Parshas Vayeishev, 19 Kislev 5786 "And Yosef was brought down to Egypt" - The connection between the Alter Rebbe and Yosef Hatzaddik

00:00 Here is a letter from the Alter Rebbe in which he briefly recounts what happened. I’ll tell you some more details, at greater length, about a meeting he had around the year 5561 with Reb Baruch of Mezhibuzh. The tzaddik Reb Baruch of Mezhibuzh was a grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. They met and exchanged words, among other things, about Reb Baruch of Mezhibuzh’s objections to the Alter Rebbe spreading Chassidus so widely. He held that this was not the way, and raised a number of other points as well. During their conversation, the Alter Rebbe spoke to him about self-sacrifice for the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. The Alter Rebbe challenged him: How can you say that? What place is there for such an objection? When the greatest accusation was brought against the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the Alter Rebbe took all the suffering and everything else upon himself, and did not evade it. He could have said, “Who am I, after all?” There was a grandson—let them go to Reb Baruch. But the Alter Rebbe took it all upon himself. Reb Baruch of Mezhibuzh said to the Alter Rebbe: Why did you need to go through all that suffering—being arrested and sitting in prison? You could have sweetened all the judgments by passing your hand over your forehead. In other words, there is a spiritual ability among tzaddikim, the very greatest tzaddikim, who, through the power of holiness, [unclear],

01:30 by passing a hand over the forehead, can sweeten the judgments, and things become [unclear]. He said that this alone could have spared him all of it. The Alter Rebbe replied that he had learned this approach from our forefather Yaakov. We find that when Esav [unclear], and the angels said [unclear] with all these things, our forefather Yaakov did not pass his hand over his forehead. He could have sweetened the judgments that way too. Yet we see that he prepared in all those ways—with war, prayer, and a gift—and did everything within the natural order to change Esav. In the same way, here too the judgments could have been sweetened by passing a hand over the forehead, but he went through it by working within the natural order, through imprisonment. Similarly, the Rebbe relates in Reshimos, in a diary where he records things he heard from the Frierdiker Rebbe, a number of details. Some also appear in Likkutei Dibburim, from a farbrengen on 19 Kislev 5693, while several additional details come from the diary discovered in recent years. There he relates that when the Alter Rebbe was taken into custody, Reb Leib [unclear] sent a pidyon nefesh with one of the chassidim to the holy Rabbi of Berditchev. He asked [unclear].

02:59 And so on, with the whole story at length. When the chossid reached the holy Rabbi of Berditchev, it was before davening, and the Rabbi was about to light his lulke—that is, a smoking pipe. As he lit the lulke, the holy Rabbi of Berditchev told him: “Just as I am lighting this lulke, I could burn down all of Petersburg.” It is related that years later, the holy Rabbi of Berditchev visited the Alter Rebbe and asked him: Why did you need to suffer so much and take such deathly suffering upon yourself, going through everything connected with the imprisonment and Geulah? You could have immediately, as I said, burned down all of [unclear], and [unclear] sweetened all those judgments. The Alter Rebbe explained to him that his way was the way of a pnimi, one who works inwardly. [unclear] specifically, and this must be done specifically in an inward way. A pnimi must work by engaging with things from within, not through encompassing spiritual powers. That is, approximately, what the Alter Rebbe explained to the holy Rabbi of Berditchev. This is a fundamental principle in the revelation of Chabad Chassidus as it was revealed by the Alter Rebbe. He worked to ensure that the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the revelations of Chassidus, would come specifically through engagement from within, in a manner of

04:19 Chochmah, Binah, and Daas, so that they would descend and be absorbed inwardly; so that the world and its reality, beginning with the person and the human mind, would become vessels for Chochmah, Binah, and Daas. The idea is to take the person within the world—not to break the world with desires and quarrels, but to work from within it, so that the world itself becomes a vessel and a dwelling place for Him, may He be blessed. And this is also the path to the Geulah. With this in mind, we can understand the connection between the great and holy Yom Tov of 19 Kislev and the weekly parsha, Parshas Vayeishev. We know what the holy Shelah writes—particularly in this very parsha, Parshas Vayeishev, regarding Chanukah: the fact that festivals fall during the week when a particular parsha is read is not coincidental. There is an inner connection between the content of the parsha and the festivals that occur during it. This is especially so with a Yom Tov like 19 Kislev, which always falls around the time of Parshas Vayeishev. In particular, the Alter Rebbe writes in his well-known letter to the holy [unclear], to Reb Baruch [unclear], telling him that he had been released from prison. He writes the well-known words: “I was reciting in the Book of Tehillim the verse, ‘He redeemed my soul in peace.’” “Before I began the following verse, I went forth in peace from Hashem, the Source of peace.” Among other things, he writes that the day he left prison was Tuesday

