ב"ה
THEMES of Featured Contemporary Kabbalists Articles
Spiritually, Benjamin was an intermediary between Joseph and his brothers.
"My chalice—my silver chalice—place it on top in the younger one’s saddlebag."
Joseph's wine goblet alluded to love for G-d that is filled with joy. Spiritually, Benjamin was an intermediary between Joseph and his brothers. By hiding his silver goblet in Benjamin's pack, Joseph embedded his level of joyful love of G-d in the souls of all Jews, even those within whom it normally lies dormant, thus enabling them to survive and thrive in the decadence of Egypt. |
By bowing to Joseph, the Egyptians were submitting themselves to Joseph’s level of Divine consciousness.
Rabbi Judah asserts that although the Egyptians may not have consciously experienced Joseph's level of absolute selflessness, they still prostrated themselves before because they had been subconsciously affected by what he was emanating.
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Beginner
Much like a dream, our lives are often an inconsistent and confusing blend of right and wrong.
The reality of exile is analogous to that of a dream, consisting of coexisting conflicting and contradictory elements. We pray to G-d with absolute devotion and yet, in a matter of minutes, we may find ourselves acting in ways that contradict G-d's directives.
The Torah teaches us that although our actions are inconsistent and may seem hypocritical at times, we should not become disheartened, for the effects of our good deeds nonetheless will last forever. |
The notion that we can get through life without hard work stems from our unholy side; anything received for "free" will not endure.
The fact that both Joseph's earthly and heavenly dreams conveyed the same basic idea implies that for Joseph, the earthly and heavenly were one. Not only did the earthly not distract him from the heavenly, it itself was transformed and became heavenly. For Pharaoh, in contrast, there was only one world — the world of cows and grain.
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