English translation — וישב א

Sicha 1<pg>156</pg>

A.

"And he told<sup>1</sup>

to his father and to his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him, 'What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to you to the ground?'"

And in Rashi, he quotes from the verse "Shall we indeed come" and explains: "But your mother has already died, and he did not know that the words referred to Bilhah who raised him like his mother. And our Rabbis learned from here that there is no dream without meaningless things. And Jacob intended to remove the matter from the hearts of his sons so that they would not envy him; therefore he said to him, 'Shall I and your mother and your brothers come, etc.' Just as it is impossible regarding your mother, so the rest is meaningless."

And according to the words of several commentators of Rashi<sup>2</sup>

it is found,

that Rashi writes here two explanations: a)

that Yaakov "did not know that the words referred to Bilhah"

(which is according to Bereishis Rabbah on the place<sup>3</sup>),

b)

the explanation of our Rabbis that "there is no dream without meaningless things"

(and it is according to the words of the Gemara<sup>4</sup>).

And superficially it seems,

that according to the first explanation Yaakov thought that there is no substance in the dream and it is a vain dream<sup>*4</sup>,

since also "your mother" would bow down

(and he erred in this,

because "he did not know that the words referred to Bilhah")

; whereas according to the explanation of our Rabbis Yaakov knew that the dream is a true dream,

and the detail that "your mother" bows down does not contradict the truth of the dream

(even though according to the method of our Rabbis it is impossible to say that the words refer to Bilhah),

because "there is no dream without meaningless things",

and this detail is from the "meaningless things" in it.

And what Rashi concludes "and Yaakov intended to remove the matter from the hearts of his sons so that they would not envy him, therefore he said to him 'Shall we indeed come' etc. Just as it is impossible regarding your mother, so the rest is null",

this is the conclusion of the second explanation,

that even though he knew that the dream is true,

nevertheless he said thus "to remove it from the hearts of his sons".

But superficially this explanation

(in Rashi's words)

is forced,

for in the verse it continues<sup>5</sup>

"And his father kept the matter",

and Rashi explained "he was waiting and anticipating when it would come",

behold it is explicit that it was clear to Jacob that it was a true dream and would certainly be fulfilled<sup>6</sup>,

only that he was waiting and anticipating when it would be fulfilled<sup>7</sup>.

<pg>157</pg>

And perhaps one could say,

that there are not two explanations in Rashi,

but rather all his words are one continuum.

And according to the precision of his wording "And our Rabbis learned from here"

[And he did not write,

as is his way everywhere when he brings two explanations,

"another thing" or "and our Rabbis expounded" and the like],

that this wording does not imply that this is a new explanation,

but only an addition of a matter<sup>8</sup>.

And the arrangement of Rashi's wording is thus: since Jacob did not know that the words referred to Bilhah,

and nevertheless it was clear to him that the dream would be fulfilled

(as the continuation of the verse "And his father kept the matter"),

behold from this our Rabbis learned that there is no dream without vain matters.

And this was Jacob's opinion,

that even though the entirety of the dream would be fulfilled,

nevertheless this particular detail in the dream

(that his mother would come to bow down before him)

is among the vain matters in it<sup>9</sup>.

But in truth it was not among the vain matters because indeed the words referred to Bilhah<sup>10</sup>.

And on this Rashi concludes,

that even though Jacob knew that the entirety of the dream would be fulfilled,

nevertheless he said "Shall we indeed come etc.",

in order "to remove the matter from the hearts of his sons",

for they did not know "that there is no dream without vain matters",

and consequently it was possible to say to them,

that "just as it is impossible with your mother, so the rest is vain"<sup>11</sup>.

2.

But according to this, an explanation is needed: since in truth "the matters reach Bilhah",

If so, what are the vain matters in the dream¹²?

<pg>158</pg>

And this will be understood by prefacing a wonder regarding the entirety of what is recounted in the verse here that "and his father kept the matter",

that "he was waiting and anticipating when it would come",

which indicates something dear to him,

that he wants it to come and be fulfilled already,

What is the elevation in this that his son will reign and his father will bow down to him to the ground?

