BH
The Power of Mitzvot with Joy
Rebbe Nachman’s teachings in Likutey Moharan Lesson 24 highlight the immense power of performing mitzvot with joy (simcha). This joy unlocks Hashem’s infinite light, granting clarity in life’s most challenging moments. However, the journey to this clarity requires enduring betishot—pushbacks that test a person’s resolve by plunging them into the “exchange chambers.”
These chambers symbolize the chaos of life’s trials, where truth and falsehood, purity and impurity, often blur. Yet, by maintaining joy and striving forward, one ascends beyond this confusion, accessing Hashem’s guiding light.
The Mystery of the Number Ten
Rebbe Nachman reveals that the mind, composed of three faculties—chokhmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and da’at (knowledge)—is central to this process. These faculties aim toward the Keter (crown), a barrier that protects a person from being overwhelmed by the infinite light. When one reaches the Keter, they are pushed back, allowing the mind’s components to multiply into nine interconnected combinations. Together with the Keter, this forms the number ten, a recurring motif in the Torah.
The number ten signifies divine order and balance, appearing in the ten utterances of creation, the ten plagues, the ten commandments, and more. It represents the harmonious interaction between finite human effort and infinite divine light.
Yaakov’s Grief and the Challenge of Uncertainty
In this week’s Parsha, Yaakov Avinu embodies the tension of striving for clarity amidst uncertainty. His inability to find consolation over Yosef’s disappearance stems from a deep spiritual principle: Hashem created a natural process of consolation for mourning the deceased, knowing they are in another world. But with Yosef’s fate unknown, Yaakov’s mourning lingered for 22 years.
Rashi connects this prolonged suffering to Yaakov’s lapse in the mitzvah of Kibbud Av Va’em (honoring parents). Though Yaakov followed his parents’ directive to stay with Lavan, he could have returned earlier. As a result, Yosef’s absence mirrored Yaakov’s own 22-year delay, a powerful measure-for-measure teaching.
Yaakov’s Loss of Simcha and the Divine Spirit
During the 22 years Yosef was absent, Yaakov was unable to experience true joy, and the Divine Spirit did not rest upon him. This lack of joy blocked Yaakov from connecting to Hashem on a higher level. Rebbe Nachman’s teaching in Likutey Moharan lesson 24 highlights the vital connection between simcha and spiritual elevation—without joy, a person cannot achieve the clarity and connection to Hashem that comes through the Divine Presence.
The sages teach that one who mourns a deceased loved one eventually finds consolation. But Yaakov’s unrelenting grief over Yosef was a clear sign that Yosef was still alive. Why, then, did Yaakov remain in mourning? The explanation lies in the unique status of a tzaddik. Even in death, a tzaddik is considered alive. For Yaakov, Yosef’s absence left a void that neither life nor death could fully explain, leaving him in a state of perpetual sorrow.
The Cherem on Revealing Yosef’s Status
Yosef’s brothers sold him into slavery as a sign of their disdain for what he represented. To ensure their secret was kept, they enacted a cherem (ban of excommunication), which included Hashem as the tenth participant to complete the quorum. This divine agreement ensured that no one, not even Yitzchak, could reveal to Yaakov that Yosef was still alive.
Even after Yosef rose to power as viceroy of Egypt, he could not send word to his father due to this cherem. The silence prolonged Yaakov’s suffering but fulfilled a greater divine purpose.
The Severity of Yaakov’s Punishment
The 22-year separation from Yosef was a punishment for Yaakov’s 22 years away from Yitzchak, during which he did not fulfill the mitzvah of Kibbud Av Va’em (honoring one’s parents). Although Yaakov’s absence was initially justified by his need to escape Esav and build his family, his extended stay with Lavan added unnecessary time. This punishment reflects the Torah’s emphasis on honoring one’s parents as a cornerstone of spiritual life.
Yosef as an Extension of Yaakov’s Simcha
Yaakov’s spiritual and emotional connection to Yosef runs deep. The Midrash compares Yaakov to a fire and Yosef to the flame that extends the fire’s reach. Just as a fire without a flame cannot illuminate distant places, Yaakov’s joy and spiritual power required Yosef to extend and actualize it.
Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson explain that Yosef represents the extension of simcha. While Yaakov embodies the source of joy, Yosef brings that joy to the darkest corners of existence, symbolizing the ability to maintain happiness even in the most challenging circumstances. Yosef’s role as an extension of Yaakov’s simcha is crucial, particularly in his status as a tzaddik who finds joy in his connection to Hashem.
