By: Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui
All of the Torah (the Bible) – has been presented by G-d to the world for it to be an eternal lesson of G-dly wisdom for all people in all times. There are an incredible amount of powerful life lessons from the weekly portion of the Torah (the five books of Moses – the Bible) that we are currently reading.
The Talmud and the books of mysticism tell us, dreams can sometimes contain a degree of prophecy and future telling. Joseph has these two dreams that he would become a master over his brothers. They really didn’t like the idea. One day, as Joseph was sent by their father to check up on the family, the brothers decide to sell Joseph as a slave. Joseph ends up in a dungeon prison and Jacob loses his ability to experience the Holy Spirit. A famine begins in Egypt, and after 22 years of being away from home Joseph becomes viceroy to King Pharaoh.
Jacob and his children, prominent wealthy people in the Land of Canaan hear there is food in Egypt, and they end up bowing down to Joseph, just as Joseph had dreamt, in order to get provisions.
The brothers did not recognize Joseph and blamed each other for all the hardships they were going through, until Joseph revealed himself to them. They were shocked. Joseph tells them. “But now don’t be upset or angry with yourselves that you sold me to this place, for G-d sent me ahead of you to save your lives.”
Later on, after the death of Jacob their father, the brothers are afraid that Joseph may want to get even with them. Joseph tells his brothers. “Don’t be afraid, (that I will take revenge) for G-d only desires the good for you. Am I instead of G-d? (To decide unilaterally to punish you for what you did).” “You planned to do bad things to me (but) G-d intended for good – in order to make things like they are today, (where I am) keeping a great number of people alive.”
Let’s go through some of the powerful lessons in this short synopsis of a much longer story.
When a person has a dream that repeats itself, the Talmud tells us this could be an indication to take note of this dream.
“In the measure a person measures, so is measured for him.” What goes around comes around. Jacob was away from his father (Isaac) and did not perform the Mitzvah – commandment and good deed to respect and honor his parents for 22 years. Jacob was punished that his son Joseph was away from him for 22 years.
Jacob was not as happy as he could have been,believing his son was killed by an animal. For that reason, he lost his capacity to experience the highest dimensions of G-dliness. “Strength and joy are in (His) Place.” In order for the Levites to channel G-dliness and the supernatural associated with G-dliness in the Temple, they played musical instruments to uplift and lighten their spirits
The prophet Elisha lost his prophecy because he was upset with the King Yehoram. “And it was when the musician played (for Elisha) and it came upon him the hand of G-d.”
For this reason, Joseph says the same thing to his brothers. “Do not be upset or angry.” “Depression is the emissary of the evil inclination to disturb and confuse a person in his G-dly mission. Slowly, it saps a person of his talents and stops up the faculties of his soul.”
No one can ever stand in the way of someone else’s destiny. The Talmud says, “A person cannot touch (affect) the canopy (destiny) of his friend.” Many times we would like to blame someone else for our lot in life. This story shows us that even when the brothers tried to disturb and disrupt G-ds plans, they did not succeed.
Many more lessons but no more room.
To read more articles from Rabbi Ezagui visit him at http://koshercaffeine.blogspot.com/
