Releasing the Holy Sparks

A Point of Contention Between Yosef and His Brothers

The sale of Yosef. If we had a truly sensitive soul, those words would send shivers down our spine. Not only did that one action set into motion a chain of events that led to the brutal enslavement of the whole Jewish nation, but perhaps more importantly, the sale of Yosef continues to reverberate even in our day. To appreciate how this is so, we will need to understand, at least in part, what actually precipitated the sale.

We know the pasuk (Bereshit 37:2): וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת־דִּבָּתָם רָעָה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶם. Normally, after we quote a source, we provide an English translation. Why didn’t we do that here? Because there are least two ways to understand the pasuk. Either ‘Yosef brought reports about them that were bad to their father.’ or ‘Yosef brought their evil report to their father.’ If you need to, take time to understand the difference, because they are fundamentally quite different. Which one is correct? It’s not a question of either or. Rather, both are correct. On the one hand, Yosef told his father about the things that his brothers were doing which he (according to his halachic perspective) understood were wrong. And on the other hand, not only did he disagree with his brothers on a number of different halachic issues, but those disagreements were so heated, so intense, that the brothers resorted to personal defamation of Yosef.

What were the issues at hand? According to Rashi, there were three issues of contention: כָּל רָעָה שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה בְאֶחָיו בְנֵי לֵאָה הָיָה מַגִּיד לְאָבִיו שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹכְלִין אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי וּמְזַלְזְלִין בִּבְנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת לִקְרוֹתָן עֲבָדִים וַחֲשׁוּדִים עַל הָעֲרָיוֹת (All the evil [alternatively, ‘bad’] that he saw in his brothers, i.e. the sons of Leah, he told to his father: that they ate a limb from a live animal [eiver min ha-chai], that they disrespected the sons of the maidservants [i.e. Zilpah and Bilhah] by calling them servants [alternatively, ‘slaves’], and that they were suspected of sexual immorality [arayot]). We covered the issue of eating eiver min ha-chai in two recent essays (Make Me Tasty Treats that I Love and What the Debate was Really About), and we’ll leave the issue about disrespecting the sons of the maidservants perhaps for another time, but being suspected of arayot?! Is Rashi kidding? After all, who are we dealing with here? We’re dealing with the holy, righteous sons of Ya’akov Avinu! So how can we understand Rashi’s statement?

Talmud Yerushalmi brings down a slightly different listing of the three issues (Peah 1:1): כְּתִיב וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת דִּבָּתָם רָעָה אֶל אֲבִיהֶם. מַה אָמַר רִבִּי מֵאִיר וְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן. רִבִּי מֵאִיר אָמַר חֲשׁוּדִין הֵן עַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר מְזַלְזְלִין הֵן בִּבְנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת וְנוֹהֲגִין בָּהֶן כַּעֲבָדִים. וְרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר נוֹתְנִין הֵן עֵינֵיהֶן בִּבְנוֹת הָאָרֶץ (It is written, ‘And Yosef brought reports about them that were bad to their father.’ What did he say? R’ Meir and R’ Yehudah and R’ Shimon [each give an answer]. R’ Meir said that they were suspected of violating the prohibition regarding eiver min ha-chai. R’ Yehudah says that they disrespected the sons of the maidservants and treated them like servants. And R’ Shimon says that they looked at the local girls [literally, ‘daughters of the land’]).

These two sources seemingly agree except on the third point. Rashi says that they were suspected of arayot, whereas the original source says that they were suspected of looking at the local girls. If R’ Shimon said that they were suspected of looking at the local girls, how could Rashi say that they were suspected of arayot? Who gave Rashi permission to change R’ Shimon’s words? The answer is that although he did change the words, he didn’t change the meaning of the words. He came to explain them. Rashi wanted us to understand that the mere act of looking at the girls is arayot. Try not to fall into the trap of hand-waving this away by saying that Rashi is exaggerating. He’s not. He’s simply telling us the true reality behind what many of us may have thought isn’t such a big deal. In fact, it is a very big deal.

