly possible to rectify things through his efforts and he did whatever he could according to strict judgment. But now he felt that only prayer could help. That the One who said to His world "Enough" would say "Enough" to Yisrael's suffering and be merciful in order to bring about the redemption through which all would be healed (Sefat Emet 187).
MiKetz
Reb Shlomo Minyan HarNof
(R. Raphael, email: [email protected])
Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him. In Mitzrayim, the place of exile and affliction, everything is hidden, as it says, "Darkness will cover the earth," and darkness is connected to dreams where things are alluded to in a veiled way. Mitzrayim is the place where holiness is hidden and nevertheless Yosef recognized his brothers - but they did not recognize him (Sefat Emet 185).
Yosef had the name "Zefanat (hidden) Pa'anayach (revealer) which Rashi translates as "the one who reveals what is hidden." But if we are precise about it then the name according to Rashi should have been written the other way around.
Yosef ruled over the earth. He was the one who supplied everyone's needs. This is like Shabbat which is the hidden source of blessing for the entire week, as it says, "The gate of the inner courtyard is closed on the six days of the week but opened on Shabbat and on the New Moon." And these aspects of time are also realities of the soul. The twelve tribes of Yisrael parallel the twelve months while the Shabbat parallels Yosef. And the physical and spiritual sustenance that we receive as individuals as well is drawn down through the gate of Shabbat and the New Moon. This is why we pray for sustenance when blessing the new month. But the gate is open on Shabbat as well and yet we don't pray for material or even spiritual sustenance then.
The Shabbat is parallel to Yosef HaTzaddik who is on a level that is higher than the brothers: Thus, "Yosef ruled over the earth," even though he was above the level of revealed blessing when it spreads out below. Yosef supplied the land even though this wasn't seen.
The tribes didn't recognize the power of Yosef because all his power was in hiddenness. And this is hinted at in the pasuk, "The secret of Hashem is for those that fear Him." And after this it writes, "And His covenant with those that know Him." Because the deep knowing of the covenant that connects Klal Yisrael with Hashem is only possible through this aspect of Yosef who remains in hiddenness. And this is what it means that during the six days of the week the gate is closed and on Shabbat, the time of rest, it is open (Sefat Emet 191).
The Mask Of Leadership
Consider how Hashem arranges things�It was through a dream that Yosef was brought down by his brothers and it was through a dream that he was raised over his brothers and the whole world. "Miketz," from the lowest he arose. (Zohar on the parashah)
Concealment (Hashem's running the world through good and evil, reward and punishment), is only the means of arriving at the ultimate revelation. He hides his face in order�to bring things to their greater resolution in unity (Daat Tevunot 71).
Yosef recognized his brothers as soon as he saw them. But he behaved like a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where are you from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan - we came to buy food," they replied. Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. He remembered what he had dreamed about them. "You are spies!" he said to them. "You come to see where the land is exposed so you can attack" (Bereishit 42:7).
Yosef was able to recognize his brothers even after they had been separated for many years. This was because he had continued to recognize them as his brothers - worthy of compassion - even when they threw him into the pit. And he continued to treat them as brothers after he rose to the heights of power in Mitzrayim. For their part, the brothers had judged Yosef harshly in Shechem. Because of their jealousy over his dreams they couldn't perceive who Yosef really was. And because of this they could not conceive that their forsaken brother had become ruler over Mitzrayim.
As viceroy of Mitzrayim Yosef controlled the food reserves of the entire world in a time of famine. He did not use his power in order to subjugate his brothers but in order to bring them to a realization of what they had done when they exiled him from the unity of Israel. Yosef hid behind his authority in order to bring about a greater revelation: "We will see if you are really being truthful. One of you will be held hostage�bring your youngest brother here and your claim will be substantiated." (The brothers spoke among themselves,) "We deserve to be punished for what we did to our brother (Yosef). We saw him suffering when he pleaded with us but we would not listen. That's why this great misfortune has come upon us" (Bereishit 42:20-22).
Modesty, Privacy And Expressing The Gift
"And Yosef told his dream to his brothers and they hated him all the more." From this we learn that a man should not tell his dream save to a friend, otherwise the listener may pervert its significance and cause delay in its fulfillment. Thus, Yosef's dream was not fulfilled for 22 years. ( Zohar 183a)
As a young man, Yosef had blurted out his dreams to his brothers. But in Mitzrayim, where Yosef was confronted with an alien world, he kept the dream inside and learned how to develop within himself. This enabled him to realize the dream in the world, bringing the brothers back together.
"And famine was over the face of the earth and Yosef opened all the store houses and sold grain to the Mitzrayim. And all the earth came into Mitzrayim to Yosef to buy grain�And when Yaakov saw that there was a sale of corn in Mitzrayim he said to his sons�go down there �so we can live and not die". (Bereishit 41:56-42:2) Rashi says that when Yaakov saw there was a sale (shever), it means that Yaakov had a vision that in Mitzrayim there was hope (sever).
