Chasidut su Genesi 42:63

And you give life to them all (Nehemiah 9:6), you contract, as if it were possible, down to the lowest levels; and a portion of Divinity from above is placed within the darkness of materiality. For the whole essence of the intention is so that the lowest levels can rise above and have the advantage of light over darkness (Ecclesiastes 2:13). And this is the meaning of Joseph’s descent to Egypt, the lowest levels, “the ocean strait;” for through this enjoyment is increased as is written, the advantage of light, that enjoyment advances when it is lifted over darkness, and therefore he is called Joseph, connoting addition [tosefet]. And that is [the meaning of the verse (Gen. 42:1)] when Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] — connoting breakage [shvirah], which are the degenerations of Heavenly Wisdom, Torah that has fallen and broken; all that descends from its level is called “broken.” In Egypt, in the ocean strait: for he saw there degenerations of Torah that fell there and needed to be clarified and elevated. And he said, Go down there (Gen. 42:2) to elevate and descend to bring [them] to the life-force of the root and the self. And that is the meaning of Joseph died (Gen. 50:26), for the fact that the Torah descended until the final level is called “death,” for whatever descends from its level is called “death” (Zohar 3:135b). And they embalmed him (Gen. 50:26): for the Torah is called “Tree of Life,” and with trees we go according to the ripening of fruit, which is to say even though he descended to the final level he bore fruit. And he was put in a coffin (Gen. 50:26), as in the statement [of our Sages] of Blessed Memory, “The Tablets and the Broken Tablets were placed in the ark” (Bava Batra 14b): even the degenerations have elevation to be in the ark just like the Tablets, which are the Torah itself. And we will return to the matter at hand: since in every thing it is the Torah that gives that thing life, one should not look at any thing in its materiality, only at the internality of the thing in the secret of The wise person has his eyes in his head (Ecclesiastes 2:14); and in the Zohar they said, “And where else should a person’s eyes be? Rather, a wise person gazes to see who stands above his head” (Zohar 3:187a), which is to say that in every thing he should gaze toward the beginning of that thing: from where it evolved and who is that thing’s root.

And you give life to them all (Nehemiah 9:6), you contract, as if it were possible, down to the lowest levels; and a portion of Divinity from above is placed within the darkness of materiality. For the whole essence of the intention is so that the lowest levels can rise above and have the advantage of light over darkness (Ecclesiastes 2:13). And this is the meaning of Joseph’s descent to Egypt, the lowest levels, “the ocean strait;” for through this enjoyment is increased as is written, the advantage of light, that enjoyment advances when it is lifted over darkness, and therefore he is called Joseph, connoting addition [tosefet]. And that is [the meaning of the verse (Gen. 42:1)] when Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] — connoting breakage [shvirah], which are the degenerations of Heavenly Wisdom, Torah that has fallen and broken; all that descends from its level is called “broken.” In Egypt, in the ocean strait: for he saw there degenerations of Torah that fell there and needed to be clarified and elevated. And he said, Go down there (Gen. 42:2) to elevate and descend to bring [them] to the life-force of the root and the self. And that is the meaning of Joseph died (Gen. 50:26), for the fact that the Torah descended until the final level is called “death,” for whatever descends from its level is called “death” (Zohar 3:135b). And they embalmed him (Gen. 50:26): for the Torah is called “Tree of Life,” and with trees we go according to the ripening of fruit, which is to say even though he descended to the final level he bore fruit. And he was put in a coffin (Gen. 50:26), as in the statement [of our Sages] of Blessed Memory, “The Tablets and the Broken Tablets were placed in the ark” (Bava Batra 14b): even the degenerations have elevation to be in the ark just like the Tablets, which are the Torah itself. And we will return to the matter at hand: since in every thing it is the Torah that gives that thing life, one should not look at any thing in its materiality, only at the internality of the thing in the secret of The wise person has his eyes in his head (Ecclesiastes 2:14); and in the Zohar they said, “And where else should a person’s eyes be? Rather, a wise person gazes to see who stands above his head” (Zohar 3:187a), which is to say that in every thing he should gaze toward the beginning of that thing: from where it evolved and who is that thing’s root.

