Selected Passages
Selected passages
Yosef tells the brothers that he will keep one of them captive until they return with their youngest brother. Reuven says to his brothers, "Did I not tell you that we should not harm Yosef? And now look at how we are being punished." In Bereishis 42:24, it says: "And he [Yosef] turned to the side and cried." Rashi comments that Yosef heard Reuven say that he regretted the selling of Yosef. A thought I had is that one way one can view these is as tears of joy at finally being able to see how Hashem's plan was starting to come full circle. While the whole story seems horrifying-how the brothers sold Yosef because of jealousyas the parshiyos progress, we start to see the big picture
throughout this journey, we should always seek out "simanim ba'derech," signs along the way, and find Hashem in the details
Avraham didn't do it alone. He was only able to "excel" in his test because he had his "shnei na'arav ito," his two young men helping him. We need to bring our helpers, our friends, family, and community with us to make it through our journeys. Nobody should have to undergo major life tests alone. When going through a test, we need to consider the long-term ramifications of our test and be practical about the future, acknowledging both the best- and worst-case scenarios. "And Avraham said to his lads, 'You should stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go until such and such place. And we will bow down and we will return to you.'" After a certain point, our friends and family must stay behind. Only we were chosen for this test, and only we can fully fulfill it. However, after doing the uniquely “us” part of the avodah, we return to our "helpers." We know they will be standing there, waiting for us, eager to continue to pull us through
We may have disappointing, hurtful, or painful experiences, and experience discomfort, and it's OK. Not everything is an equation. The world of penimius allows us to experience experiences, even if they don't make sense to us. We can understand that there is a deeper truth behind the world that we don't know.
Sometimes the test a person must face is not one of action but of outlook ~ The Biala Rebbe
The chiddush of the Baal Shem was that the problem and the solution are part and parcel of the same thing. When we encounter hard times in life, we might think a solution can be found elsewhere. Instead, we should not run away but rather lean into it and find a solution within it
My rebbi, Rav Judah, gave a beautiful shiur afterward. He asked, what does Sukkos represent? Pesach is when we just left being slaves but could not shake off the slave mentality. We were so used to that way of life that, in the desert, we kept on complaining that we wanted to go back to Mitzrayim. We had no idea how else we could survive. The Yamim Noraim are a time for reflection when we talk about mistakes we made, where we want to improve and make a vision for our "new lease on life." So, on Sukkos we reorient and think: "What do I stand for? How can I move forward? I do not want to be stuck anymore." We want to come out of our "prison" and decide where we are going. It is as if Hashem is saying, "Come into the sukkah; you have a place." But it is not only time to run away from things that were holding us back; it is also time to define ourselves in the ways that are right and the that are going well. The four minim teach us to take all the parts of ourselves, even parts that are flawed (with no taste and smell, like the aravah), and bring them all together—to bring every part of me into the sukkah, to accept ourselves and see the good. If we are not perfect, it is still OK. Sukkos is the time to celebrate the process. When a person would bring water from Silwan all the way to the Beis Hamikdash, obviously some of the water would spill. Getting all the water to the Beis Hamikdash was not the point. The Simchas Beis HaShoeivah celebrated the water that was currently being drawn. It was about the process.
"Odcha ki anisani"-I give thanks to You because You made me struggle. "Vatehi li l'yeshuah"-that struggle was my yeshuah, it freed me to be an authentic Jew. It was my salvation, and it came through the struggles. "Even maasu ha'bonim" the builders want to clear the lot to put down the foundation, and this huge rock is in the way. But then they realize-it's not in the way, it is the way. I'm going to build right on that rock, right on that child who's struggling. "Zeh ha'yom asa Hashem”— the day you realize Hashem did this for you, you can get up and sing. You don't have to be miserable anymore. Because the problems are not in your way, they are your way.