05:38 of Parshas Vayeishev. So there is a connection between the parsha and the occasion. But when we look more closely, not only do we fail to see a connection; it seems to be exactly the opposite. 19 Kislev is the day of the Alter Rebbe’s Geulah, when he went from exile to redemption, from darkness to light and freedom. It is a Yom Tov on which we mark the Alter Rebbe’s Geulah. And when we look at Parshas Vayeishev, what is it about? Exactly the opposite. It tells the story of Yosef Hatzaddik, how he enters the events that unfold. “Yosef was brought down to Egypt”: the brothers act against Yosef and succeed, and Yosef goes down to Egypt and becomes a servant to the chief butcher. As though that were not enough, he also [unclear], is sent to prison and sits there. All of Parshas Vayeishev deals with Yosef’s descent to Egypt and his subjugation: he becomes a servant and sits in prison. We will learn later about Yosef becoming second to the king—in the next parsha, in a few weeks, in Parshas Mikeitz and then Vayigash—but not in Vayeishev. In the parsha that generally falls around 19 Kislev, what do we learn? We learn about Yosef Hatzaddik, how Yosef enters the events that unfold, how “Yosef was brought down to Egypt.” It is true that, as Chassidus always explains, the—

07:05 the whole point is that the descent is for the sake of an ascent, and the purpose of exile is to emerge from it into Geulah. Ultimately, the purpose of Yosef’s entire descent to Egypt was, as the Torah teaches later in Parshas Vayigash, “G-d sent me ahead to preserve life”—that he emerged specifically from the [unclear] with everything that happened. And similarly, following the events of the Alter Rebbe’s imprisonment, [unclear], to the extent that, as the Rebbe Rashab said, the main fulfillment of “your wellsprings will spread outward” began only after 19 Kislev. The analogy is given of the olive: “When it is crushed, it yields its oil.” Crushing the olive reveals the oil. So too, through the suffering of those events, the Alter Rebbe reached [unclear]; Chassidus was revealed through this, and its dissemination expanded after 19 Kislev. But that is the outcome that came afterward. What the parsha discusses is Yosef’s descent to Egypt: “Yosef was brought down to Egypt.” And that is what we learn during the week of 19 Kislev, the day of Geulah, when the Alter Rebbe was set free as he said, “He redeemed my soul in peace.” There is, however, a very interesting Midrash in the weekly parsha, and it is the key to understanding the greatness of the Alter Rebbe and of the teachings of Chassidus. The Midrash comments on the verse “Yosef was brought down to Egypt,” and says:

08:23 The word “brought down” is also related to the expression “He shall rule from sea to sea.” In other words, Yosef became the ruler. As it says, “He shall rule from sea to sea,” and as it says, “Rule over the fish of the sea”—meaning authority, dominion, and government. Yosef “was brought down”—he became the one who ruled and governed, the ruler. “Ruler”—as in Kesser Shem Tov, another person took control and became the ruler in Egypt. This is remarkable: in the very verse that says “Yosef was brought down to Egypt,” speaking of a descent, the Midrash finds an idea of authority and rule. And indeed, when we look at the content of the parsha, we see that this is so. Even in the parsha itself, immediately after “Yosef was brought down to Egypt,” what is the central point of his being brought down to Egypt, before Yosef becomes second to the king—which we learn about in the following parshiyos? This parsha itself says: “He served him, and he appointed him over his house.” Where do we see Yosef’s success? We see that Hakadosh Boruch Hu was with Yosef, as it says, “Hashem was with him, and everything he did” succeeded. That is why he succeeds in all his affairs. Even the chief butcher, who was an official in Pharaoh’s household overseeing all his affairs, came to recognize Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He saw that, with Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s help, Yosef succeeded in everything he did. He saw such great success, such G-dly success, that he himself came to recognize Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It follows that within the descent

09:55 In that very place, the greatness of Hashem was revealed, as Yosef brought it to expression in Egypt. Yosef even became responsible for all the affairs of the household. We find the same thing even more strongly later, in prison. Seemingly, when Yosef was in prison, in a situation where others had complete control over him, it was precisely there that “Hashem granted him favor,” to the point that the prison warden saw that Hashem made everything he did succeed. In short, Yosef managed all the affairs of the prison too. And we find the same thing with the Alter Rebbe. In the Alter Rebbe’s case, it does not mean that new aspects of Geulah appeared only after his liberation. After all, the Alter Rebbe recounts in his letter that even while he was still in prison, people had already seen—as he writes in his well-known letter to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev—that “all the ends of the earth saw.” The ministers and the peoples, and those who were there in the prison, recognized that “the hand of Hashem has done this”; they recognized the greatness of Hashem revealed there. While still imprisoned, the Alter Rebbe revealed how Hakadosh Boruch Hu acts, and how that becomes apparent there in prison, as is known from many stories. And this is connected to the matter

11:12 [unclear] in the Alter Rebbe’s distinctive innovation, which is similar to Yosef Hatzaddik. The explanation, as given in Chassidus, is that there is something found specifically in Yosef Hatzaddik, unlike all the other tzaddikim, unlike his brothers, the tribes, and even unlike the Patriarchs. So much so that Chassidus explains the verse “Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him” to mean that they could not understand his path in serving Hashem. The service of the Patriarchs and of the tribes was characterized by separation from the world. They tended flocks, removed from this world. That is the nature of tending flocks: you are out in the fields, far from the world, from its bustle, its noise, and its turmoil. That is how they served Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Chassidus explains that the Patriarchs were, from the outset, souls of Atzilus, and therefore had no connection to the world. In other words, for them, the world did not exist to begin with. They were holy, lofty souls, shepherds who lived on a higher plane. The tribes were souls of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, but they too experienced an ascent; [unclear]. Those were the Patriarchs and the tribes: they were shepherds, though for different reasons. The Patriarchs were above the world from the outset, and the tribes too were separate from the world; [unclear].