In Mitzrayim Yosef found a new way to deal with his dreams and this in turn gave new hope to the vision of Yaakov. Let's call this new way, "privacy in holiness" - communing within ourselves, with our own goodness so that we can develop it in the highest way. Publicizing our talents, our dreams or goals is, in itself, not an accomplishment. On the contrary, to make something of ourselves in the world we have to protect what is good. It is a gift from Hashem and we are its guardian. Our life is the field in which we plant the fragile seeds of the dream. This expression in the world must be shepherded from their point of origin within. The greater the dream, the more that care is required to bring it to fruition.
When Yosef was in Yaakov's house he dreamed the highest dream that was inside of him. But he was not fully developed and lacked a strong foundation until he reached down to the depths of Mitzrayim. There he encountered Paroh's dream. And though it was not the kind of dream that would originate with him, he had learned to find Hashem's will in everything, even the dreams of wicked Paroh. Through its interpretation Yosef turned the power of Mitzrayim on its head, connecting the desire of the lowest, making it serve the highest. This was the test that Yosef was meant to pass, extending his vision through all possible levels.
Dreaming Above Time
There isn't a dream that doesn't have a mixture of true and false. (Zohar 183a) (When Yosef told his dream to Yaakov, that the sun and moon would bow to him, Yaakov thought the dream false because Rachel was no longer living.)
Dreams are a level of prophecy which comes from speech and therefore their interpretation - which is also from speech - determines their effect�The tzaddik who connects the Heavens and the earth by doing Hashem's will, has the ultimate power to have his interpretations fulfilled, for surely Gd fulfills the will of them that fear him. (Zohar 192a)
Paroh said to Yosef, "I have dreamed a dream and none can penetrate to its true meaning. But I have heard that you can give the real interpretation." And Yosef answered Paroh saying, "Not I, Gd will answer and give Paroh peace." Rashi explains that the tzaddik is just a conduit. "Ultimately, the wisdom to interpret dreams comes from Gd. He will inspire me to know the meaning" (Bereishit 41:15-17)
Whereas Yosef was initially a dreamer, he became an interpreter of dreams. Whereas before he stood inside his own dream he learned from exile how to shepherd the dream down into the world. Before, Yosef had taken his own dream, as if it were already a fact. From the harshness of Mitzrayim he came to see clearly that a dream comes from above time, and it is our task to realize it within time. One who deals in dreams has to stand in the in-between. Benefiting from the dream means being able to realize that "world" and "dream" are two separate realms. This means being able to measure the one against the other - the promise of the dream on the one hand and the reality of the present on the other.
Because Yosef had a greater breadth of vision, achieving unity was initially his responsibility. He was the one who has the strength to go through the painful process that would bring the brothers together. Yosef is the leader, the one who must learn to measure and guide. If Yaakov is the fire within, Yosef is the flame - the outer manifestation of the inner vision. He has to carry on the privacy of Yaakov while actively uniting his brothers. Yaakov was the last patriarch and Yosef shares the aspect of leadership in common with him. But he is also one of twelve peers, and must therefore lead in a more active way. We see this development in the way he guides the brothers to where they need to be.
A Different Vision
Yosef accused the brothers of coming "to spy out the weakness of the land." This way of looking in order to overpower and conquer goes to the heart of the brothers' way of dealing with things. If they would have looked at Yosef as their brother, they would seen past their fear and realized that his dream was the continuation of Yaakov Avinu's vision. They could have worked out a way to join themselves to his leadership and stayed together. It would have necessitated a willing submission but it would have accomplished a great tikkun within the family.
Instead, they looked at Yosef's dream as endangering their concept of destiny and confronted it with force. This need to exert power reflects the leadership of Shimon and Levi who had acted in Shechem, wiping out an entire city because of the sins of a few. In so doing, they had gone against the wishes of Yaakov. For Yaakov could see beyond the righteous indignation of the brothers and condemned their anger. This "Shechem attitude" is the reason why it was necessary for Yosef to go into exile from that place.
Reuven acted with the utmost courage in opposing the ruthlessness of Shimon and Levi who were leading the brothers against Yosef. He perceived their intense hatred - how intent they were on killing Yosef. But he persuaded them to leave Yosef in the pit that was full of snakes and scorpions. This is because a righteous man has more of a chance to be saved in such a situation through a miracle than a righteous man left in the hands of his enemies. (Zohar 185a)
Yosef wrestled with the brothers. He stuck with his faith that his dream was from Hashem even when it brought him into dangerous conflict with his brothers. When they decided to leave him in a pit of snakes and scorpions, this was already a concession on their part. They were acknowledging that Yosef might merit to be saved by a miracle and that indeed his dreams were worthy.
The brothers tested Yosef. They stripped him of everything, taking his coat, wresting him from his father's protection. They created a situation where only Hashem could redeem Yosef. In this way they were working a harsh completion of Yosef's vision from their perspective. And when Yosef brought the brothers to teshuvah he was, in turn, completing them.
Nothing requires more privacy than our dreams. People are constantly trying to interpret other people's lives for them whether through news, ads or so-called culture. And yet we are warned that giving misleading advice is one of the cardinal sins for which we ask forgiveness on Yom Kippur. We need to value the depth of our own dream more fully. Then we will appreciate what it means to give others true advice.
At A Glance