Now, it is known that there is a world of pleasure, the world of Understanding; and when one speaks the speakings with joy and passion, with Love and Reverence, the pleasure comes to him afterward. For at the beginning he must exert himself in Service, which is his arousal and longing; and this is called “the World to Come,” which is to say that it comes always at the time of Service, whereas the future world is called “the Coming Future” in the Talmud. And “listening” connotes understanding as in the verse, that Joseph understood (Gen. 42:23); for without their needing to exert beforehand, it would not be considered Service, but merely a desire like any desire.

Genesis 42,6. “and Joseph was the effective ruler of the ‎land; he was the one in charge of grain sales to the whole ‎nation.” The expression ‎עם הארץ‎ in this verse is meant to ‎contrast with ‎עם ה'‏‎, “the Lord’s people.” The latter, whenever ‎used in the Bible, refers to the pious people, the righteous people. ‎The former are the ones whose entire orientation in life revolves ‎around earthly concerns, an attitude that ought to be drastically ‎changed, broken down. This is why Joseph is described as ‎possessing the attribute, i.e. ‎משביר‎, that is capable of bringing ‎about a re-orientation in the average Egyptian’s order of ‎priorities. If the provision of ‎שבר‎, “life-sustaining rations” is ‎understood in this sense, then one can understand that the ‎Egyptians thanks to Joseph’s selfless concern with the welfare of ‎the whole nation could produce a religious reorientation of the ‎whole population.
‎[It is difficult for people living in a democracy where ‎the so called ruler is not given more than a maximum of 8 years ‎of continuous rule, that Joseph who did not once have to worry ‎about being re-elected in a rule spanning 80 uninterrupted years, ‎could concentrate all his talents on the task of improving the ‎population’s well being. Ed.]

Genesis 42,5-6. “Joseph’s brothers arrived (in Egypt) ‎and bowed down, and prostrated themselves to him.” ‎‎(The ruler in charge of grain sales) ‎וירא יוסף את אחיו ויכירם ‏ויתנכר אליהם‎, “When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized ‎them and he acted as if he was a stranger to them.” We need ‎to understand what the Torah intended to teach us by writing ‎that Joseph acted as a stranger to them, when this would have ‎become apparent as soon as we read about their dialogue.‎
I believe the line is introduced by the Torah to teach us that ‎the Torah considers Joseph’s conduct at this time as justified. ‎Joseph’s dream had shown him that his brothers would at one ‎stage prostrate themselves before him. (Genesis 37,7) His brothers ‎had opposed the idea that he would become king, ruling over ‎them. It is the way of the world that if someone has been ‎vanquished in a battle or duel, that if he knows who the victor is, ‎he will aim to take revenge sooner or later. If the vanquished ‎person does not know who has defeated him, his embarrassment ‎and desire for revenge will be far less, as other people presumably ‎are also unaware of his having been the loser in a conflict. In our ‎story, Joseph had become the victor; now that his dream had ‎been fulfilled and his brothers had prostrated themselves before ‎him this was all that concerned him, as he no longer felt that his ‎brothers’ accusations that he was an egomaniac, were true. Had ‎the brothers been able to, they would have made every effort to ‎prevent Joseph’s dream from becoming fulfilled. They would have ‎harboured ill will against him as soon as they had realized that his ‎dream had come true, just as they had imagined him as hoping ‎that it would. Therefore, Joseph contented himself with the ‎knowledge that his dream had indeed been fulfilled, making sure ‎that this would not have been at the expense of his brothers ‎becoming upset about this and probably hostile towards him. He ‎therefore acted in a manner that would convince the brothers ‎that the person before whom they had prostrated themselves had ‎not been their long lost brother. Seeing that the person before ‎whom the brothers prostrated themselves was a duly appointed ‎king, -not even one who had come to the throne by revolution- ‎they did not mind having to prostrate themselves before a king ‎such as he, especially as he volunteered- against payment of ‎course- to save them from total economic ruin. Joseph on his part ‎did all that he could to not let the brothers feel that he had ‎bested them. When the Torah describes the sequence of this ‎encounter with the words: “they prostrated themselves and he ‎recognized them, etc.,” this is to hint that it now dawned on ‎Joseph that just as he had recognized them, they might recognize ‎him; in order to avoid their becoming embarrassed he then ‎devised a scheme to disguise himself in every way possible so that ‎they did not recognize him. The Torah reports this to show that ‎his disguise worked.‎
It is also possible to see in the sequence of these verses an ‎explanation why during all these years (22) Joseph had never sent ‎a message to his father showing that he was alive and even ‎prosperous. He knew that his dreams would become true ‎prophetic visions and that that as a result of this his brothers ‎would become deeply saddened and frustrated. Once his father ‎would have been informed of his being alive and well, this would ‎become known to the brothers even if their father did not tell ‎them outright. Yaakov’s whole bearing would change from that ‎of a father grieving for a lost son, and the brothers would notice ‎this.‎

