A gitten erev Shabbos! This week’s parsha is Parshas Mikeitz. Yosef becomes elevated to the level of a high government official in Mitzrayim, his brothers come, and the parsha ends with Binyomin being accused of stealing the cup that Yosef planted in his sack. Outside of the fact that the appointment ceremony described for Yosef’s position as viceroy is accurate, which we only know now from archaeological findings which show this sort of ceremony, there is much to derive from this parsha, as every parsha in the Torah.
In the Zohar HaKodosh, mostly in Parshas VaYishlach when Binyamin is born, the relationship between Yosef and Binyamin is described in terms of their placement on the sefiros. Seeing that there are 12 brothers, how can they all fit within the ten sefirah system of understanding? Basically, the Zohar explains that Yosef and Binyamin are used to teach us about two sides to one sefirah, that is Yesod. Yosef is the צד דכור (masculine side) of Yesod, and Binyamin is צד נוקבה (feminine side). What this means is that the aspect referred to as Yosef is closer to Tiferes, and is the aspect drawing down the Divine force from the higher realms, and grants it to Malchus through the aspect called Binyamin. This can help us understand much better why Yosef HaTzaddik here is asking for Binyamin to be brought to him to prove that his brothers aren’t spies.
It says in the Gemara in Maseches Brochos, and is brought by Rebbe Nachman in Likutei Moharan, that Yosef gave his brothers food. Rebbe Nachman learns a whole wonderful idea about helping others and sustaining them. In our parsha though, Yosef doesn’t give his brothers food until they bring Binyamin. The reason for this, that we can see now al pi Kabbalah, is because the alignment of the Sefiros wasn’t proper for his brothers to receive sustenance, he specifically required Binyamin in order to complete the Sefirah of Yesod so sustenance could be granted to the lower worlds in Malchus.
This is ultimately one of the multitude purposes of doing mitzvos, and one of the segulos associated with Shmiras HaYesod (not simply the bris milah, but the bris as in the Yesod from all Torah-life; thinking in Torah, proper speech, bris halev, Shabbos, etc), that is the ability to draw down the hashpo’os and sustenance that each individual neshama needs. This is why the great Tzaddikim can accomplish yeshuos and help people through giving brochos. Through bringing together the higher forms of sanctity, that is through learning Torah, and through sanctifying oneself through our utilization of the physical world and doing mitzvos, we can merit with Hashem’s help to give effective b’rochos and help others with the power of the Divine.
A git Shabbos! Hashem should bentsh us that we all merit to attain these high levels of sanctification as the Baal Shem Tov directed us, we should merit to a g’mar chasima tova, and to behold the face of Moshiach swiftly in our days.
Yismach Lev 