THEMES of Featured Mystical Classics Articles
Joseph prepared the way for the complete rectification of the entire world
His brothers believed that Joseph wanted royalty for its own sake, for both himself and his descendants, and therefore judged him guilty of death as one who disputes the authority of the kingdom of David. Insubordination against the kingdom of David is equated with insubordination against the Shechinah itself.
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Joseph functions as a conduit for holy kingship in This World
Joseph in his capacity of the tzadik, the pillar of the world, had been the pipeline that made the kingdom of Judah possible and eventually the appearance of the Divine Presence on earth as manifest in the Holy Temple.
After the arrival of the Mashiach ben David, the Kingdom of Israel will reunite with the Kingdom of David and the Davidic dynasty will be restored to the Jewish people as an everlasting kingdom. |
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After 22 years, Jacob rises from depression to joy.
For 22 years, as long as he didn't know Joseph's whereabouts, Jacob could not be consoled and couldn’t therefore receive the Divine Presence. Now that the Shechinah
had come back to him, it is written, "and the spirit of Jacob their
father revived" - the high level went from the level of Jacob to
the level Israel.
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The manifestation of G-d’s Presence occurs in a variety of forms and degrees.
"Anochi ered imecha mitzrayma": the word mitzrayma may be derived from the word "meitzar - a narrow, confined area." G‑d hinted that whenever Jacob (i.e. the Jewish people) would find themselves hemmed in, He would share their misery.
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Intermediate
Kabbalah teaches that exile is a means of recovering lost holiness.
"Do not be afraid, for I will make you into a great nation there"
The Ohr HaChaim teaches that the purpose of the various exiles is to isolate elements of holiness which are scattered within the kelipa, the "peel", which surrounds the "fruit", i.e. the realm of complete holiness. Inasmuch as Egypt was full of abominations, many elements of sanctity were also scattered there. By descending to that impure place, the Jacob's family (i.e. the Jewish People) retrieved the elements of holiness trapped therein. |
