Parshas Vayeishev
1. At the beginning of this week's Sidrah (Vayeishev), the Torah relates the two dreams that Yosef dreamed. Both dreams had the same meaning: both of them hinted that Yosef would rule over his brothers and that they would bow down to him. [The second dream added only that "השמש והירח" ("the sun and the moon"), Yaakov and Bilhah, would also prostrate themselves before him, not only the eleven stars, the brothers, as in the first dream.] The Torah likewise relates (in Parshas Mikeitz) the two dreams that Pharaoh dreamed, and with him too both dreams had the same meaning. There, however, with Pharaoh, the Torah gives a reason, "ועל השנות החלום" ("and as for the repetition of the dream"), why the dream was repeated: because "וממהר האלקים לעשותו" ("G‑d is hastening to bring it about"), that is, the Al-mighty is hurrying to make the dream come true. With Yosef, by contrast, the Torah gives no reason at all why his dream was repeated. And although the second dream added, as mentioned, the hint that Yaakov and Bilhah too would bow down to Yosef, this is still not a sufficient reason for repeating the dream, since this could have been hinted to Yosef in the first dream. It follows that although the meaning of Yosef's two dreams was the same, they nevertheless allude to two separate matters.
We therefore need to understand what the two separate matters of the dreams are, and what lesson they hold for us. For, as has been said many times, "מעשה אבות" ("the deeds of the Fathers") — and this includes the events of Yosef's life too, since he drew down and carried out in the world, in the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, the matters of Yaakov, as it is written, "אלה תולדות יעקב יוסף" ("These are the generations of Yaakov: Yosef")1 — are "a sign" (a lesson) "for the children."2
2. The difference between Yosef's two dreams is this: the first dream was about earthly things — "והנה אנחנו מאלמים אלמים בתוך השדה" ("Behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field") — and the second dream was about "השמש והירח ואחד עשר כוכבים" ("the sun and the moon and eleven stars"), heavenly matters.
With Pharaoh, both dreams were about earthly things: one dream was about the category of "animal" (cows), and the other about the category of "vegetation" (ears of grain); but Pharaoh had no connection whatsoever to heavenly things. Even within earthly matters themselves, the order with Pharaoh was "פוחת והולך" ("steadily decreasing"),3 going ever lower — first the dream about cows and afterward the dream about ears of grain.4 With Yosef, however, the order was "מעלין בקודש" ("one ascends in holiness"),* rising ever higher in holiness — first the dream about earthly matters, and afterward the dream about "the sun and the moon and eleven stars."
This is the general difference between a Jew and, to differentiate, a non-Jew. A Jew, even while he is in this world, is bound up with both worlds — not only with the physicality of this world but also with the spirituality of the World to Come. As my father-in-law, the Rebbe [the Previous Rebbe], said (when one of the interrogators — at the time when the Rebbe was under arrest in Russia, in the year 5687 — threatened the Rebbe with a revolver): those who have many gods and one world are afraid of a revolver; but one who has one G‑d and two worlds has nothing to fear.5 This does not mean that a Jew has two worlds at two separate times; rather, even while he is in this world he is bound up with a higher, spiritual world. And the order of this bond is from below upward: "סלם מצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה" ("a ladder set upon the earth, and its top reaching to heaven"). The "ladder," a Jew's ladder of Divine service, begins from lowly matters — "upon the earth" — and from there he reaches up to the very highest spiritual levels — "to heaven."
3. All matters of Torah are exact, and every detail of them is a lesson6 in Divine service. It is understood, then, that the fact that in its plain sense the meaning of both of Yosef's dreams is the same, even though they speak of two separate worlds, earth and heaven, is a lesson to a Jew that he must make of both worlds — physicality and spirituality — one thing. Not only must a Jew's physicality not hinder his spirituality; it should actually help in his Divine service, until the physicality itself becomes spirituality.7
(The statement in the Zohar,8 "תוקפא דגופא חולשא דנשמתא" ("The strength of the body is the weakness of the soul"), does not refer to the physical health of the body, but to the strength of the desires and to having one's head in bodily things. Health of the body itself, on the contrary, is something one must have in order to serve G‑d, as the Rambam says:9 "היות הגוף בריא ושלם מדרכי השם הוא" ("Keeping the body healthy and whole is among the ways of G‑d") — that the body be healthy and whole is part of the ways of (serving and knowing) the Al-mighty.)