For although the principle¹³

that "everyone is jealous except of a son and a student" is an understandable and simple matter¹⁴,

this is only that a person is not jealous of his son and his student when they rise to a level more elevated than him,

but there is no place that the father should anticipate that his son will reign over him¹⁵,

and in a manner that all his older brothers and also the father¹⁶

will be servants to him and bow down to him to the ground.

There are commentators&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;

the intention of Rashi according to what is said in the Midrash here&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;

"So was our father Jacob thinking that the resurrection of the dead would reach in his days",

and that is that this that he was waiting and anticipating when the time would come that his dream would be fulfilled,

it is

(not about this that Joseph would rule and they would all bow to him, which indeed was a great pain for Jacob,

but rather)

because he thought that the resurrection of the dead would reach in his days&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;,

and therefore he was anticipating when the time would come that Rachel his mother would stand.

But in addition to the very difficulty of explaining thus in Rashi's words,

that there is no hint at all to the aforementioned matter

(that in the Midrash)

that Jacob thought that the resurrection of the dead would reach in his days,

and furthermore that the simple meaning of "he kept the matter" refers to the entire content of the dream and not to a side matter that would be fulfilled when the time of the dream's fulfillment comes

[and especially in a manner that the thing itself has nothing special in it,

and only a side detail is something that he anticipates&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;]

— behold according to the above

(section 1)

the intention of Rashi is the very opposite,

that Jacob thought that this detail of the dream

(that his mother would bow to him)

is among the nullified things in the dream.

And based on this — what is the greatness of the matter in this dream that Yaakov was waiting and anticipating when it would come?

3.

And one can say,

that this is resolved based on the precise wording of our Sages who learned from here "that there is no dream without meaningless things",

for at first glance, based on the above, there was here only one thing in the dream that is not true

(that his mother would bow down to him),

and it should have said "there is no dream without a meaningless thing"?

And it seems to me,

that precisely they said "there is no dream without meaningless things" in the plural,

that Yaakov thought that there were several "meaningless things" in the dream²⁰,

for just as the detail that his mother would bow down to him is a meaningless thing

(since he did not know that the matters refer to Bilhah),

so he thought that also this, that he would come to bow down to him to the ground, is among the meaningless things in the dream,

for the truth of the dream is only in this, that Yosef would rise to greatness until he would rule over all his brothers,

but not that he would rule also over his father until Yaakov would bow down to him to the ground.

<pg>159</pg>

And it can be said that so it was in practice,

that this detail, that Yaakov would bow down to Yosef, was among the meaningless things in the dream,

for Yaakov did not bow down to Yosef "to the ground",

but only "and he bowed down²¹

Yisrael upon the head of the bed"²².

And based on this, one can also explain the precise wording of Rashi "Just as it is impossible regarding your mother, so the rest is null,"

and he did not use the language "all of it²³

is null",

because he used such language,

in which is also hinted his reasoning of Jacob according to the truth,

that Jacob thought,

that even though the main part of the dream must be fulfilled,

nevertheless there are several details that are not necessarily to be fulfilled,

and furthermore,

that according to order there must be details that will not be fulfilled because "there is no dream without empty matters",

and therefore said²⁴

Jacob such language that there would not be in his language a word of falsehood

(for it is simple,

that even though Jacob wanted "to remove from the hearts of his sons",

nevertheless it is not conceivable that because of this Jacob would utter falsehood from his mouth),

and this is what he said "so the rest is null",

that not only this detail of "your mother" is a null matter but there are in it additional details "null",

except that the tribes understood from his words that all of it is null.

D.

But still one needs to understand

(in the inwardness of the matters)

also regarding the main part of the dream,

that Joseph will reign over the rest of the brothers and they will come to bow down to him to the ground,

for at first glance,

even though since Joseph was the son of his old age of Jacob who loved him more than all his sons therefore he wanted him to rise to greatness,

and even more than all his other sons,

nevertheless,

what is the elevation in this that he will reign over his brothers until they bow down to him to the ground,

and to such an extent that Jacob was waiting and anticipating when this thing would come?

