Musar su Genesi 40:26

I have determined to linger here a little in the discussion of this chapter. Perhaps God will grant us His grace and inspire us with excellent words, which may relieve the sadness of man, so that he may find healing in our discourse, because it is impossible to find healing for psychical ills other than in spiritual remedies. As this takes firmer hold of the soul, so also it becomes more difficult to find the remedy. Of God we pray that He protect us therefrom in His graciousness. The constitution of apprehensiveness is cold and dry, like the black gall (humor). No man can absolutely escape it. In some it attains immense proportions, so that they thereby become afflicted with psychical ailments. Thus it is said (Prov. xii. 25), "Gloom in the heart of man maketh it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad." Know thou that this quality is generally visible in the countenance, as thou hast seen in the case of Joseph, who discerned what was in the heart of " the servants of Pharaoh," when he beheld their austere countenances; it being said (Gen. xl. 6), "And he looked upon them, and behold they were sad," and as Artaxerxes said to Nehemiah (Neh. ii. 2), "Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick." Thus it is obvious that this quality is generally distinctly visible in the countenance.

Yosef, for saying to the officer of [Pharaoh's] drink: "But remember me when it is well with you [and please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh.]" (Gen 40:14), his sentence [in prison] was increased by 2 years as the Midrash reports (Genesis Raba 89b). And Yosef himself for embalming his father without G-d's permission, according to one view, or because he heard the words: "your servant, our father [Yaakov]" (Gen.43:28) and remained silent, according to another view, died before all of his brothers (Gen. Raba 100:4).

For in truth, the evil inclination is exceedingly powerful on a man. Without a man's knowledge, it advances and strengthens over him and comes to rule over him. Even if he employs all possible strategies in the world, but does not take the medication created for it, namely, the Torah as I wrote, he will not know nor feel the intensification of his illness until he dies in sin and his soul will be lost.

Included in this, is also to fix daily times for the accounting of deeds and their correction as I mentioned earlier.

Worry is a quality that is bad in all its manifestations and is casily recognized, as it is written "And(he) saw them and behold, they were sad" (Gen. 40:6). And it is also written, "Why is your appearance sad, seeing you are not sick" (Neh. 2:2).

It is known, according to our sages of blessed memory that he worked in the house of Potiphar only one year, and that he sat in the prison house for twelve years, [for he was driven out of his father's house when he was seventeen years old and he stood before Pharaoh when he was thirty], and we find in Shemoth Rabbah 3 that he had to sit in the prison house for ten years for having spoken lashon hara about his ten brothers, and because he said to the chief butler (Bereshith 40:13): "For if you remember me … and you remember me," it was decreed upon him [that he sit there] another two years — but when the time was completed, he did not remain there an extra moment, as it is written (Ibid. 41:14): "And they 'hastened' him out of the pit," and not "And they took him out of the pit," for then he would have remained there a few superfluous moments.

It is known, according to our sages of blessed memory that he worked in the house of Potiphar only one year, and that he sat in the prison house for twelve years, [for he was driven out of his father's house when he was seventeen years old and he stood before Pharaoh when he was thirty], and we find in Shemoth Rabbah 3 that he had to sit in the prison house for ten years for having spoken lashon hara about his ten brothers, and because he said to the chief butler (Bereshith 40:13): "For if you remember me … and you remember me," it was decreed upon him [that he sit there] another two years — but when the time was completed, he did not remain there an extra moment, as it is written (Ibid. 41:14): "And they 'hastened' him out of the pit," and not "And they took him out of the pit," for then he would have remained there a few superfluous moments.

From all this, we see the gravity of the issur of lashon hara, twelve months for each man having been decreed upon him, corresponding to the [time of] the judgment in Gehinnom. And while he sat there all of Egypt spoke about his being suspect [with Potiphar's wife], as Rashi explains on the verse (Ibid. 40:1): "And it was after these things that there sinned, etc.", and this [(his being suspected)] was because he had suspected his brothers. But after his punishment was completed, the Holy One Blessed be He remembered his righteousness and raised him higher and higher until he was publicized throughout the land of Egypt in glory and renown as a holy man of G-d, as it is written (Ibid. 41:38): "Can there be found such a one! a man invested with the spirit of G-d?"

ולא זכר שר המשקים את יוסף וישכחהו . The lesson here is clearly that one must only place one's trust in G–d Himself.