12:34 This is what is explained in simple terms: Yosef Hatzaddik, uniquely, descended to Egypt, and there he was involved in Egyptian affairs and dealt with them. He handled the accounts in Potiphar’s house, and later in the prison as well, and eventually ruled over everything. He dealt with the affairs of Egypt and the land of Egypt. Yet, throughout it all, amid all those affairs, amid all the confusion and the dust of this world, he remained completely attached to G-dliness. This was something extraordinary and wondrous found specifically in Yosef Hatzaddik, through whom Hashem’s name was manifest. As explained in Chassidus, Yosef was a lofty soul that descended to become involved in worldly affairs, while remaining attached to G-dliness at every moment. This was because his soul was rooted in such a high level of G-dliness that, from its perspective, there was no contradiction at all. This, so to speak, was his distinction. As the Rebbe says, he “takes hold of all the worlds without being affected.” He is involved in the world, yet remains holy and separate. That is what is said of Yosef Hatzaddik: he could deal with the affairs of Egypt and, in the midst of it all, remain constantly and completely attached to G-dliness. This was Yosef’s unique quality. And here we are told that this itself also carries a lesson, particularly for this day. Becoming involved in the world, and also the greatness and oneness of Hashem within Egypt itself, are also [unclear]. And we find this in the Alter

14:16 Rebbe. Of all the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch, it was specifically the Alter Rebbe who took this path. Not only through transcendent lights, not [unclear] Petersburg. It was specifically through engaging with the questions, and through all these matters and all the back-and-forth discussion, that he came to reveal the foundations of Chassidus: how a material human mind can understand the oneness of Hashem according to the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings. He did this through the writings and notes, still in his holy handwriting, that the Alter Rebbe wrote to answer the questions. This was [unclear], and there he explains the foundations of Hashem’s oneness according to the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings. He publicized and revealed the unity and connection: the world and G-dliness are not two separate things; rather, the world itself is entirely G-dliness. These are the foundations of Chabad teachings, which the Alter Rebbe later revealed in Chassidus. This is one of the foundations found in Tanya, as is known, in Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah. And this is the book through which the Alter Rebbe sought to advance this important matter in practice, [unclear]. There we find the foundations of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings on oneness and faith. There he explains the creation of the world—how it is created anew from nothing at every moment, and how the word of Hashem must be present within every detail of the world at every moment to sustain it. Along with this, one of the foundations concerning tzimtzum is revealed there. And the Alter Rebbe explains this

15:45 there at length and in detail: the innovation of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings concerning the Arizal’s Kabbalah—that tzimtzum is not literal. The Essence and Being of the Infinite, blessed be He, is below just as He is above, and there is no tzimtzum at all: “There is no place devoid of Him.” He Himself, from His perspective, is present in every place, inwardly present everywhere. Only for us, the recipients, is this concealed. But tzimtzum is not literal, and from this follows the true oneness of Hashem: the Essence and Being of the Infinite, blessed be He, is present in every detail of every created being, through the particular word of Hashem present within that particular being. In this we see the truth of Hashem’s oneness: “There is nothing besides Him.” And from this comes a simple, fundamental lesson in serving Hashem for every one of us. This is the innovation the Alter Rebbe revealed on 19 Kislev: everyone can be within the world and, at the same time, above the world. Each of us is in this world and looks at it with physical eyes. A person may see a dark world, “a world of kelipos and the sitra achra,” where “the wicked prevail”; he may encounter contradictions and obstacles, darkness upon darkness, “darkness covers the earth and a thick cloud covers the nations.” Nevertheless, no one needs to be shaken by anything in this world. Not because he runs away from the world. He can be in the world, but know the truth: “The truth of Hashem endures forever.” The world itself is a G-dly world, and the word of Hashem is present in every created being and in each and every thing. For Hakadosh Boruch Hu, there is no concealment at all, because “there is nothing besides Him.” So the world...

17:13 All the contradictions do not [unclear]. On the contrary, [unclear] from the world itself a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He. So a person enters the world and acts within it, elevates the world and reveals Hashem’s oneness in it, and thereby makes the entire world a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He. The Alter Rebbe devoted his life to this. This was the purpose and the practical work, and this is the point of 19 Kislev: that through “your wellsprings spreading outward,” through disseminating the inner dimension of the Torah, we prepare the world for the Geulah of Moshiach. Then we will see it openly: “The glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” And at the same time, the G-dly light in the world will be openly revealed: “Hashem will be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be one and His name one.” Happy Yom Tov. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year in the study of Chassidus and the ways of Chassidus.