Genesis 42,5-6. “Joseph’s brothers arrived (in Egypt) ‎and bowed down, and prostrated themselves to him.” ‎‎(The ruler in charge of grain sales) ‎וירא יוסף את אחיו ויכירם ‏ויתנכר אליהם‎, “When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized ‎them and he acted as if he was a stranger to them.” We need ‎to understand what the Torah intended to teach us by writing ‎that Joseph acted as a stranger to them, when this would have ‎become apparent as soon as we read about their dialogue.‎
I believe the line is introduced by the Torah to teach us that ‎the Torah considers Joseph’s conduct at this time as justified. ‎Joseph’s dream had shown him that his brothers would at one ‎stage prostrate themselves before him. (Genesis 37,7) His brothers ‎had opposed the idea that he would become king, ruling over ‎them. It is the way of the world that if someone has been ‎vanquished in a battle or duel, that if he knows who the victor is, ‎he will aim to take revenge sooner or later. If the vanquished ‎person does not know who has defeated him, his embarrassment ‎and desire for revenge will be far less, as other people presumably ‎are also unaware of his having been the loser in a conflict. In our ‎story, Joseph had become the victor; now that his dream had ‎been fulfilled and his brothers had prostrated themselves before ‎him this was all that concerned him, as he no longer felt that his ‎brothers’ accusations that he was an egomaniac, were true. Had ‎the brothers been able to, they would have made every effort to ‎prevent Joseph’s dream from becoming fulfilled. They would have ‎harboured ill will against him as soon as they had realized that his ‎dream had come true, just as they had imagined him as hoping ‎that it would. Therefore, Joseph contented himself with the ‎knowledge that his dream had indeed been fulfilled, making sure ‎that this would not have been at the expense of his brothers ‎becoming upset about this and probably hostile towards him. He ‎therefore acted in a manner that would convince the brothers ‎that the person before whom they had prostrated themselves had ‎not been their long lost brother. Seeing that the person before ‎whom the brothers prostrated themselves was a duly appointed ‎king, -not even one who had come to the throne by revolution- ‎they did not mind having to prostrate themselves before a king ‎such as he, especially as he volunteered- against payment of ‎course- to save them from total economic ruin. Joseph on his part ‎did all that he could to not let the brothers feel that he had ‎bested them. When the Torah describes the sequence of this ‎encounter with the words: “they prostrated themselves and he ‎recognized them, etc.,” this is to hint that it now dawned on ‎Joseph that just as he had recognized them, they might recognize ‎him; in order to avoid their becoming embarrassed he then ‎devised a scheme to disguise himself in every way possible so that ‎they did not recognize him. The Torah reports this to show that ‎his disguise worked.‎
It is also possible to see in the sequence of these verses an ‎explanation why during all these years (22) Joseph had never sent ‎a message to his father showing that he was alive and even ‎prosperous. He knew that his dreams would become true ‎prophetic visions and that that as a result of this his brothers ‎would become deeply saddened and frustrated. Once his father ‎would have been informed of his being alive and well, this would ‎become known to the brothers even if their father did not tell ‎them outright. Yaakov’s whole bearing would change from that ‎of a father grieving for a lost son, and the brothers would notice ‎this.‎

