Living the Dream

Mikeitz / Chanukah SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 24 KISLEV, 5776 ב"ה וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁנָתַיִם יָמִים וּפַרְעֹה חֹלֵם (בראשית מא, א) At the end of two years, it came to pass that Pharaoh was dreaming (Bereishis 41:1) Living the Dream The exile of Bnei Yisrael in Egypt came about through a series of dreams. Yosef's dreams caused his brothers to hate him and sell him as a slave. After changing hands a few times, Yosef ended up in Egypt, where he was eventually jailed. In jail, he earned fame as an interpreter of dreams, and ultimately, his interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams landed him the powerful position of viceroy of Egypt. His father Yaakov and his family came to live near him in Egypt temporarily, which resulted in some two hundred years of Egyptian subjugation and oppression of Bnei Yisrael. The significant role that dreams played in bringing about the Egyptian exile is explained in Chassidic teaching as an allusion to the spiritual reality of galus, exile; it is akin to a dream (Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 28c).  And in light of the Arizal's teaching that every exile and subjugation of the Jewish people to foreign rule is rooted in the original exile in Egypt (Likutei Torah, Ki Seitzei), it follows that the dreamlike reality that characterized the Egyptian exile essentially also defines our current exile as well (see Tehilim 126:1—"we have been like dreamers.") In a dream, even obvious contradictions seem plausible. The subject of a dream might reflect our conscious reality, but the context in a dream can be entirely unrealistic. Similarly, our lives in galus aboundwith spiritual contradictions. We might experience a selfless love of G-d while praying, yet simultaneously harbor selfish and materialistic lusts, even for that which is prohibited by the Torah. A life filled with such inconsistencies is but a dream. Nevertheless, the contradictions that plague our spiritual lives while in galus must not discourage us.For the dreamlike nature of galus that allows us to add in our devotion to G-d notwithstanding our internal flaws, also brings about another similarity between galus and dreams. Namely, just as we wake from our dreams when it becomes light around us, the same is true of galus. By abundantly adding in the light of Torah and mitzvos in our surroundings despite the spiritual contradictions that plague our galus lives, we will ultimately force ourselves awake from the dream of galus to the bright world of Moshiach. —Likutei Sichos vol. 1, pp. 85-88 Sponsor a Lightpoints email A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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Weekly Torah Portion/Parsha Hashavua: Vayeshev

What Does Not Go Up

From: "Daily Lightpoints" <peninim@likras.org>
Date: December 3, 2015 at 5:06:18 AM EST
To: "abcvin@gmail.com" <abcvin@gmail.com>
Subject: What Does Not Go Up
Reply-To: <peninim@likras.org>

Vayeishev THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 21 KISLEV, 5776 ב"ה וַיֻּגַּד לְתָמָר לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה חָמִיךְ עֹלֶה תִמְנָתָה לָגֹז צֹאנוֹ (בראשית לח, יג) And it was told to Tamar, saying, "Behold, your father in law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." (Bereishis 38:13) What Does Not Go Up Rashi tells us that the city of Timnah was situated on a mountain slope. Therefore, whereas regarding Yehudah the verse states that he went up to Timnah (Bereishis 38:13), regarding Shimshon the verse states that he went down to Timnah (Shoftim 14:1). In Rashi's words, "You go up to Timnah when coming from one direction, but you go down to it when coming from the other." In the Book of Tehilim (24:3), the worship of G-d is described using an analogy of ascending a mountain. Accordingly, Rashi's words regarding Timnah, are not only a description of the Timnah area topography, but also a fundamental truth regarding the nature of Divine worship. We read in the Torah of people who ascended or descended to Timnah, but never of someone who was stationed in Timnah, or was simply "going" to Timnah. As Rashi explains, this is because Timnah is on a mountain slope, and on a slope, you are either climbing or descending. If you do not move upward, you will inevitably slide in the other direction. The same is true with regard to our devotion to G-d and His service, which is comparable, as above, to a mountain climb. We must constantly work toward even greater heights in our spiritual climb, if only to maintain the degree of devotion to G-d that we have already attained. For on a mountain, if you are not going up in one direction, you are likely going down in the other. —Likkutei Sichos, vol. 10, pp. 127-128 Sponsor a Lightpoints email A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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Filled with Emptiness

