Parshas Mikeitz-Torah Or-Selected Teachings[1]

1^st Mamar “Vayehi Mikeitz Shnasayim Yamim”

1. Vayehi Mikeitz Shnasayim Yamim:[2]
2. All scriptural villains have a counterpart in Kedusha:

There exists a Pharaoh and Sar Hamashkim in Kedusha: Just like Pharoah and the Sar Haofim exist in the world below, which is Kelipa, so too they also exist within the realm of Kedusha. Both exist within the realms of Kelipa and Kedusha, as Hashem made a counterpart of Kedusha for every level of Kelipa.

The level of Pharaoh in Holiness: The level of Pharaoh in the side of evil is a very tough and intense form of evil. Its correspondence in the side of holiness is a very intense and strong revelation of G-dliness and is the revelation of the word of G-d. With that said, having the Sar Hamashkim bring Pharaoh the cup of wine represents revealing a great love for G-d within one’s soul and accessing a great revelation of G-dliness.

B. The four elements of the G-dly soul:

The same way every physical item is made up of the four elements of fire, water, earth, and air, so too within the soul of man there exists these four elements. In the mind rests the element of water while in the heart rests the element of fire, and they work to complement each other. The lungs draw down liquid from the brain through the trachea and into the heart in order to cool down the heart. Now, the same way this applies physiologically in the relation between the brain and the heart, so too it applies within the G-dly soul. In the G-dly soul, the above element of fire in the soul represents a fiery desire to cleave to G-d. This thirst is quenched by the learning of Torah and Mitzvos, which corresponds to the element of water in the brain, through the source of the letters of Torah which refers to the trachea.

1. The correspondence of the Sar Hamashkim within holiness:

The above quenching of thirst of the G-dly soul through the study of Torah which represents the water that is drawn through the trachea is the level of the Sar Hamashkim. The Sar Hamashkim is the Kanah, trachea, which draws down water from the brain to cool off the heart.

The meaning behind the grape vine – Jewish souls: The job of the Sar Hamashkim was to squeeze grapes and turn it into wine. The cluster of grapes on the vine represent Kneses Yisrael, while each individual grape in the vine represent another soul and another sparks of souls, as each soul contains within it wine which is the hidden love in every Jew. Just as there is juice and wine in every single grape, so too every single Jewish soul contains within it an inherited love for G-d.

How to reveal the hidden love/wine-remove the foreskin: Just as grapes must be squeezed in order to reveal their wine so too the G-dly soul must be “squeezed” for the inner love to be revealed. This metaphoric squeezing corresponds to the service of Bittul. This Bittul refers to removing the foreskin, Arlah, of the heart which corresponds to one’s passion and lust for permitted pleasures of this world. To reveal this very hidden love, even a Jew who has never sinned must remove his thin foreskin which is the strong desire for the permissible, just like the wine is surrounded by the skin of the grape, and in order to reveal the wine the skin must be removed. The removal of the skin is accomplished through Bitush [self-effacement] to oneself, feeling humble before all, just as is done with the grape as in order to remove the wine from the grape, the grape must be smashed. This necessity for one to perform the service of Bittul and Bitush and remove one’s lust for the permitted pleasures of the world, is required even if one does not have a sinful past, as will be explained.

1. How to reach true humility:

Above it was explained that a key element in revealing the hidden love that is found within one’s heart is to remove the foreskin which represents one’s lusts for permitted pleasures, which itself is accomplished through Bitush, which represents Bittul. Now, this is to be accomplished through personal self-effacement and humbling of oneself, such as through feeling humble in front of all people, as it states “let my soul be like earth for everyone,” similar to a doormat which is stepped on. It is not, however, to be accomplished through other people putting him down. [One can learn several messages from this statement: 1) To reach a true state of humility it does not suffice for one to be put down by other people, and be viewed by others with disdain and have them treat him like dust. Rather, one must come to a true internal recognition of his lowliness, and view himself like dust.^[3] 2) It is not other people’s jobs to make sure someone does not become too arrogant through putting him down and making him feel like a nobody. This will never lead a person to true humility. Sometimes, a Mashpia or friend or even parent feels like it is his job to put a person down and give him Bitushim in order to break away from his Yeishus and arrogance. This will not accomplish its true goal and at times can be counterproductive. Our job is to uplift peoples spirits and make them feel confident of themselves and of all of their true potentials and not to remind them of all their faults. True humility must come from them and not from us.]