And the idea that all physical matters, such as eating and drinking, and one's entire life, are for the sake of spirituality, for the sake of serving the Al-mighty, is present in the nature of every Jew, even of simple people. As is known, there is the story10 of the Rebbe Maharash (in connection with the debate that the Rebbe [Rashab], of blessed memory, had with his brother, Raza, when they were still small children, about the superiority of a Jew over a non-Jew). The Rebbe Maharash asked Ben Tziyon the attendant: "Ben Tziyon, have you eaten?" The attendant answered: "Yes." The Rebbe Maharash asked him: "Did you eat well?" He answered: "What does 'well' mean? Say 'Boruch Hashem.'" The Rebbe asked him again: "And for what purpose did you eat?" Ben Tziyon answered: "In order to live." "And for what purpose do you live?" the Rebbe asked him. Ben Tziyon answered: "So that I can be a Jew and do what the Al-mighty wants" — and the attendant gave a sigh as he said it. Later the Rebbe Maharash said to the children: "You see, a Jew by his nature eats so that he may live, and needs to live so that he can be a Jew and do what the Al-mighty commands — and he gives a sigh besides, because he feels that it is not yet with pure truth."
And since a Jew has, in all his physical matters, an intention and a will directed toward spirituality, they actually become spirituality, as in the saying of the Baal Shem Tov: "Where a person's will is, there he himself is."11
4. This concerns Yosef's two dreams in general. But what is the lesson of the separate details in each of the dreams?
Yosef's first dream begins: "Behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field" — Yosef together with the tribes binding sheaves in the field. Yosef's dreams begin right away with work, with Divine service — unlike Pharaoh's dreams, where there is no mention whatsoever of any work.
This is the general difference between holiness and kelipah. In kelipah, things do not necessarily come through work: "אשר נאכל במצרים חנם" ("which we ate in Egypt for free") — in Egypt, in kelipah, food was given "for free," without the work of mitzvos.12 But in holiness there is no "נהמא דכסופא" ("bread of shame") — no free bread; every flow and influence from Above comes only through work. And this is the lesson for a Jew: as soon as he begins to go up the "ladder," there must be the work with earthly matters, "set upon the earth" (as in Yosef's first dream), until he comes to heavenly matters, "and its top reaching to heaven" (as in Yosef's second dream).
5. What does this work consist of? "Binding sheaves." Each of the stalks from which the sheaves are bound grows in a separate place and hollow (a little pit), and they are separated from one another. The person's work is to gather them together and unite them into "sheaves," into bundles.13 Where is this work done? "In the middle of the field," in the field. And in this lies the lesson: the soul of a Jew comes down below into a "field," this world, which is a place of separateness,14 of kelipos and the sitra achra ("עשו איש שדה" — "Esav, a man of the field"). It clothes itself in a body and an animal soul, which are a "yesh," an existence unto themselves. And the work is in the "field": to nullify the selfhood and separateness that stem from the body and the animal soul, and to gather and unite all one's powers for the service of G‑d — "binding sheaves."
After this work of "binding sheaves in the middle of the field" must come the work of "והשתחוין לאלמתי" ("and they bowed down to my sheaf") — the prostration and self-nullification before the "sheaf" of Yosef the Tzaddik. All Jews, after all, form one "קומה שלימה" ("complete stature")15 (a single whole form). Just as in the form of the human body all the limbs must be subordinate to the "תלת שליטין" ("three rulers")16 (the brain, the heart and the liver — the three principal organs that rule over the whole body), and above all every limb must be subordinate to the head, for only then is the body healthy — so it is also in the "complete stature" of the Jewish people as a whole. It is not enough that a person does the work of "binding sheaves," nullifying the powers of the body and the animal soul and uniting them to serve the Al-mighty. After he becomes a "sheaf" (a defined form of Divine service), that sheaf must then be nullified before the "sheaf" of Yosef the Tzaddik — before the Rebbe, the Nasi of the generation, who is the head of the stature of Israel,17 who gives directives and leads all Jews, just as the head leads all the limbs of the body.18
In the inner dimension of the matter, the "and they bowed down to my sheaf," the self-nullification before the tzaddik of the generation, is present even before the work of "binding sheaves"; for the very fact that a Jew is able to do the work "in the middle of the field" comes through the inner self-nullification that a soul has toward Yosef the Tzaddik.19 But in the order of a Jew's service from below upward, the lower level of "binding sheaves" must come first, and afterward he must nullify the "sheaf," even his holy form of service, before the Nasi — "and they bowed down to my sheaf."
