"And Joseph remembered the dreams"

130. "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed" (Beresheet 42:9). Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion with the verse, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles" (Mishlei 24:17). Come and behold, The Holy One, blessed be He, created man, so that he would be worthy of His glory, serve Him always, and be occupied with the Torah day and night, because the Holy One, blessed be He, ever takes delight in the Torah.

131. When the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He put the Torah before him and taught him how to know its ways. How do we know this? From the words, "Then He saw it, and declared it; He established it, yea, and searched it out," which is followed by: "And to man He said, Behold, the fear of Hashem, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Iyov 28:27-28). Because he inquired into her, but did not keep her, he transgressed the command of his Master and was caught for his sin.

132. All those who transgress one precept of the Torah are caught for it. King Solomon, who was wisest among all the people in the world, transgressed only one precept of the Torah BY HAVING MANY WIVES and caused his kingdom to pass on from him BECAUSE, AS THE SAGES SAID, ASMODEUS MADE AN IGNORANT MAN OF HIM and caused his kingdom to be divided from the time of his sons. This is even truer for those who transgress MANY PRECEPTS OF the Torah.

133. HE ASKS, Joseph knew the Torah, AND HER WORDS "YOU SHALL NOT AVENGE, NOR BEAR ANY GRUDGE" (VAYIKRA 19:18). Why then, when his brothers fell into his hands, did he bring upon them all these things, when he knew the Torah his father had taught him? HE REPLIED, Heaven forbid TO THINK that Joseph did all this to take revenge upon them. He did it only to bring his brother Benjamin to him, for he longed for him. He did not leave his brothers wanting, as it is written, "Then Joseph gave orders to fill their sacks with grain" (Beresheet 42:25), so they would not come to grief.

134. Rabbi Yehuda continued WITH THE VERSE, "THEN HE SAW IT..." (IYOV 28:27). When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the moon, THE NUKVA, He beheld her constantly, as it is written, "The eyes of Hashem your Elohim are always upon it" (Devarim 11:12), for she was constantly under His care. It is written, "Then He saw;" He saw that the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, by looking AT THE NUKVA became illumined, FOR IT RECEIVES SIGHT, THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH, ONLY WHEN HE IS UNITED WITH THE NUKVA. He asks, In the phrase, "And declared it (Heb. vaysapera) (Ibid.)," what does "vaysapera" mean? HE ANSWERS, The same as in the verse, "The stones of it are the place of sapphires" (Heb. sapir) (Ibid. 6); IT IS DERIVED FROM THE SFIROT AND ILLUMINATION.

135. "He established it" together with her repairs so she would be divided into twelve groups and be given to seventy angels. He fixed for her seven supernal pillars through which she would receive lights and exist in wholeness. The phrase, "And searched it out" MEANS HE SEARCHED HER OUT AND attended to her always SO THAT THE OTHER SIDE WILL NOT NOURISH ITSELF FROM HER.

136. He then warned man thus, "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of Hashem, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding'" (Iyov 28:28). Because "THE FEAR OF HASHEM," THE NUKVA, is adorned with all the lower beings so they will learn to fear and know Hashem through her strength. SHE IS THEREFORE CHOCHMAH. And "to depart from evil is understanding (Heb. binah)." The separation of pollution so it will not approach HOLINESS with her, WHICH IS "DEPART FROM EVIL," is the purpose of the existence of Binah, THAT IS, the knowledge and beholding of the glory of the highest King.

137. Rabbi Yosi rose one night to study the Torah. There happened to be a Jew there, whom he met in that house. Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion with the verse, "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness (also: 'charity') delivers from death" (Mishlei 10:2). "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing" are those who are not occupied with the study of the Torah, but follow worldly matters and gather wicked treasures. Of them it is written, "But those riches perish by evil adventure" (Kohelet 5:13), because they are wicked treasures.

138. "But righteousness delivers from death" refers to those who are occupied with the study of the Torah and know how to study her ways, for the Torah is called the Tree of Life and Righteousness, as it is written, "And it shall be accounted righteousness in us" (Devarim 6:25). Another explanation of "but righteousness delivers from death" is that it refers to charity given to the poor. There are two ways to read and understand it: THE WORD RIGHTEOUSNESS may be understood as the Torah, or it may simply mean charity, yet all is one.

139. That Jew said, you may read IN THE WORD RIGHTEOUSNESS the meaning of peace. Rabbi Yosi said to him, Assuredly, she is called peace. The Jew rose to study THE TORAH with him. The Jew quoted the verse, "He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who follows after vain persons shall have poverty enough" (Mishlei 28:19). This verse is difficult to understand. How could King Solomon, who was the wisest of all men, say that a man should strive to cultivate the earth, till it, and neglect everlasting life?

140. HE REPLIED, There is a mystery here. He then quoted the verse, "And Hashem Elohim took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to till (also: 'to worship') it and to keep" (Beresheet 2:15). It has already been explained that it refers to worship by sacrificing. Come and behold, "to till it" is the Upper King, THAT IS, IT REFERS TO THE DRAWING OF PLENTY OF BLESSINGS FROM THE UPPER KING, ZEIR ANPIN; and "to keep" is the lower king, THAT IS, IT REFERS TO THE KEEPING OF PLENTY RECEIVED BY THE LOWER KING, THE NUKVA. THE VERSE REFERS TO the upper world, ZEIR ANPIN, and the lower world, THE NUKVA. HE FURTHER EXPLAINS THAT "to till it" is in the secret of Remember, ZEIR ANPIN, and keep is in the secret of Keep, THE NUKVA. THEREFORE IN THE FIRST TABLES OF THE TESTIMONY IT IS WRITTEN, "REMEMBER THE SHABBAT DAY" (SHEMOT 20, 8), AND IN THE SECOND TABLES OF THE TESTIMONY IT IS WRITTEN, "KEEP THE SHABBAT DAY" (DEVARIM 5:12).

141. Therefore, "He that tills his land" (Mishlei 12:11) refers to the Garden of Eden, THE NUKVA, FOR MAN should work and draw blessings on it from ZEIR ANPIN above. When it is blessed and blessings pour on it from above, MAN is blest with it. Come and behold, When the priest blesses, he is also blessed, as it is written, "And I will bless them" (Bemidbar 5:27). Hence, "He that tills his land" TO DRAW PLENTY ON THE NUKVA, "shall have plenty of bread," nourishment from above, WHICH HE EARNS BY HIS WORK, FOR HE WHO BLESSES IS BLESSED. "...But he that follows vain persons," he who cleaves to the Other Side, which follows vain persons, surely "shall have poverty enough." Rabbi Yosi said to him, Happy are you to have merited this.

142. He then cited the verse that comes after THE VERSE, "HE THAT TILLS HIS LAND." IT IS, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings" (Mishlei 28:20), which alludes to a man who has faith in the Holy One, blessed be He, such as Rabbi Yesa Saba (the elder), who, though he had food for that day, did not set the table before praying for food before the Holy King. After praying and asking for nourishment from the King, he would set the table. He always said, Let us not set the table until NOURISHMENT is given from the King's house.

143. "But he who makes haste to be rich shall not go unpunished" (Mishlei 28:20), because he did not want to study the Torah, which is life in this world and life in the World to Come. Now is the time to be occupied with the Torah. Let us do so.

144. The man opened with the mystery of the dream. He said, "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them." HE ASKS ABOUT THE WORDS, "And Joseph remembered the dreams." Why did Joseph remember the dreams he had about them? What would have happened if he forgot them, as Joseph was wise and studied the verse, "a prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays bare his folly" (Mishlei 13:16)?

145. HE REPLIES, When Joseph saw them bowing before him with their faces to the earth, he remembered the dream he dreamed about them, as it is written, "And, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf" (Beresheet 37:7). For when he saw his brothers prostrating themselves before him, as it is written, "and Joseph's brothers came, and bowed themselves down before him with their faces to the earth," then, "Joseph remembered of the dreams which he had dreamed," that is, he saw them coming true. THUS, "AND JOSEPH REMEMBERED THE DREAMS" MEANS THAT HE SAW THAT THEY CAME TRUE.

146. "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed" can also mean that he was reminded of them because there is no forgetfulness before the Holy One, blessed be He. A man should remember a good dream, so it is not forgotten, for then it is realized. But if it is forgotten by him, it is forgotten ABOVE AND DOES NOT COME TRUE.

147. Come and behold, A dream that was not interpreted resembles an unopened letter, FOR THE DREAMER DOES NOT DERIVE ANY BENEFIT FROM IT. Come and behold, He who does not remember THE DREAM acts as if he did not know HOW TO INTERPRET IT. Therefore, whoever forgets his dream and cannot recall it, will find his dream unfulfilled. Joseph therefore remembered his dream and never forgot it, so it would come true. He waited for it all the time. He said to them, "You are spies" (Beresheet 42:9). Although he remembered the dream, he said nothing except, "You are spies."

148. Rabbi Yosi continued with the verse, "For a dream comes through a multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words" (Kohelet 5:2). HE EXPLAINED THAT "a dream comes through a multitude of business" means there are many who help the dream endure, including chiefs and grades upon grades, for some dreams are all truth and some contain both truth and lies, THAT IS, ONE PART WILL COME TRUE AND ANOTHER WILL NOT. But the truly righteous are shown no lies in their dreams; they are shown only truth.