                              

1. How one who has sinned can reveal the hidden love – Drink drunken wine:

Above we explain the method of how to reveal the love from the heart, and remove the wine from the grape, through the service of Bittul. However, this only applies for one who has not sinned. However, one who has sinned must first drink “drunken wine” in order to be able to arouse this love. It is difficult for one who has sinned to focus on G-d without having mundane thoughts interrupt him. The drunken wine represents a great pain for his past deeds which caused him to separate from G-d, and thus he screams to G-d to the point that all of his mundane matters are no longer on his mind, and his only care is for G-d to reveal Himself in his heart. [Thus the difference between one who has sinned and one who has not, seems to be with regards to the level of Bitush that has to be done prior to revealing the hidden love. By the latter, it’s a much more intense level of Bitush.] The quality of wine that the non-sinner reveals through is known as Yayin Misameich or wine of happiness. The quality of wine that a sinner reveals is known as Yayin Hamishakeir, or wine of drunkenness.

1. The cause of disturbing thoughts during prayer as an impediment for finding love:

As stated above, disturbing thoughts during prayer can be caused due to a sinful past. These sins have caused one’s soul to become tainted and defiled and prevent one from being able to rejoice in G-d during his prayer by sending him disturbing thoughts that confuse his concentration. To fix this effect from the sinful past, one must drink wine of drunkenness as will be explained.

1. The purpose of wine and wine of drunkenness:

Scripture states that wine should be given to one who is of bitterness of soul in order to help him forget his state of melancholiness. This was in fact practiced with those who were liable for capital punishment in a Jewish court of law, as prior to the execution, they were given a cup of wine to drink in order to confuse their minds and help them handle the pain of death. This applies likewise regarding one who is suffering from spiritual blockages in his heart which prevent him from experiencing love for G-d in prayer. He needs to drink the wine of drunkenness in order to help his heart forget his sinful past and be able to rejoice with G-d in prayer. This drunkenness is metaphoric, and refers to contemplation of one’s past deeds until he breaks his heart with pain. The recovery from the pain will then result in an ability to rejoice in G-d and prayer.

1. Accepting capital punishment in the bedtime Shema:

According to the text of the Arizal, within the recital of the bedtime Shema one who desires is able to recite a paragraph in which he accepts upon himself the four capital punishments. The meaning and purpose behind this acceptance of the capital punishments is to be break one’s heart and to clear and refine it so it is once again sensitive to G-dliness and can regain an experience of love for G-d. It is the metaphoric correspondence of the wine of drunkenness spoken of above.

1. The four capital punishments on a spiritual level:

There exist four capital punishments in Jewish law, stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation. These punishments exist likewise on a spiritual level within the heart of a Jew. When a Jew sees that his heart is as clogged as stone and is completely unable to be moved with feelings for G-d and spirituality, this is a sign that he has been spiritually punished with the capital punishment of stoning as a result of a sin that is liable for spiritual stoning. Likewise, when a person sees that his heart is burning with lust for forbidden matters this is a sign that he has committed a sin that is liable for the capital punishment of burning. The remedy for all this is for him to accept upon himself the four capital punishments in the bedtime Shema, stated above, and drink a cup of wine of drunkenness, as we explained.

 

1. Amnesia of the physical world is needed to enter the garden of Eden:

Prior to entering the world to come, the garden of Eden, it is necessary for the soul to go through a process of memory cleansing and make it forget any matters that relate to the physical world. Even a complete Tzaddik must go through this process of forgetfulness to be able to enjoy the pleasures of G-d within the garden of Eden. This is accomplished through a metaphoric immersion within the Dinor River. Prior to this immersion, and its effect which causes one to forget all of his past, it is not possible for one to inherit his position in the garden of Eden. Even the slightest of memories of matters relating to this physical world prevent a person from receiving pleasure from the garden of Eden.

1. Amnesia of the lower garden of Eden is needed prior to moving up:

Just as it is necessary for one to erase all memory of the physical world in order to enter the garden of Eden, so too, this is necessary when the soul travels to a higher level within the garden of Eden, that he must forget all his memory of the previous lower level of the garden of Eden in order to properly benefit from the higher level. In general, souls are elevated to higher levels within the garden of Eden on each Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh. In order for them to experience the pleasure of G-dliness in these higher levels, these souls must first immerse in the Diener River in order so they forget everything that they comprehended in the lower or higher garden of Eden.

 

1. Praying and supplicating to G-d that one experience a revelation of G-dliness:

A person who suffers from a heart of stone which is clogged and closed from spiritual experience must in addition to breaking his heart also supplicate to G-d about his state of concealment. After a person contemplates his past sinful behavior and breaks his heart in regret, he must then turn to G-d and pray to Him that he grant him a revelation G-dliness and help him experience a love for Him. After one repents it is necessary for him to request for G-d a revelation G-dliness. This in fact is the inner meaning behind each one of the blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, Baruch Ata Hashem, as it is a request from G-d to draw down a revelation onto the person so that he experience G-dliness.