Vayeishev WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 20 KISLEV, 5776 ב"ה וְהַבּוֹר רֵק אֵין בּוֹ מָיִם (בראשית לז, כד) Now the pit was empty, there was no water in it. (Bereishis 37:24) Filled with Emptiness The Torah describes the pit in which Yosef was held captive, saying, "Now the pit was empty, there was no water in it." Rashi asks: "Do the words "now the pit was empty" not imply that the pit contained no water? For what purpose did the Torah add that 'there was no water in it'? The added phrase saying that 'there was water in it' teaches us," replies Rashi, "that it was empty only of water, but it was, in fact, occupied by snakes and scorpions." Water is a metaphor for Torah study (see Talmud, Bava Kama 17a). Accordingly, we can understand why the Torah alludes to the presence of snakes and scorpions in the pit that Yosef was thrown into by emphasizing that "there was no water in it," instead of stating explicitly that the pit was inhabited by harmful creatures. The Torah thereby teaches us that the arrival of snakes and scorpions—symbolic of the spiritual ills that can plague a person's life—is not an "additional" risk faced by those who do not fill their lives with Torah study. Rather, the presence of these negative elements is synonymous with the absence of Torah study—they are its inevitableconsequence. For the vacuum created when a person does not occupy his free time with Torah study does not remain neutral. When "there is no water in it," the void automatically fills with "snakes and scorpions"—ideas that are incompatible with a holy lifestyle and hostile to it. —Likutei Sichos, vol. 15, pp. 324 - 325 Sponsor a Lightpoints email A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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Dreaming to Toil

VAYEISHEV TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 19 KISLEV, 5776 ב"ה וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ מְאַלְּמִים אֲלֻמִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַשָּׂדֶה (בראשית לז, ז) AND BEHOLD, WE WERE BINDING SHEAVES IN THE MIDST OF THE FIELD (BEREISHIS 37:7) Dreaming to Toil Yosef and Pharaoh both had dreams involving grain. A noticeable difference between these two dreams, however, reflects the fundamental disparity between what each of them represents.  Yosef's dream opened with a scene of toil. In his dream, Yosef saw himself and his brothers binding sheaves of grain in the field. Conversely, in Pharaoh's dream, rich ears of grain and gaunt ears of grain were growing from the ground, but there was no labor involved.  The contrast between these two dreams highlights the difference between those who draw their influence and sustenance from kedushah, holiness, and those who are sustained by kelipah, unholy sources. To derive nourishment from unholy sources comes easy, involving little or no effort. We thus find that Bnei Yisrael told Moshe, "We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge" (Bamidbar 11:5), which means, as Rashi explains, not that the Egyptians provided them food at no monetary cost, but that their lives in Egypt were free from mitzvah obligations. They referred to their food in Egypt as "free of charge," because nourishment from Egypt, an allusion to all things unholy, comes easily, without requiring effort or toil. Conversely, when one's life is nurtured exclusively from kedushah, everything is earned only through hard work. This is, in fact, G-d's means of granting us the greatest degree of goodness and delight; for ultimately, things that come without effort are not truly enjoyable. In the words of the Talmud Yerushalmi (Orlah 1:3), "One who eats from the food of another is ashamed to look at his benefactor's face." The blessings we enjoy most are those we've earned, not those that are handed to us "free of charge." It is therefore only natural that the dreams of Yosef—representing the good and holy—began with toil and labor, while the dreams of Pharaoh—representing the unholy—were of growth that did not involve labor.  One who takes the demanding path of Yosef, however, can rest assured that his successes too will follow the pattern and progress of Yosef's dreams. Though his early beginnings may be humble, he will ultimately reach true heights; like Yosef's dreams, which progressed from the plant kingdom in the first dream to the celestial beings—"the sun, the moon and the stars"—in the second.  —Likkutei Sichos, vol. 3, pp. 807-808, 820 Sponsor a Lightpoints email A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

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