Genesis 42,12. “he said to them: ‘no but you have come ‎to reveal the weak (exposed) parts of the land.’” ‎‎[In order to understand what follows, the reader must ‎first refer to the concept of the “fallen sparks of the Shechinah” ‎discussed on page 21. Ed.] Joseph, i.e. the ruler of Egypt, ‎aware that if the brothers had intended to elevate him spiritually, ‎they themselves would look very bad by comparison to him ‎seeing that they had been guilty of selling their own brother into ‎slavery, added the adjective ‎ערוה‎, “the shameful aspects of the ‎land of Egypt,” instead of merely saying: “you have come to spy ‎out the land.” This would make even his spiritual elevation more ‎problematic. [The words ‎ערוה‎ and ‎ערלה‎ are closely related, ‎as before the circumcision which enables the body to attain a ‎degree of holiness, the male Jewish body is defined as ‎ערלה‎, ‎‎“totally foreskin,” always seen as a something despicable. ‎Ed.] According to our author, the brothers told the “King ‎of Egypt,” that if he thought that they were able to bring about ‎his spiritual elevation at this stage he was sadly mistaken, as it ‎required the presence of all twelve brothers, as their ‎youngest brother was still in the land of Canaan. They added that ‎even if the youngest brother were to be here, seeing that one of ‎their number had been missing for a long time they would not ‎possess that power until he too were here. [What might ‎have prompted the brothers to think in these terms may have ‎been that they had heard of how this ruler of Egypt had ‎miraculously risen to power, having no former claim to fame. ‎They saw in this an act of G’d, possibly preparatory to this ruler’s ‎achieving further greatness if assisted by the sons of Yaakov. ‎Ed.] This approach sounds more plausible when we ‎consider a statement of our sages that during the 22 years that ‎Yaakov and Joseph were separated, Yaakov never experienced the ‎presence of holy spirit. (Aggadat B’reshit 69) As long as such ‎holy spirit did not rest on one of their number, their power as ‎intermediaries to the celestial domain was blocked. They indicated ‎that as soon as it would be G’d’s will to remedy this temporary ‎‎“spiritual blackout,” they could be of assistance to what they ‎perceived to be the ruler’s desire. [I have “fleshed out”, ‎what the author barely hints at. Ed.]‎

Genesis 42,18. “on the third day Joseph said to them: ‎‎‘do this and live, seeing that I am G’d fearing. If you are ‎truthful, one of your brothers will be kept captive, etc.” ‎The position of the words: ‎את האלוקים אני ירא‎ in this verse is ‎puzzling. We would have expected it at the beginning of the ‎verse. Furthermore, the words: ‎ויעשו כן‎, “the brothers did so,” ‎is strange, as it gives the impression that the brothers ‎immediately brought Binyamin to Egypt, something that is ‎impossible. The brothers not only first had to return to their ‎father’s house in Canaan, but, as the Torah testified they ‎procrastinated until they ran short of food before their father ‎agreed to let Binyamin travel with them. (Genesis 43,13) Perhaps ‎the lesson Joseph wanted to teach the brothers was that if one ‎determines to do G’d’s will, this will be accounted as if one had ‎already done so, when the circumstances make immediate ‎execution of the task at hand impossible. Joseph told the brothers ‎that their lives would be secure once they had made up their ‎minds to carry out his demand. The Torah confirms this by ‎describing the brothers as if they had immediately brought ‎Binyamin to Egypt. Joseph was at pains to demonstrate to the ‎brothers that his insistence that Binyamin come to Egypt was not ‎based on distrust or ill will toward them. When they found ‎themselves in jail they realized this and did not blame Joseph for ‎this but themselves, when they said: “but we are guilty, ‎etc.”(Gen. 42,21). They accepted his statement that he was a G’d ‎fearing individual, whereas they had brought their troubles upon ‎themselves. ‎

Genesis 42,18. “on the third day Joseph said to them: ‎‎‘do this and live, seeing that I am G’d fearing. If you are ‎truthful, one of your brothers will be kept captive, etc.” ‎The position of the words: ‎את האלוקים אני ירא‎ in this verse is ‎puzzling. We would have expected it at the beginning of the ‎verse. Furthermore, the words: ‎ויעשו כן‎, “the brothers did so,” ‎is strange, as it gives the impression that the brothers ‎immediately brought Binyamin to Egypt, something that is ‎impossible. The brothers not only first had to return to their ‎father’s house in Canaan, but, as the Torah testified they ‎procrastinated until they ran short of food before their father ‎agreed to let Binyamin travel with them. (Genesis 43,13) Perhaps ‎the lesson Joseph wanted to teach the brothers was that if one ‎determines to do G’d’s will, this will be accounted as if one had ‎already done so, when the circumstances make immediate ‎execution of the task at hand impossible. Joseph told the brothers ‎that their lives would be secure once they had made up their ‎minds to carry out his demand. The Torah confirms this by ‎describing the brothers as if they had immediately brought ‎Binyamin to Egypt. Joseph was at pains to demonstrate to the ‎brothers that his insistence that Binyamin come to Egypt was not ‎based on distrust or ill will toward them. When they found ‎themselves in jail they realized this and did not blame Joseph for ‎this but themselves, when they said: “but we are guilty, ‎etc.”(Gen. 42,21). They accepted his statement that he was a G’d ‎fearing individual, whereas they had brought their troubles upon ‎themselves. ‎