It is similar to how the Torah describes Reuven as sleeping with Bilhah (Bereshit 35:22): וַיֵּלֶךְ רְאוּבֵן וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת־בִּלְהָה פִּילֶגֶשׁ אָבִיו (And Reuven went and he slept with Bilhah, the concubine of his father). Based on the Gemara in Shabbat 55b, Rashi clarifies the pasuk: מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁבִּלְבֵּל מִשְׁכָּבוֹ מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ שְׁכָבָהּ (Since he had disturbed his bed, the pasuk considers it as if he had slept with her). Disturbing a bed is like sleeping with one’s mother-in-law?! Yes, in the eyes of Heaven, for someone on the level of Reuven, what he did was that serious. So what did he actually do? He was upset that after the death of Rachel his father moved his bed into Bilhah’s tent instead of into his mother’s [Leah’s] tent; therefore, he took it upon himself to move his father’s bed from Bilhah’s tent to his mother’s tent. A bit chutzpadik, but that’s what he did. Even so, the Torah ascribes to him the sin of violating the laws of arayot.

Now what was at issue between Yosef and his brothers? It really shouldn’t be that complicated to understand because we have the same debate within the Jewish world today. Some say, ‘What’s the big deal if I look at women? It’s not like I’m doing anything by just looking. And anyway, you’re asking the impossible.’ And the others say in response, ‘No, you’re wrong. It is a big deal! You’re not supposed to look.’

The brothers reasoned like this: Since we are holy, righteous Jews who have no impure or inappropriate thoughts when looking at girls, we aren’t being harmed spiritually by looking at them. Therefore, we aren’t committing any sin, and thus it is mutar for us to look. Makes sense. Or does it?

If so, why would Yosef disagree? What did he hold? In truth, he gave them a free pass on their three fundamental premises. They were holy righteous Jews who had no impure or inappropriate thoughts when looking at girls, they weren’t being harmed spiritually by looking at them, and they weren’t committing any sin by just looking. Yet, he disagreed with their conclusion. He still held that it was assur. How come?

The Komarno Rebbe, R’ Yitzchak Yehudah Yechiel Safrin, wrote an amazing five-volume commentary on the Torah entitled Heichal ha-Brachah. At the end of Parashat Mikeitz, he writes about this very issue. Since his holy words still resonate with such clarity we will quote them at length.

His discussion centers around the importance of sanctifying our thoughts, that we have the responsibility of purifying our thoughts and that this is something that is not only for the ‘holy, righteous Jewish souls’ among us. To think that we are, for some reason or other, excluded from this requirement is to make a mistake. From this foundation, he writes that not only when we learn Torah or pray, but even when we’re walking in the marketplaces and in the streets, we need to work on having corrected thoughts: ואתה אחי דע כי לאו דוקא בתפלה ובתורה באין מחשבות שיתקנם אלא אפילו כל היום ובכל אדם ובכל בריה בשווקים וברחובות (And you, my brother, know that not only is it in prayer and in Torah that thoughts come to be corrected, but even all day long, and with everyone, and with every creature, in the marketplaces and in the streets). All day long, no matter where we go or what we’re doing, even if we’re just going into a store or walking on the sidewalk, we need to have corrected thoughts.

What specifically are these corrected thoughts that we must have when we walk in the marketplaces and in the streets? The Komarno Rebbe continues: אבקשה את שאהבה נפשי להעלות הניצוץ המשוקע בעמקי הקליפות ומונח עליו גל של אבנים וצרורות ואינו יכול לזוז ממשא הכבד המונח עליו (And I ask, the love of my soul [meaning, ‘each one of us’], to raise up the spark that is sunk in the depths of the klipot, and that has upon it a pile of stones and pebbles, and it can’t budge from the heavy burden that is placed upon it). We have now arrived at the crux of the issue between Yosef and his brothers because fulfilling the Admor’s plea should be our entire purpose when we walk outside – to raise up the holy sparks that are so deeply entrenched and buried under a pile of [spiritual] stones until they no longer have the power to escape and ascend to their original source on their own.