1. The meaning of the Sar Hamashkim forgetting Yosef:

When a person drinks the wine of happiness or wine of drunkenness to arouse a love for G-d, as explained in the previous paragraphs, it is necessary for him to then so to say “close the bottle” to make sure that the effect of the wine does not escape, and that his experience of love for G-d remain permanent and not escape like air from a balloon. How is this done? Through Torah study. Torah study serves as the vessel which can contain the love of G-d and give it permanency. This is the level of Yosef. We can now understand the meaning of the verse which states that the Sar Hamashkim did not remember Yosef. This refers to an individual who does not take the spiritual experience that he had during prayer and preserve it within the letters of Torah. This will eventually cause him to lose his ability to experience true love for G-d during prayer to the point that it is not recognizable that he ever experienced it, and it is as if he never prayed to begin with. This is analogous to the seven skinny cows eating the seven fat cows and the seven fat cows not causing any growth of size within the seven skinny cows who consumed them.

 

1. Loving G-d for the sake of personal pleasure versus to give G-d pleasure:

Why would a person, as stated above, take the time to arouse a love for G-d during prayer but then not take the time to make the vessels to preserve it? The answer lies within the motivation behind his love. One whose desire to experience love for G-d is simply to experience personal spiritual pleasure, is motivated by selfish motives, and will not necessarily take the time to preserve this experience within the letters of Torah as he suffices with his prayer experience. However, one whose motivation to arouse love for G-d is to give G-d pleasure and satisfaction in the fact that a man of flesh and blood is loving Him, then he will also take the time to draw down this love into the letters of Torah in order to make for G-d a dwelling place below and give Him the ultimate satisfaction.

2^nd Mamar “Vayehi Mikeitz Shnasayim Yamim”

2. Vayehi Mikeitz Shnasayim Yamim:[4]
3. Flaunting what you have causes you to lose it – The importance of keeping your treasures away from the eye of the public:

It was stated previously that just as there exists a Pharaoh of evil so too there exists a Pharaoh in holiness. In truth, Pharaoh begins in holiness and eventually metamorphosizes into evil. The reason for this is because the level of Pharaoh represents an intense revelation and whenever something is expressed in an intense manner it gives room for the side of evil to nurture from it. [This is similar to the concept of an evil eye being cast on one who flaunts and boasts his wealth and assets.] This is in contrast to one who is humble and hides his treasures and assets of which the sages state that blessing is only find on that which is hidden from the eye. [From here we learn an important lesson that if one was blessed with a certain asset whether in physical wealth or intellectual accomplishment, he should not flaunt it to the public and should actually go out of his way to keep it to himself. If you don’t want it to be taken by others then don’t show it to others unless necessary or for a useful and productive purpose.]

1. Ego is the source of lust and is the cause of lacking fear of G-d:

All sinful behavior and activity of derive from a lack of conscious fear of G-d. Fear of G-d is not instinctive or automatic within a persons soul and must be dug up and revealed from its place of burial within the soul of a Jew. On this the sages state that one must reveal the treasure of the fear of heaven that one naturally contains within his heart. Now, just as certain surfaces are too hard to dig through, so too, it is possible for one to create an impenetrable pavement over one’s treasurer of fear of heaven which prevent him from digging it up, and this is one’s ego. Arrogance and ego which is the strong feeling of self pride leads one to lust after all of the pleasures of the world, and leads one to desire that everyone follow through with his wishes. In order to rid one of this problem one must battle his ego head on, by crushing his arrogance.

1. Every Jew deserves endless reward & The purpose of suffering:

We find regarding the wicked and evil Nevuchadnetzar that the Talmud states that G-d rewarded him with kingship for three generations for him having walked three steps in honor of G-d. Now, there is certainly no Jew who has not shown this minimal level of honor towards G-d and hence why is not every Jew not fit to receive all of the pleasures of this world in reward and exchange for this honor that he has shown to G-d. On the contrary, we find that people receive suffering and punishment. Why is a typical Jew any less of worth than the evil Nevuchadnetzar? The explanation is as follows: G-d does not give man stress and suffering out of anger to punish him, as in truth man is befitting to receive as reward all of the great pleasures of this world as did Nevuchadnetzar. Rather, G-d gives man stress and suffering simply to refine the person and humble him from his state of arrogance and ego. Now, when this is accomplished and the person humbles himself as a result of the suffering, this is very precious in the eyes of G-d, and he reciprocates it with a powerful revelation of G-dliness.

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[1] Torah Or p. 30b-43b

[2] Torah Or p. 30b-31a

[3] See Toras Chaim Mikeitz p. 72 [213]

[4] Torah Or p. 31b-32a

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