And we must explain this according to what Rashi says later on the verse²⁵

"And he sent him from the valley of Hebron" — "from the deep counsel of that righteous one buried in Hebron to fulfill what is said²⁶

to Abraham between the pieces that your seed will be strangers",

meaning that the mission that Jacob sent Joseph was "to fulfill what was said to Abraham between the pieces",

and according to this we can say,

that also the entire story of our parshah about Joseph and his brothers contained in it "deep counsel" that the covenant between the pieces would be fulfilled.

And based on this we can say,

that similarly it is regarding our Rashi,

that this that Jacob was waiting and anticipating when he would come,

behold in inwardness the intention is not for the kingship of Joseph in itself

(for in that his brothers will bow to him there is no virtue),

but rather in that the decree of the covenant between the pieces would be fulfilled<pg>160</pg>

Through the kingship of Joseph,

for the decree "Your seed shall be a stranger in a land not theirs" could have been fulfilled in several ways

(and as our sages, of blessed memory, said&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;

Our father Jacob was fit to descend to Egypt in iron chains),

but Jacob was waiting and anticipating when Joseph's dream would be fulfilled,

that Joseph would reign,

so that through this Jacob's descent to Egypt would be in a dignified manner,

and also the sojourn of Israel in the land of Egypt for many years would be in a manner of rest and honor and tranquility,

since Joseph was viceroy, without whom no man would lift his hand or his foot&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;,

and as it actually was, that the children of Israel dwelt in the land of Goshen, which is the best of the land&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;.

But even this interpretation is not clear,

for the plain meaning of the dream was not about the totality of Joseph's kingship

(with regard to the nations of the world),

but only that the sun and moon and eleven stars bow down to me,

namely only the bowing of Jacob and his brothers.

Also the plain meaning of the phrase "was waiting and anticipating when it would come" does not fit so well according to the above,

for this language indicates that he was anticipating that the matter would come soon and quickly,

whereas according to the above interpretation he certainly was not anticipating that the matter would come quickly

(for why would Jacob anticipate the beginning of exile,

even if it would be in a manner of honor).

And it fits only to say that he knew that it would be fulfilled, etc.,

but not that "he was waiting and anticipating when it would come."

5.

And the explanation in this:

Known is the inner explanation in this, that all Israel are called by the name Yosef,

"He leads like a flock Yosef"³⁰,

which is not only "because he was their sustainer and provider in the days of the famine"³¹

in its simple sense,

but because he drew and influenced from his matters and his spiritual qualities to each one of Israel³²

:

The uniqueness of Yosef relative to the other tribes was in this, that the other tribes were shepherds,

separated and isolated from worldly matters so that they would not distract them from serving God,

but not so Yosef the Righteous, he was in exile "captive among the nations"³³,

and more than this,

that he ruled over all the land of Egypt,

and this was not only outwardly and in externality,

but rather he was occupied with all this,

first in the house of Potiphar,

"and he appointed him over his house and all that he had he placed in his hand"³⁴,

and afterwards "and at your word all my people shall kiss"³⁵,

that he actually managed all the affairs of Egypt etc.,

that this is "a great and most immense distraction"³⁶

— and nevertheless,

all these distractions did not detach him and even did not confuse him from serving God,

and also during his involvement in them he remained in utmost attachment to Divinity,

until he was "a veritable chariot for Divinity"³⁷.

And more than this,

not only did the distraction of worldly matters not cause in him a weakening in his attachment to Divinity,

but rather he acted upon them and upon the matters of Egypt,

as our sages, of blessed memory, said³⁸

on the verse³⁹

And Yosef was brought down to Egypt,

"he ruled over their wealth..

he subdued their wealth",

that he acted upon the matters of exile that they should be in accordance with Yosef's service of God⁴⁰.

And this is why all Israel are called by the name

Yosef,

for the power that all Israel has to pass through the exile is drawn and comes from Yosef the righteous.