6. But even after all this work, one is still "in the middle of the field," at the level of "set upon the earth" (Yosef's first dream). The intention, however, is to go out entirely from the limitations of the body and the animal soul. This is the true meaning of (spending all one's days in) teshuvah, as explained in Likkutei Torah,20 that the inner meaning of teshuvah is "והרוח תשוב אל האלקים אשר נתנה" ("and the spirit shall return to G‑d who gave it")21 — that a Jew's soul should return to the Al-mighty and be on the same level it was on before it came down into the body. (This does not mean, G‑d forbid, leaving the body and the animal soul, but that while being here below in a body, the body should not conceal at all.) This is the purpose of the soul's entire descent below: that even while in a body it should be able to be united with the Al-mighty "who gave it," as it was before the descent.
And this is the meaning of the second dream, which speaks only of heavenly matters. He has already left the "field"; he has completed all the work with earthly matters. That is why the second dream no longer mentions the work of "binding," of gathering together separate things — because that work he has already completed. His work now is only in heavenly matters, in spiritual matters — "and the spirit shall return to G‑d who gave it."
But the work of nullifying one's inner form of service before the Nasi of the generation is repeated in the second dream too — "ואחד עשר כוכבים משתחוים לי" ("and eleven stars were bowing down to me") (even in this form of "stars"). One should not think that inner self-nullification toward Yosef is required only when one does the work "in the middle of the field," which is a place of separateness, where one must guard against kelipah drawing any nurture, but that when one deals only with heavenly matters this self-nullification is no longer necessary. On this comes the lesson of the second dream: "and eleven stars were bowing down to me" — the prostration and self-nullification before Yosef the Tzaddik must be present even when one stands at the highest level of service, "and its top reaching to heaven."
7. These, then, are the main points that we learn from the dreams of Yosef the Tzaddik. First of all, there must be work. Precisely this is the ladder by which a Jew can rise in his bond with the Al-mighty. One should not think that since all Jews are "בני מלכים" ("children of kings"),22 or, even more, as it is stated in one place,23 "מלכים הם" ("they are kings"), they therefore need no work. The directive mentioned above, that all holy influences come only through work, applies to them too — except that since we are speaking of kings, for them every small thing is an entire service, and the Al-mighty will in turn reward them "בסעודת שלמה בשעתו" ("like the feast of Shlomo in his time," when he was king), and even more. But work there must be. And when one toils in the work — "יגעת" ("you have toiled") — one will then also reach levels that one never expected at all — "ומצאת" ("and you have found")24 (like a find, something one comes upon unexpectedly), that is, much more than accords with one's toil and work — until one comes to "and its top reaching to heaven."
The second lesson is that in every kind of service there must be self-nullification before the head and leader of the Jewish people, whatever level one may be at.
And when there is the "בטל רצונך" ("nullify your will"), the Al-mighty will nullify "רצון אחרים מפני רצונך" ("the will of others before your will"),25 and the "will of others" will be nullified — "others" in the plural, the worlds of this world, which give room to err and think that there are, G‑d forbid, two domains, as it is written: "נעשה" ("Let us make") in the plural, "והרוצה לטעות וכו'" ("and whoever wishes to err" etc.)26 — and through this one becomes a fitting vessel to receive all the influences of Yosef the Tzaddik, the foundation of the world.
