8328 —שאלות על תורה אור וליקוטי תורה, ופירושים על יוסף במצרים

B"H, 11 Shevat, 5722.

Brooklyn, NY.

Haraha"g Haraha"ch iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z etc. Yitzchak Dubav

Shalom u'Vrachah!

... In response to your previous questions: A) In Likkutei Torah in the explanation of 'VeLo Tashbit' in section Daled: There are things in the Torah that were not given to be clothed below in wisdom and intellect at all, such as 'Yosef was brought down to Egypt and Potiphar acquired him,' etc.—why does it specifically focus on this matter? It can be said that this is precisely the point: that Potiphar's acquisition (a transaction which the Torah testifies to its strength) of Yosef did not result in Yosef being clothed there at all; the matters of Egypt did not confuse him at all (see Toras Chaim at the end of Parshas Vayechi).

B) In Torah Or, discourse 'Chayav Inish Levesumei' for Sheni (98a): That through the coercion of Mount Sinai they came to precede 'Naaseh' to 'Nishma.' However, from Midrash Tanchuma and Tosafos (Shabbos 88a), it is evident that the precedence of 'Naaseh' to 'Nishma' was before the coercion of the mountain. These are differing Midrashic teachings. As written in Torah Or, so too it is found in Midrash Tehillim I:4 and in Mechilta d'Rashbi. Part of this was printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 15 p. 524; part in vol. 13 p. 165; and completed according to a facsimile of this letter.

Summary

The Rebbe clarifies nuanced points about why certain stories are emphasized in Chassidic texts and explains how different Midrashim may present varying sequences or interpretations regarding foundational events like Sinai—teaching us to appreciate multiple perspectives within Torah study.