How do we do this? If you have never heard this before, you will be astounded. Continuing on, the Rebbe writes: והוא צועק הויי אחיי תרחמו עלי והוציאנו ממאסר זה כי כלתה חיות שלי הנישפע עלי מאור א״ס המחיה את כלם (And it [the holy spark] cries out, ‘Oy, my brothers! Be compassionate upon me and bring me out of this prison, for my life is consumed. Cause me to receive the light of the Ein Sof, Who gives life to everyone). The holy sparks are yelling at us, ‘Help me! Free me from this prison! Don’t let me stay buried.’ We have the power to raise up the imprisoned sparks of kedushah that are buried underneath a pile of spiritual rubbish. But how? How can we do this? We free the holy sparks by not looking – even if we don’t have any impure thoughts. After all, who is to say that we won’t end up with an impure thought after we look? Are we so confident with ourselves? And if we are, why are we so confident? Yosef – the Tzaddik – wasn’t even confident with himself, let alone with his brothers! Are we greater than they?

Therefore, the only way to help the other one, whether Jew or non-Jew – there is no exception – to truly help them do teshuvah, is not to look in the first place. This is the only way for the holy sparks that have been trapped under layer upon layer of spiritual impurity to be released and begin their upward journey, to return to their pure source in the upper worlds. By not looking, the klipot are weakened, and eventually destroyed, freeing their imprisoned sparks in the process. (For those who have seichel, they will understand that this issue directly relates to the release of the hostages currently being held in Gaza.)

When we look, even if we don’t have any impure thoughts, we give power to the klipot to build an even stronger prison, chas v’shalom. This is what Yosef knew to be true – and what he was willing to be moser nefesh about throughout his entire life – and this is what the debate between them was really all about. Yosef was willing to give the brothers the benefit of the doubt regarding all of their premises, but not regarding their conclusion, not regarding their heter. On that, he was insistent and said, ‘You’re vision is constricted. It’s not just about you, whether or not looking causes you damage or not. It’s about what you can do – what you have a responsibility to do – for others, for the whole world.’

As the Komarno Rebbe goes on to state: וחיוב עליו לומר בשבילי נברא עולם ומלואו ועלי עומדין כמה עולמות לאלפים (It is one’s responsibility to say, ‘The world and everything in it was created for me, and upon me stand many worlds, for thousands [of generations]). This is not a chiddush. He is merely reiterating what is stated explicitly in the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 37a): כל אחד ואחד חייב לומר בשבילי נברא העולם (Each and every individual must say, ‘The world was created for me’). Created for me? For what purpose? Rebbe Nachman answers (Likutei Moharan 5:1): כִּי צָרִיךְ כָּל אָדָם לוֹמַר: כָּל הָעוֹלָם לֹא נִבְרָא אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִילִי. נִמְצָא כְּשֶׁהָעוֹלָם נִבְרָא בִּשְׁבִילִי צָרִיךְ אֲנִי לִרְאוֹת וּלְעַיֵּן בְּכָל עֵת בְּתִקּוּן הָעוֹלָם וּלְמַלְּאוֹת חֶסְרוֹן הָעוֹלָם וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲבוּרָם (Everyone needs to say, ‘The whole world was created only for me. We find that since the world was created for me, I need to see and look deeply, all the time, at the fixing of the world, and to fill the deficiency in the world, and to pray for their sake). We are not here just for ourselves. We are here for others as well, for the sake of Hashem, to be His assistant, so to speak, to do what is within our power to fix in this world.

We’ll conclude with a final thought from the Komarno Rebbe: והיצר מהפך כי כשאדם עומד בשווקים שצריך להתאמץ עצמו וכן בתורה ותפלה אומר לו מי אתה בריה שפילה ענינים כאלו שייכים לצדיקים ולא לך (And the Yetzer [ha-Ra] turns it around, for when a man stands in the marketplaces he needs to strengthen himself, and likewise in Torah and prayer, [but] it [the Yetzer ha-Ra] says to him, ‘Who are you? A lowly creature! Issues like these are relevant for tzaddikim, but not for you). But it’s a lie. These issues aren’t just for the super-holy, for the tzaddikim. They’re for each of us, because all of us are, in reality, tzaddikim. At least that’s how Hashem sees it (Yeshayahu 60:12): וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר (And My people, all of them are tzaddikim, they will inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, to be proud of).