Parshat Vayeishev
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week's parsha that Yosef tells his brothers about his dreams. The first dream involves the brothers tying sheaves of grain in the field. Yosef's sheaf stands up and is surrounded by the brother's sheaves who bow down to Yosef's sheaf. When the Torah tells us that they were tying sheaves, it uses the noun of sheaf as a verb (Chapter 37, Pasuk 7), Me'almim Alumim. Rashi comments on these words and teaches that it means they were tying up the bundles as Onkelos explains.
The Sfas Emes teaches a deeper meaning to this dream of Yosef. The brothers were all working in the field and the field is a place which is identified with Eisav, as the pasuk says (Chapter 25, Pasuk 27), Vayehi Eisav…Ish Sadeh. It is a place of Hefker; open and untamed, a paradigm for the physical world. And the brothers are tying sheaves together which represents taking the physical world and revealing the holiness contained within. The process of tying up is one of creating unity and focus in a world of pirud, where things are unfocused, confusing and complex. The brother's sheaves bow down to that of Yosef since Yosef is the paradigm of focus as taught by Rashi on the words Eileh Toldos Yaakov Yosef. Yosef is the flame to the fire of Yaakov and gives the fire its focus and enables it to be sholet m'rachok, to have control over great distance. Perhaps the great distance includes being able to find the internal Kedushah contained within our physical world.
This work in the field stops on Shabbos. On Shabbos one doesn't need to tie up the bundles but rather the holiness descends directly upon the Jew and he feels directly the holiness contained within the world. This is the Neshamah Yeseirah that a Jew receives on Shabbos, this is the unique sign, the Os, Beini U'Bein Bnei Yisrael.
The way we find the Kedushah in the world, the "tying up the bundles", is through learning Torah and keeping mitzvos. This enables us to clarify the light and remove the darkness and confusion, the physical matter and pesoles. And when a person sins, it creates greater confusion and mixes more evil within the good and the holy contained within the world.
We have explained in the past the Sfas Emes's explanation for the famous disagreement between Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel in how to light Chanukah candles. Beis Shammai says we are Pocheis V'Holeich when we light; we start with eight the first night and conclude with one. Beis Hillel says we are Mosif V'Holeich; we begin with one light and conclude with eight lights on the last night. The Sfas Emes teaches that they are emphasizing different aspects of the process of bringing light into the world. As we explained, we need to remove the physical and the profane in the world and find the Kedushah contained within. Beis Shammai says we emphasize the burning of the oil, the pesoles, as we light the lights of Chanukah. As the light increases the oil is being diminished so we are Poches V'Holeich reflecting on the removal of the physical and the confusion contained within the world. While Beis Hillel emphasizes the light; ultimately we are trying to bring more Kedushah and holiness into our lives and it is that aspect that we are celebrating when we light the lights of Chanukah. Therefore we are Mosif V'Holeich, adding more lights each night. It is through the light of Chanukah and the light of Torah that we are able to get to the source of meaning and holiness in the world and that is our purpose in this world; to be Me'almim Alumim B'Soch HaSadeh.
Good Shabbos
Print this article