And this is that Yaakov "was waiting and anticipating when will come" the fulfillment of Yosef's dream,

that Yosef's brothers would bow down to him to the ground,

for the matter of bowing indicates the nullification before the king to whom one bows,

that through this nullification to the king are drawn⁴²

to the people the influences of the king,

both physical influences and spiritual influences.

And therefore Yaakov was waiting and anticipating for the fulfillment of Yosef's dream that specifically in such a manner is in the power of Yisrael to pass through the concealment and hiding of the exile of Egypt⁴³

(and exile in general,

for all the kingdoms are called by the name of Egypt⁴⁴),

when they are under the kingship of Yosef,

namely this conduct that even when they are in exile which is a state of darkness and concealment and hiding,

they will not be disturbed and confused from the service of Hashem,

and remain complete in their state,

in the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments,

and on the contrary,

they rule and govern over the matters of the exile.

6.

But according to this, that which Yaakov was expecting is only a level and elevation in the state and service of Bnei Yisrael in exile relative to their state without this during the time of exile,

but after all it is a state and time of exile,

and it is not so plausible to say that Yaakov would wait for this when it will come.

And therefore it can be said that this that Yaakov "was waiting and expecting when it will come" refers to this that each one of Yisrael waits and expects always — for the redemption,

the redemption of Bnei Yisrael from the exile,

and as emphasized in the continuation of Rashi's language "and so He keeps faith"⁴⁵,

that Bnei Yisrael wait and expect "for the faith of the Holy One, blessed be He..

to redeem them"⁴⁶,

from the exile⁴⁷.

And the explanation in this:

It has been explained several times that the totality of the matters explained in this portion applies not only to our father Jacob, the tribes, and Joseph as individual people,

but rather they indicate regarding the entirety of the children of Israel in all generations,

and not only as all the deeds of the fathers explained in the Book of the Upright

(the Book of Genesis)

which are a sign and a giving of strength to the children⁴⁸,

but rather that the matters themselves hint at the entirety of the people of Israel⁴⁹.

And as hinted in the Midrash in our parshah⁵⁰

"The tribes were occupied with the selling of Yosef, and Yosef was occupied etc., Reuven was occupied etc., and Yaakov was occupied etc., and Yehudah was occupied etc., and the Holy One, blessed be He, was occupied creating the light of the King Moshiach",

that the inner meaning of the words of the Midrash is not that the tribes, Yosef, Reuven, Yaakov, and Yehudah were each occupied with his own private matters, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was occupied with a different matter,

"creating the light of the King Moshiach",

but rather that this is the true content of the occupation of each one of them in particular^*50.

And just as in the continuation of the parshah in the story of Yehudah-<pg>162</pg>

the chapter of Tamar⁵¹

behold the true content of it is that which the Holy One, blessed be He, was occupied and created the light of Moshiach,

similarly it is at the beginning of the portion,

in the dream of Joseph,

which was an introduction and preparation for all this,

that Jacob was "waiting and expecting when will come" the kingship of Joseph,

namely Moshiach⁵²

ben Joseph,

who comes as an introduction and preparation for Moshiach ben David^*52,

as brought in many places in our Rabbis, of blessed memory⁵³.

and behold the content of "waiting and expecting when will come" indicates the closeness and connection to the thing which one expects⁵⁴,

and from this itself is the giving of strength to each and every one of Israel during all the time of the exile to be waiting and expecting when will come Moshiach our righteousness to redeem the children of Israel.

And all the more so and a fortiori in the time of the footsteps of Mashiach,

when standing on the threshold of the redemption,

that then it is the true state of "awaiting and expecting when he will come",

for I will wait for him every day that he will come⁵⁵,

and not only every single day,

that they wait that he will come on this day,

but every single day itself — every hour and hour,

as we say three times a day

(on weekdays)

"For Your salvation we hope all the day"⁵⁶,

And immediately and at once is revealed "the light of Mashiach",

in a manner that each one sees him and brings each one of the children of Israel,

men women and children,

to our holy land,

and immediately and at once literally.

(From the talk of Shabbos Parshas Vayeishev 5727)