VAYESHEV וישב5776

TORAH: GENESIS 37:1-40:23 HAFTORAH: AMOS 2:6-3:8

BRIT CHADASHA: JOHN 2:13-4:42

NOTES COMPILED BY CHRISTOPHER FREDRICKSONEMAIL: EHBED.BAWNAW@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: (828)391-3725

mailto:ehbed.bawnaw@gmail.com

YOSEF HAD A DREAM AND TOLD HIS BROTHER'S ABOUT IT, AND THEY HATED HIM EVEN MORE. THIS IS WHAT HE SAID TO THEM:

“PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS DREAM, WHICH I HAVE DREAMED! THERE WERE BINDING SHEAVES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD, WHEN –

LOOK! - MY SHEAF STOOD UPRIGHT AND IT KEPT STANDING TOO. AND THEN – LOOK! YOUR SHEAVES GATHERED AROUND AND THREW

THEMSELVES DOWN IN FRONT OF MY SHEAF.” HIS BROTHERS SAID TO HIM, “DOES THIS MEAN THAT YOU WANT TO REIGN CONSTANTLY OVER US OR RULE US ALL THE TIME?” AND THEY HATED HIM EVEN

MORE BECAUSE OF HIS DREAMS, AND BECAUSE OF HIS EVIL REPORT TO THEIR FATHER. YOSEF HAD YET ANOTHER DREAM, AND HE TOLD

HIS BROTHERS ABOUT IT. HE SAID, “HERE, I HAVE DREAMED ANOTHER DREAM. JUST LOOK! THE SUN, THE MOON, AND ELEVEN

STARS THREW THEMSELVES DOWN BEFORE ME!”

BEREISHIS 37:5-9 (THE GUTNICK CHUMASH)

ACCORDING TO JEWISH LAW, A PERSON IS PROHIBITED FROM WITHHOLDING A PROPHECY

HE RECEIVES (SANHEDRIN 89A). THEREFORE, YOSEF WAS OBLIGATED TO RELATE THIS

DREAM, WHICH DESCRIBED HOW HE WOULD RULE OVER HIS BROTHERS, DESPITE WHAT THE

CONSEQUENCE MIGHT BE.

YOSEF WAS IMMATURE, AND HE MADE AN UNWISE MOVE

(S'forno)

UNLESS A DREAM IS RELATED TO OTHERS IT WILL NOT MATERIALIZE

(BRACHOS 55B). SINCE YOSEF WANTED HIS DREAM TO COME TRUE, HE RELATED

IT TO HIS BROTHERS, BUT INEVITABLY, THIS MADE THEM HATE HIM EVEN MORE.

(SHACH AL HATORAH)

YOSEF WANTED TO INDICATE TO HIS BROTHERS THAT IT WAS UNWISE TO HATE HIM

BECAUSE ONE DAY THEY WILL NEED HIM.

(OHR HACHAYIM)

IN THE FIRST DREAM, JOSEPH SAW SHEAVES BOWING TO HIM; IN THE SECOND, HE SAW THE SUN, MOON AND STARS BOWING TO HIM. THESE

DREAMS REPRESENT TWO TYPES OF STORIES THAT CLOTHE TORAH TEACHINGS: STORIES THAT RELATE TO THE REVEALED TORAH, AND

STORIES THAT CONVEY THE DEEPEST MYSTERIES OF TORAH. THE FIRST DREAM WHICH DEPICTED THE BROTHERS WORKING IN THE FIELD,

ALLUDES TO THE LOWER LEVEL, THE MATERIAL WORLD. THE SECOND DREAM, WHICH DEPICTED THE SOLAR SYSTEM, ALLUDES TO THE HIGHER LEVEL, WHICH IS BEYOND THIS WORLD. JOSEPH'S UNDERSTANDING OF

BOTH TYPES OF TORAH HELPED HIM TO INTERPRET THE DREAMS OF PHAROAH AND HIS ADVISERS, FOR HE PERCEIVED THE DEEPER MEANING

OF THOSE DREAMS AND COULD FORESEE FAMINE. THEREFORE, HE MERITED TO BECOME VICEROY, COLLECTING ALL THE WEALTH OF THIS

WORLD AND DIRECTING IT TOWARDS ATTAINING EVEN GREATER LEVELS OF INTELLECT.

(Likutei Halakoth V, p.46)

THERE ARE TWO FORMS OF THE TZADDI THERE IS THE REGULAR FORM FOUND

IN THE BEGINNING AND THE MIDDLE OF WORDS WHICH LOOKS LIKE THIS: צ AND

THE FINAL FORM AT APPEARS AT THE END OF A WORD THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS: .WHICH IS CALLED THE TZADDI SOFIT ץ

THE BENT צ AND THE ץ (SOFIT) SYMBOLIZE THE BENT TZADDIK

AND THE ERECT TZADDIK

(SHABBOS 104A)

THE צ FOR ִּדיק ,THE RIGHTEOUS ONE צַREFERS TO THE ALMIGHTY, WHO IS CALLED ִּדיק וְיָָׁשר THE RIGHTEOUS AND UPRIGHT" ,צַ

ONE” (DEUTERONOMY 32:4), DEVOID OF ANY CONCEIVABLE INJUSTICE. TRUE

RIGHTEOUSNESS CAN EXIST ONLY IN G-D AND IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF HIM. NO

OTHER BEING CAN HAVE AN ESSENCE SO PURE THAT IT IS WITHOUT DEFICIENCY AND

CANNOT BECOME FURTHER PERFECTED.