Another difficulty is the subsequent statement in Bamidbar Rabbah 1,11, on the verse "but do not count the tribe of Levi, etc." (1,49), that Rabbi Pinchas ben Idi said: "when it says at the beginning of the Book, שאו את ראש, it pointedly does not say גדל את ראש, "elevate the head." The expression "שאו" is similar to the judge telling the executioner to behead the convicted prisoner. By the use of this word, G–d hinted that Israel would have to qualify for greatness only through the accumulation of merits. In that case the meaning of שאו, would be similar to Genesis 40, 12, "within three days Pharaoh will lift your head, (ישא) and restore you to your former position." Should Israel fail to merit greatness however, they would all die, as did the chief of the bakers in Genesis 40,19, who was told by Joseph that Pharaoh would ישא ראשך מעליך "will lift your head off you, and hang you on a pole." It had been clear to G–d at that time, that all the people about to be counted would die in the desert. G–d therefore told Moses to count the Levites not with the Israelites, but separately. The Levites had to be counted separately. If the tribe of Levi had been counted together with the other tribes the angel of death would have had authority to kill all Israel including them, and the decree that Israel could not enter the Holy Land would have become operative, since the Torah says in Numbers 14,29: "In this desert your carcasses will fall, and all of you who have been numbered in accordance with their respective number." G–d separated the count of the Levites in order to head off this catastrophe. This is also why the Torah does not even employ the same wording when referring to the counting of the Levites, but instead of שאן את ראש, we have פקוד את בני לוי in 3,15. So far that Midrash

Another difficulty is the subsequent statement in Bamidbar Rabbah 1,11, on the verse "but do not count the tribe of Levi, etc." (1,49), that Rabbi Pinchas ben Idi said: "when it says at the beginning of the Book, שאו את ראש, it pointedly does not say גדל את ראש, "elevate the head." The expression "שאו" is similar to the judge telling the executioner to behead the convicted prisoner. By the use of this word, G–d hinted that Israel would have to qualify for greatness only through the accumulation of merits. In that case the meaning of שאו, would be similar to Genesis 40, 12, "within three days Pharaoh will lift your head, (ישא) and restore you to your former position." Should Israel fail to merit greatness however, they would all die, as did the chief of the bakers in Genesis 40,19, who was told by Joseph that Pharaoh would ישא ראשך מעליך "will lift your head off you, and hang you on a pole." It had been clear to G–d at that time, that all the people about to be counted would die in the desert. G–d therefore told Moses to count the Levites not with the Israelites, but separately. The Levites had to be counted separately. If the tribe of Levi had been counted together with the other tribes the angel of death would have had authority to kill all Israel including them, and the decree that Israel could not enter the Holy Land would have become operative, since the Torah says in Numbers 14,29: "In this desert your carcasses will fall, and all of you who have been numbered in accordance with their respective number." G–d separated the count of the Levites in order to head off this catastrophe. This is also why the Torah does not even employ the same wording when referring to the counting of the Levites, but instead of שאן את ראש, we have פקוד את בני לוי in 3,15. So far that Midrash

Another difficulty is the subsequent statement in Bamidbar Rabbah 1,11, on the verse "but do not count the tribe of Levi, etc." (1,49), that Rabbi Pinchas ben Idi said: "when it says at the beginning of the Book, שאו את ראש, it pointedly does not say גדל את ראש, "elevate the head." The expression "שאו" is similar to the judge telling the executioner to behead the convicted prisoner. By the use of this word, G–d hinted that Israel would have to qualify for greatness only through the accumulation of merits. In that case the meaning of שאו, would be similar to Genesis 40, 12, "within three days Pharaoh will lift your head, (ישא) and restore you to your former position." Should Israel fail to merit greatness however, they would all die, as did the chief of the bakers in Genesis 40,19, who was told by Joseph that Pharaoh would ישא ראשך מעליך "will lift your head off you, and hang you on a pole." It had been clear to G–d at that time, that all the people about to be counted would die in the desert. G–d therefore told Moses to count the Levites not with the Israelites, but separately. The Levites had to be counted separately. If the tribe of Levi had been counted together with the other tribes the angel of death would have had authority to kill all Israel including them, and the decree that Israel could not enter the Holy Land would have become operative, since the Torah says in Numbers 14,29: "In this desert your carcasses will fall, and all of you who have been numbered in accordance with their respective number." G–d separated the count of the Levites in order to head off this catastrophe. This is also why the Torah does not even employ the same wording when referring to the counting of the Levites, but instead of שאן את ראש, we have פקוד את בני לוי in 3,15. So far that Midrash