Yosef was estranged from his brothers for several reasons but nothing agitated them more than the fact that his dreams foretold his ultimate rise to power and that they would all bow to him. The tensions came to a boiling point when the brothers attempted to kill him and ultimately sold him into slavery.
Thus began a painful saga in the history of Yaakov’s family. Yaakov mourned inconsolably, the brothers were wracked with guilt and Yosef was subjected to a life of servitude, imprisonment and rejection.
Fascinatingly, Yosef himself did not process these terrible events as a punishment or the result of his brothers’ revenge. He understood that this was divinely orchestrated so that he be put in the right place at the right time to do something extraordinary.
This becomes increasingly clear as we follow Yosef during this painful 22 year separation. During his tenure as a slave to Potiphar, a high ranking Egyptian minister, he was promoted to manager of the estate. Yosef continuously attributed his success to G-d, that his pagan Egyptian master was compelled to recognize this truth.
After being falsely accused of immorality and unjustly sentenced to prison, Yosef continued to provide divine inspiration to all. Ultimately he was instated as the viceroy of Egypt, assuming control over the entire country and by extension all civilization.
The greatest expression of Yosef’s firm belief and pristine understanding that his tragic circumstances were part of a greater plan can be found in the first message he tells his brothers during their emotional reunion.
“Do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that G-d sent me before you... You did not send me here, but G-d, and He made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt.”
Today, (Thursday, December 7) the 19th of Kislev, marks 219 years since the liberation of Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad (known as the Alter Rebbe) from Czarist prison. His opponents attempted to destroy the newly established Chabad movement by arranging his arrest on false charges of high treason. Truth prevailed and the Rebbe was miraculously released 53 days later on the 19th of Kislev.
The Alter Rebbe understood that his arrest was the result of a heavenly debate whether Chassidus should be revealed on a large scale. The circumstances of his release were such that the truth of Chassidus was acknowledged by the highest echelons of the gentile government, thus allowing for its dissemination on an unprecedented level. It was all part of the divine plan.
Chassidus is the innermost dimension of Torah which allows us to tap into the strength of our inner selves. By learning it each day, we open our hearts and minds to discover the pathway to redemption for ourselves and the entire world. Lechaim!
Click here to learn more about 19 Kislev.