ב"ה
THEMES of Featured Chasidic Masters Articles
Intermediate
The winner doesn't necessarily come out on top
When Joseph was thriving in Egypt, he didn't dispatch a message to his father to inform him that he was alive so as not to embarrass and disparage his brothers.
Joseph chose to have pity on his brothers and concealed his identity from them upon meeting for the first time in years and they bowed down to him, holding himself back from the thrill of triumph. |
Small Jars; Big Results
When Esau’s angel displaced Jacob's sciatic nerve, he caused a schism between
the forces of action and
implementation (ma'aseh) and the forces of
scholarship and knowledge.
According to Chassidic thought, Judah became action and implementation (ma'aseh) whereas Joseph became scholarship and knowledge. |
Jewish mysticism teaches that rectification of the world depends on its spiritual elevation.
"And it came to pass, at the end of two years…."
The Baal Shem Tov teaches that the term "the end" refers to the final rectification of all Creation. This depends on elevating fallen aspects of holiness "trapped" within the various levels of corporeality. A person who has good thoughts and intentions can uplift the sparks of holiness from these levels and bring them out to freedom. |
Joseph's dream of the sheaves implied to the brothers that Joseph would govern like a judge and be answerable to someone above him. This was entirely acceptable to them.
But, the second dream implied that Joseph intended to take on the kingship as well. The brothers concluded that this was treason, for the King of the Jews was to come from Judah – not from Joseph. They therefore sold him into slavery. |
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