Midah Keneged Midah (Measure for Measure)
The separation of Yaakov and Yosef for 22 years mirrors Yaakov’s own 22 years away from Yitzchak. Just as Yaakov’s absence from Yitzchak disrupted the mitzvah of honoring his father, Yosef’s absence served as a painful reminder of that disruption. This measure-for-measure punishment underscores the importance of maintaining spiritual responsibilities even amidst life’s challenges.
The Sale of Yosef: Rejecting the Tzaddik
The sale of Yosef by his brothers was more than an act of jealousy—it symbolized a deep spiritual conflict. Yosef’s dreams revealed his role as the Tzaddik, the spiritual leader whose light sustains and guides. The brothers, however, rejected this concept, prioritizing other spiritual pursuits. Their decision to sell Yosef into Egypt represented a rejection of his role as the Tzaddik and an attempt to banish this idea entirely.
Egypt as the Beginning of Redemption
Yosef’s descent to Egypt initiated the exile of the Jewish people, a necessary stage in their spiritual development. Egypt, representing constriction and impurity, became the setting for gathering holy sparks trapped there since creation. This process of spiritual refinement mirrors the experience described in Likutey Moharan 24, where setbacks (betishot) and challenges prepare a person to receive Hashem’s infinite light.
Rebbe Nachman teaches that all exiles are likened to Egypt because they bring the Jewish people into tight, restrictive circumstances. Yosef’s suffering and eventual rise to power illustrate how divine providence uses exile and hardship as tools for redemption.
The Eternal Role of the Tzaddik
Yosef’s journey underscores the centrality of the Tzaddik in Jewish spirituality. Despite the brothers’ rejection, Yosef emerged as the savior of his family during the famine, fulfilling the very dreams they sought to suppress. His story serves as a reminder that the Tzaddik’s light is essential for survival and redemption.
Even today, the concept of the Tzaddik remains challenging for many to accept. Yet, as Yosef’s story demonstrates, the Tzaddik is the conduit through which Hashem’s blessings flow. By embracing this idea and recognizing the divine purpose behind life’s challenges, we can access true clarity and joy, even in the darkest times.
Yaakov’s Suffering and Yosef’s Joy
Yaakov’s suffering during the 22 years of separation from Yosef carried a deeper purpose. Yaakov, who embodied joy even in adversity, underwent this pain as a preparatory phase for the Jewish people’s exile in Egypt and future challenges. During this time, Yosef, despite his own exile and hardships in Egypt, remained a source of unshakable joy, described as an ish matzliach (a successful man). His ability to maintain simcha amidst trials highlights his role as an extension of Yaakov’s light, sustaining the Jewish people even in darkness.
The Mystery of the Number 22
The significance of 22 years extends beyond historical events. The number 22 corresponds to the Hebrew letters kaf and bet, which, when expanded and calculated, connect to a mystical framework pointing to 501 and ultimately 502. This number holds symbolic value, aligning with the gematria (numerical equivalent) of “Nachman” and “Simcha” (Rebbe Nachman ben Simcha), and “Shimon” and “Yochai”(Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai). Together, these Tzaddikim represent the light and guidance required to navigate exile and bring redemption.
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai declared that through his work, the Zohar, “the Jews will come out of exile.” Similarly, Rebbe Nachman prophesied that when his teachings spread, it would herald the arrival of Mashiach. The connection between these Tzaddikim, Yaakov’s suffering for 22 years, and Yosef’s enduring joy illustrates the divine orchestration behind Jewish history and its redemptive path.
Divine Concealment and the Keter
Yaakov’s unsettled state during those 22 years wasn’t arbitrary. Hashem intentionally withheld explicit knowledge of Yosef’s survival. This concealment mirrors the concept of the Keter, where divine light is purposefully obscured to allow for spiritual growth through setbacks (betishot). Yaakov’s inability to mourn fully, despite sensing Yosef’s life force, reflects this dynamic. Yaakov’s experience became a blueprint for enduring and rising above the challenges of exile.
The Role of the Tzaddikim in Redemption
The tag-team dynamic between Yaakov and Yosef serves as a model for the enduring influence of Tzaddikim. Just as Yosef’s light sustained Yaakov and his family during the famine, the teachings of Tzaddikim like Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rebbe Nachman ben Simcha provide the strength to endure exile and setbacks today. Their teachings, rooted in joy and the ability to find meaning in adversity, remain central to the Jewish people’s spiritual survival.
This article also appears on the BRI breslov.org website: https://breslov.org/22-years-of-darkness-yaakovs-pain-and-yosefs-joy/
For a video presentation of this article: https://youtu.be/bXr0DvCEXv0
This class is based on Likutey Moharan lesson 24. For more on this lesson: linktr.ee/breslovtherapy_lesson_24 share it with your friends. Thank you.
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Shabbat Shalom!
Meir Elkabas
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