Yosef and Binyamin, the higher and lower Tzaddik: Torah Or p. 80b-81a

It states in scripture, “and all of the nation are Tzaddikim.” The term Tzaddikim is used in plural as it refers to the two different types of Tzaddik, Yosef the higher Tzaddik and Binyamin the lower Tzaddik, as some souls are from the level of Yosef and others of the level of Binyamin. Whatever the case, every soul is relevant to some level of Tzaddik. Now, what is the difference between the higher Tzaddik and lower Tzaddik? The job of the higher Tzaddik is from above to below to attach the world of Atzilus to the world of Beriya and draw down the revelations of the higher world into the lower world. The job of the lower Tzaddik is to do the same but in the contrary order, from below to above, to attach the world of Beriya to the world of Atzilus. These two different job descriptions of the higher and lower Tzaddik were present in the lives of Yosef and Binyamin. Yosef was the viceroy of Egypt and was in charge of feeding all of the people of the world during the famine. He represents the Divine service of a Mashpia, which is to give to those lower than him, to give from the higher spiritual world of Atzilus to the lower spiritual world of Beriya, in order to give room for the creation of independent beings. Binyamin however has the opposite job to take the independent beings that were already created as the result of the divine service of Yosef, and bring them back to their root in G-dliness. This is known as He’ala, or elevation. This was represented in Binyamin’s life, as his mother Rachel had difficulty birthing him to the point that she passed away. This is because he represents the return of life to its source, the entrance of the child back into the womb and not the revelation of life from its source, the birth of the child from the womb.