NOW THIS BRINGS INTO QUESTION SOMETHING WE SEE IN THE TORAH, WHERE IT

SAYS IN DEUTERONOMY 16:20 “ֶדק, ִּתְרּדֹף ֶדק צֶ " צֶ“JUSTICE, JUSTICE SHALL YOU PURSUE”

BECAUSE ALL BUT THE YOD ARE INCLUDED IN THE WORD. HOW CAN WE RELATE THIS TO

“JUDGMENT” AND THE TIE BETWEEN MASHIACH BEN YOSEF AND MASHIACH BEN

DAVID BEING THE SAME MESSIAH?

THE TZADDIK'S EXTREMLY HUMBLE READINESS TO SUBMIT TO THE DIVINE IS FIGURATIVELY

EXPRESSED IN THE TORAH SCRIPT BY THE SHAPE OF THE LETTER צ. IT CONSISTS OF A BENT נ –

STANDING FOR HUMILITY – WHICH IS BENT EVEN FURTHER TO MAKE ITSELF A RESTING PLACE FOR

THE י STANDING FOR HASHEM.

(MAGEN DAVID)

THE י RESTING ON THE BENT נ IS FURTHERMORE ALLEGORICALLY

COMPARED TO A RIDER ON THE BACK OF HIS HORSE AS AN ILLUSION TO G-D WHO LOWERS HIMSELF IN ORDER TO

ACCOMPANY HIS CHILDREN WHEREVER THEY GO, EVEN INTO THE EXILE.

(MAGEN DAVID)

THE WRITTEN FORM OF THE ALEPH-BEIS ADDS ONE SYMBOL OF HUMILITY

UPON ANOTHER SYMBOL OF HUMILITY [TO EMPHESISE THE

IMPORTANCE OF THIS TRAIT]. THIS TEACHES THAT THE TORAH WAS GIVEN

AMID GREAT HUMILITY.

MOSES WAS THE PARAGON OF HUMILITY: “THE MAN, MOSES WAS EXCEEDINGLY HUMBLE,

MORE THAN ANY MAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH” (NUMBERS 12:3). JUST AS THE FINAL ן

IN ָמן THE FAITHFUL ONE, DENOTES THE,נֱֶאWORLD TO COME SO DOES THE FINALץ DENOTE THE FINAL ACCEPTANCE OF A

RIGHTEOUS PERSON IN THE WORLD TO COME.

(RASHI, SHABBOS 104A)

AND I SAW SHOMAYIM HAVING BEEN OPENED, AND, HINEI, A SUS LAVAN

(WHITE HORSE) AND THE ONE RIDING ON IT IS CALLED NE'EMAN AND

YASHAR, AND IN TZEDEK HE JUDGES AND MAKES MILCHAMAH (WAR).

REVELATION 19:11 (THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE)

THE BENT צ STANDS FOR ִּדיק ּכָפּוף ,צַ"THE TZADDIK BENT IN HUMILITY"

(SHABBOS 104A)

AND THE GREATEST AMONG YOU WILL BE YOUR EVED MESHARET

(SERVANT).

MATTHEW 23:11 (THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE)

AND AVDI (MY SERVANT) DOVID SHALL BE MELECH (KING) OVER THEM; AND THEY ALL

SHALL HAVE RO'EH ECHAD (A VISION OF UNITY); THEY SHALL ALSO WALK IN MY MISHPATIM (CIVIL LAW, CRIMINAL LAW, RITUAL LAW), AND OBSERVE

MY CHUKKOT (THESE ARE THE MITZVOS THAT TRANSCEND RATIONAL REASON), AND DO THEM.

EZEKIEL 37: 24 (THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE)

YOSEF HAD TWO DREAMS: ONE ABOUT PHYSICAL MATTERS (BINDING SHEAVES), AND ONE ABOUT SPIRITUAL MATTERS (THE

SON MOON AND STARS, WHICH ARE HEAVENLY BODIES). NEVERTHELESS, BOTH DREAMS SHARED EXACTLY THE SAME

MESSAGE. THIS TEACHES US THAT A JEW'S PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL AFFAIRS SHOULD NOT BE SEPARATED FROM EACH

OTHER, EACH HAVING IT'S OWN SEPERATE “MESSAGE.” RATHER, A PERSON SHOULD ALIGN HIS SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL

AFFAIRS TO COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE'S PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS EATING AND DRINKING,

SHOULD BE DONE FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVEN, IN ORDER TO SERVE G-D PROPERLY.

(LIKUTEI SICHOS VOL. 3 P. 805)

BUT THE ONES WHO ARE MEKABEL (RECIPIENTS) B'MOSHIACH YESHUA

(IN MESSIAH YESHUA)HAVE PUT TO BE TALUI AL HAETZ (HANGING ON THE TREE) THE BASAR (BODY, FLESHLY

DESIRES) WITH ITS TESHUKOT (DESIRES) AND ITS TA'AVOT (LUSTS).

GALATIANS 5:24 (THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE)

SO HASHEM HAS GIVEN US PRECIOUS HAVTA'CHOT GEDOLOT (GREAT PROMISES) THAT THROUGH THESE

PROMISES YOU MIGHT BECOME [REGENERATE] DEVEYKUS (WHEN ONE UTTERS A WORD HE DRAWS IT OUR GREATLY) PARTICIPANTS WITH THE CHAYA (LIFE) OF THE TEVA HAELOHI (DIVINE NATURE OF HASHEM), HAVING ESCAPED THE [DEGENERATE] OLAM HAZEH’S

(THIS WORLD'S) LUST ENGENDERED CORRUPTION.

2 PETER 1:4 (THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE)