Vayeshev
Abraham Brit (Covenant) Covenant (Brit) Field Hatred Jacob Joseph Righteous Shechem

102. "And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, 'What are you seeking?'" (Beresheet 37:15). It is written earlier: "And Yisrael said to Joseph, 'Do not your brothers feed the flock in Shchem? Come, and I will send you to them'" (Ibid. 13). Why did the perfected Jacob, who loved Joseph better than his other sons and knew that his brothers hated him, send Joseph to them? HE ANSWERS, Because he knew they were righteous, he did not distrust them. The Holy One, blessed be He, caused all this to carry out the decree He made TO ABRAHAM in the Covenant, between the pieces.

102. וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ וְהִנֵּה תֹעֶה בַּשָּׂדֶה וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ הָאִישׁ לֵאמֹר מַה תְּבַקֵּשׁ. מַה כְּתִיב לְעֵילָא, וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל יוֹסֵף הֲלוֹא אַחֶיךָ רֹעִים בִּשְׁכֶם לְכָה וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֲלֵיהֶם. וְכִי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלֵימָא, דַּהֲוָה רָחֵים לֵיהּ לְיוֹסֵף מִכָּל בְּנוֹי, וְהוּא יָדַע דְּכָל אֲחוֹי הֲווֹ סָנְאִין לֵיהּ, אַמַּאי שַׁדַּר לֵיהּ לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, אֶלָּא אִיהוּ לָא חָשִׁיד עֲלַיְיהוּ, דַּהֲוָה יָדַע דְּכֻלְּהוּ הֲווֹ זַכָּאִין, וְלָא חָשִׁיד לוֹן, אֶלָּא גָּרֵים קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כָּל דָּא, בְּגִין לְקַיְימָא גְּזֵרָה דִּגְזַר בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים.

Crowns Egypt Egyptians Jacob Joseph Slavery

103. We have found it stated in ancient books that it was imperative that the sons of Jacob have mastery over Joseph before he descended to Egypt. For if he had gone there before they dominated him, the Egyptians would have ruled over Yisrael in perpetuity, AND YISRAEL WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE. THEREFORE, it came to pass that HIS BROTHERS were Joseph's masters and sold him as a slave. THUS, when Joseph was later crowned king of Egypt, Yisrael ruled over them all. FOR THEY OBTAINED MASTERY OVER JOSEPH, THEIR KING, BY SELLING HIM TO BE A SLAVE. IT WAS AS IF THEY RULED OVER THE EGYPTIANS THEMSELVES. THIS WEAKENED EGYPTIAN POWER AND ENABLED YISRAEL TO BE FREED FROM IT.

103. אַשְׁכַּחְנָא בְּסִפְרֵי קַדְמָאי, דְּבָעְיָין אִלֵּין בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב, לְשַׁלְּטָאָה עֲלוֹי, עַד לָא יֵחוֹת לְמִצְרַיִם, דְּאִילּוּ הוּא יֵחוֹת לְמִצְרַיִם וְאִינוּן לָא שָׁלְטוּ בֵּיהּ בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, יָכְלֵי מִצְרָאִי לְשַׁלְּטָאָה לְעָלְמִין עֲלַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִתְקַיְימָא בֵּיהּ בְּיוֹסֵף, דְּאִזְדַּבַּן לְעַבְדָא, וְאִינוּן שָׁלְטוּ עֲלוֹי, וְאַף עַל גָּב דְּיוֹסֵף הֲוָה מַלְכָּא לְבָתַר, וּמִצְרָאֵי הֲווֹ עָבְדִין לֵיהּ, אִשְׁתַּכָּחוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּשָׁלְטוּ עַל כֻּלְּהוּ.

Brit (Covenant) Covenant (Brit) Egypt Exile Joseph Peace Shechinah Slavery Zeir Anpin

104. Come and behold, Joseph was the Supernal Covenant, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, and as long as the Covenant, JOSEPH, endured, the Shechinah lived within Yisrael in peace. Once Joseph, the Supernal Covenant, was gone from the world AND SOLD AS A SLAVE, the Covenant, the Shechinah, and Yisrael all went into exile. This has been explained in connection with the verse, "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph" (Shemot 1:8). THIS INDICATES THAT HIS RANK HAD BEEN REVOKED AND HE WENT INTO EXILE. The Holy One, blessed be He, caused all this, and it happened as it had to.

104. תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּיוֹסֵף דְּאִיהוּ בְּרִית עִלָאָה, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּאִתְקַיַּים בְּרִית, שְׁכִינְתָּא אִתְקַיַּים בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּשְׁלָם, כִּדְקָא יָאוֹת, כֵּיוָן דְּאִסְתַּלַּק יוֹסֵף בְּרִית עִלָּאָה מֵעַלְמָא, כְּדֵין בְּרִית, שְׁכִינְתָּא, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלְּהוּ בְּגָלוּתָא נָפְקוּ, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא דִּכְתִיב, וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ עַל מִצְרַיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע אֶת יוֹסֵף, וְכֹלָּא הֲוָה מֵעִם קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כִּדְקָא יָאוֹת.

Daniel Gabriel (Angel) Vision

105. "And a certain man found him" refers to Gabriel. It has been explained here that it is written, "And a certain man found him," and elsewhere it is written, "The man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning" (Daniel 9:21). BY ANALOGY, WE LEARN THAT THE MAN IN THE FIRST SENTENCE IS ALSO GABRIEL, and "he was wandering" (Beresheet 37:15) in every way, for trusting his brothers, for seeking fraternity but not obtaining it, and for looking for them without finding them. Therefore, "the man asked him, saying, 'What are you seeking?'"

105. תָּא חֲזֵי, וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ, דָּא גַּבְרִיאֵל, וְאוֹקְמוּהָ כְּתִיב הָכָא וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ אִישׁ, וּכְתִיב הָתָם וְהָאִישׁ גַּבְרִיאֵל אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי בֶחָזוֹן בַּתְּחִלָּה. וְהִנֵּה תוֹעֶה, בְּכֹלָּא תּוֹעֶה, דְּאַבְטַח עַל אֲחוֹי, דַּהֲוָה מִתְבַּע אַחְוָה דִלְהוֹן, וְלָא אַשְׁכַּח, וְתָבַע לְהוֹ, וְלָא אַשְׁכַּח. וְעַל דָּא תוֹעֶה בְּכֹלָּא, וְעַל דָּא וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ הָאִישׁ לֵאמֹר מַה תְּבַקֵּשׁ.