And now, for the sake of our brothers and friends, who tremble at the word of God, seeking the Torah and loving its wisdom, I will now say, “Peace unto the lovers of God’s Torah!” Come, House of Yaakov, and you will walk in the light of God,⁴⁸¹Yeshayahu, 2:5. may God be with us as He was with our forefathers, He shall not forsake us and He shall not forget us.⁴⁸²Melachim 1, 8:57 He shall forever lead us by peaceful waters, our rest shall be in our very progression from strength to strength, to ascend the ladder fixed in the ground which rises to Heaven! As for our revilers, who ask why we bother to invest so much contemplation into the Torah until our strength is exhausted? Who claim that the simple explanations of the written and oral Torah is enough. To them, I will offer noble words⁴⁸³See Mishlei, 8:6. which draw the heart of man. Come and consider, see and behold! Taste and see that God is good⁴⁸⁴Tehillim, 34:9 to those who yearn for their souls to be restored by His perfect Torah.⁴⁸⁵See Tehillim, 19:8. Those who contemplate it in the depths of their hearts will see and understand that those who taste its depths will merit life. These are the things that man will do and through them he shall live for eternity. Do you not see now that the house of Yaakov is faithful and the house of Yosef is your provider?⁴⁸⁶Bereshit, 42:6. From the time the house was established, he has been faithful to sustain Israel with every word that comes out of the mouth of God upon which man lives.⁴⁸⁷“…he would make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but rather by all that comes forth from the mouth of G-d” (Devarim, 8:3). Interpreted in hasidic terms, this means that it is not physical sustenance that gives life, but the Divine essence within the food that enlivens. So, too, the author rails against those who neglect or deny the deeper meaning of the Torah, which is like being concerned only with the body and not the soul. On a more personal level, he seems to be attacking those who deny the validity of the unique (and controversial) interpretative approach of his grandfather, R. Mordechai Yosef of Izhbitz, and of his father, R. Yaakov. Those who reject it have “no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef.” This shall cast away those who say that they have no portion in Yaakov and no inheritance in the house of Yosef. Their ways are crooked⁴⁸⁸Mishlei, 2:15 and they pervert the explanations of the Torah, hanging their misunderstandings like a lyre, preaching all of their logic which has no basis in God’s Torah, not in the words of the Tanaaim and Amoraim of the oral law, and all that they imagine they hang on a great tree⁴⁸⁹That is, claim that they can based their false interpretation on valid, earlier sources. Here, too, the author may be critiquing those who claim that Maimonides was a rationalist, who did not deal with the secrets of the Torah. The author proved that claim wrong in the first half of this work. asserting, “This is the meaning of the Torah.” For these, the House of Yaakov will be a fire and the House of Yosef like a flame!⁴⁹⁰Ovadia, 1:18. They will see and learn. They will see how to reveal the Torah of God from the plain meaning of the words, for are not His words like fire,⁴⁹¹Yirmiyahu, 23:29. and all who desire its light with truth and faith can come and warm themselves? And likewise, as a flame it will burn all those who learn Torah in order to vex the scholars of the mysteries, and who wear it as a crown and wield it as an axe.⁴⁹²See the Talmud, Pirke Avot, 4:5 And now, House of Yaakov, walk in the light of God and come home. See and understand that all the words of the Torah written in this book are needed for every man of Israel, in every place and every time. And how all of the events recorded in the Torah can illuminate every soul and instruct him how to sustain his life and all that he goes through with justice.⁴⁹³Tehillim 112:5. For the words of the Torah are living and enduring for all eternity. All who contemplate the Torah grasp onto the tree of life, and it is life for those who hold onto it.⁴⁹⁴Mishlei, 3:18. May God illuminate our eyes to His Torah, and place His love and fear in our hearts, in order to do His will, and to serve Him with a whole heart.⁴⁹⁵From the liturgy of the morning prayer, in the blessing before the reading of the Shema Yisrael.