(From the sichos of Shabbos Parshas Vayeishev, 5720)
Notes
1) See Biurei HaZohar, beginning of Parshas Vayechi (30a ff.); Or HaTorah, discourse beginning "Ben Poras Yosef" (386a); and elsewhere.
2) See above, Parshas Lech Lecha, and the sources noted there.
3) The connection of this to Chanukah as well (which falls during Parshas Vayeishev–Mikeitz): see Shabbos 21b, and the Chanukah discourses (in Torah Or, etc.).
4) The explanation of this, as well as of the other details of Pharaoh's dreams, see below, Parshas Mikeitz.
*) See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 1, p. 79 ff., and the sources noted there.
5) See the biography of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak) [in Yiddish], p. 10.
6) Zohar III, 53b.
7) See also "Hayom Yom," 27 Elul.
8) See Zohar I, 180b; ibid., 140b; discourse beginning "Vayomer Moshe," 5709.
9) Rambam, Hilchos De'os, beginning of ch. 4. So it appears in all the editions of the Rambam that I have seen, and it requires further study. Seemingly it is clear that there is an omission here by the first printers (and the later publishers followed them without noticing it, especially since few study Hilchos De'os closely), and it should read: "מדרכי עבודת השם הוא" ("is among the ways of the service of G‑d"). This continues what he writes there at the end of the preceding chapter: "He should set his heart that his body be whole and strong in order etc. … one who goes in this way all his days serves G‑d constantly … since his intention is that his body be whole in order to serve G‑d etc." And on this he writes and continues at the beginning of ch. 4: "Since (as he explained above) keeping the body healthy and whole is among the ways of the service of G‑d etc." — or it should read: "is among the ways of the knowledge of G‑d," in accordance with what he concludes there and brings as proof: "for it is impossible etc. … that he understand or know anything of the knowledge of the Creator." I have not found any of the commentators on the Yad who deal with this (from a letter of the Rebbe). See also Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 2, p. 531, note 12.
10) Likkutei Dibburim, Vol. 3, 421a; Kovetz Michtavim, p. 216 (printed at the end of Tehillim Ohel Yosef Yitzchak).
11) Mayim Rabbim 5636, ch. 113; Sefer HaMaamarim – Kuntreisim, Vol. 2, p. 818; Likkutei Dibburim, Vol. 1, p. 226; Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 1, p. 66.
12) Sifri, Bamidbar 11:5, cited in Rashi there. Especially according to our Talmud (Yoma 75a): "from ownerless property." See also Zohar II, 128a.
13) See also Torah Or, 28a. [The source reads "חו"א," apparently an OCR error for "תו"א" (Torah Or).]
14) See the discourse beginning "V'im BaSadeh," 5562, by the Alter Rebbe; Or HaTorah, Toldos, discourse beginning "Vayigdelu HaNe'arim," 139b.
15) Likkutei Torah, beginning of Parshas Nitzavim.
16) Zohar II, 153a. See also Toras Shalom, p. 120 ff.
17) See Sefer HaMaamarim 5710, p. 254.
18) See Tanya, ch. 2; and compare what is explained in Torah Or and Torah Chaim there. In terms of Divine service, this is the matter of the first refinement and the second refinement; see also the supplements to Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 2, Parshas Vayeishev, p. 479 ff.
19) See Tanya, ibid.; the discourse beginning "Basi LeGani," 5712, at its end (in Sefer HaMaamarim Basi LeGani, Vol. 1, and in Sefer HaMaamarim Melukat, Vol. 1).
20) Beginning of Parshas Haazinu.
21) Koheles 12:7.
22) [The text of notes 22–26 is missing from the OCR source.]
23) [Note text missing from the OCR source.]
24) [Note text missing from the OCR source.]
25) [Note text missing from the OCR source.]
26) [Note text missing from the OCR source.]
Key Lesson
Yosef's two dreams teach that a Jew must make physicality and spirituality into one, climbing the ladder from "binding sheaves in the field" — refining and uniting his earthly powers through real toil — up to heavenly matters. At every level of that ascent, even the very highest, his service must remain bound up with self-nullification before the Nasi of the generation, the Yosef of his time.