149. Come and behold, It is written of Daniel, "Then to Daniel, in a vision of the night," NAMELY, IN A DREAM, "the secret was revealed" (Daniel 2:19) and "Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay upon his bed, then he wrote his dream" (Daniel 7:1). Had the dream contained lies, the book of Daniel would not be among the scriptures. But when the souls of the truly righteous ascend during sleep, only holy beings join them. These holy beings tell them true words, enduring words, that never lie.

150. You may say that King David never had a good dream. It may be concluded that he saw untrue things. YET IN FACT HE WAS FULL OF KINDNESS AND THE GRACE OF HASHEM. HE ANSWERS, Surely it was because he spent his days shedding blood and engaging in war. Thus all his dreams were bad dreams -- about destruction, waste, blood, and bloodshed -- and not peaceful dreams.

151. It may be asked how a good man could POSSIBLY be shown a bad dream. HE REPLIES, Surely all the evil is destined to cleave to those who transgress the words of the Torah, and the punishment destined for them in the world of truth was seen BY KING DAVID, so that the fear of his Master will be upon him at all times. THIS SETTLES THE QUESTION, HOW HE COULD HAVE SEEN UNTRUE THINGS? HE SAW THEM IN RELATION TO SINNERS, FOR WHOM THEY WERE REAL. HE WAS SHOWN THIS TO AROUSE THE FEAR OF HEAVEN IN HIM. It has been said with regard to the verse, "and Elohim does it, so that men should fear before Him" (Kohelet 3:14) that it is a bad dream WHICH CAUSES A MAN TO BE FEARFUL. A righteous man is therefore shown a bad dream, as we have already said.

152. Come and behold, We have learned that when a man has a dream, he should speak about it. He SHOULD SEEK AN INTERPRETATION before his friends, whose wishes will be favorable toward him and whose words will be expressed for his good. Thus THEIR wishes and words will be for the good. Their wishes, which is thought (NAMELY CHOCHMAH) are the beginning of everything (OF THE SFIROT) and the word (MALCHUT) is the completion of everything. Thus it is made whole by the supernal mystery, BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE SFIROT, and all of it comes true. MOREOVER, they ask for compassion for that man and ask that the good interpretation THEY GAVE will endure. Thus all is as it should be.

153. The Holy One, blessed be He, then informs each man IN HIS DREAM according to his worth and grade and in the same way each man interprets the dream. The Jew said, Assuredly, the dream is but for the righteous man, who sees dreams properly.

154. Come and behold, When a man sleeps in his bed, his soul departs and roams in the world above. It enters wherever it can, and camps of spirits that hover in the world meet the soul. If THAT MAN is righteous, THE SOUL ascends and sees whatever it sees. If he is not righteous, THE SOUL holds to the other side and is told lies or things that will happen in the near future.

155. Therefore, a man who is not righteous is shown a good but untruthful dream, so that he will turn from the way of truth. Once he turns, he is defiled, for whoever comes to be purified is purified, and whoever comes to be defiled is defiled. Assuredly this is so, as we have already learned.

156. They sat till dawn. Rabbi Yosi said, Surely the name of Joseph was not mentioned among the standards, as it is written, "the standard of the camp of Ephraim" (Bemidbar 2:18), rather than, "the standard of the camp of Joseph." The reason for this is that he exalted himself above his brothers, as we have already learned.

157. The Jew said, Surely I have heard that Joseph is of the world of the male, BEING OF YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, and all the tribes were of the world of the female, NAMELY THE SHECHINAH. Joseph therefore had no part in the standards, being of the world of the male.

158. It is written, "We (Heb. nachnu) are all one man's sons" (Beresheet 42:11). HE ASKS, Why is it written nachnu instead of the standard form anachnu? Why is the Aleph missing? HE ANSWERS, Because the secret of the Covenant, WHICH IS JOSEPH, was not among them, the Aleph was gone AND IT WAS WRITTEN NACHNU. Thus, because the Aleph is male and Bet is female, the Aleph, JOSEPH, was gone and only the female LETTERS OF NACHNU remained with the Shechinah, WHICH CONTAINS THE SECRET OF THE TRIBES.

159. They later said, "We (Heb. anachnu) are true men" (Ibid.) with the letter Aleph added. They said it, yet knew not what they said, for it was because of Joseph that they uttered the complete word anachnu. How do we know this? From the verse, "And they said, 'Your servants are twelve, we are (Heb. anachnu) brothers'" (Ibid. 13), including Joseph. Thus, when JOSEPH was included, they said anachnu, and when he was not, they said nachnu.

160. Rabbi Yosi said, All the things we have said delighted the Holy One, blessed be He, because the Shechinah did not depart from here. This is in accordance with the verse, "Then, they who feared Hashem spoke to one another: and Hashem hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared Hashem and took heed of His name" (Malachi 3:16).