Probing the Inner Recesses of the Soul
Joseph’s crying was a cathartic process that enabled him to search his own soul for any trace of revenge that he might have possessed in his subconscious.
Joseph Wept
Near the end of this week’s Parsha, Vayechi, the Torah recounts how after Jacob’s passing, Joseph’s brothers were concerned that Joseph would now try to take revenge for having sold him to Egypt. They therefore sent messengers to him and then personally told him that:
“Your father did command before his death, saying, so shall you say to Joseph, O forgive, I pray you, the trespass of your brothers, and their sin; for evil have they done to you. And now we pray you, forgive the trespass of the servants of the G-d of your father.”
After the Torah reports his brothers’ plea, the Torah records Joseph’s reaction by saying:
“And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.”
Why did Joseph weep? Commentators explain that this was because he was troubled by the fact that they suspected him that he would take revenge from them. The truth was, of course, that the thought of revenge was so out of character for Joseph who readily forgave them, that he was brought to tears.
However, the question can still be asked. When a person is suspected of something wrong and he knows that he is guiltless, there should be reason to rejoice. Doesn’t the Talmud quote the great Talmudic Sage, Rabbi Yosi as saying: “May my lot be among those who are suspected [of wrongdoing] but are truly guiltless?” (Talmud, Shabbos 118b)
Diffing into the Sub-Conscious
The answer can be provided by referring to the story of the second Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Dovber, who spent many hours counseling people about their material and spiritual problems. At one of these occasions, where there were long lines of people waiting to see him, he suddenly stopped receiving people and locked himself up in his room, devoting the next few days to heartfelt prayer and introspection. After several days, Rabbi Dovber resumed seeing people and counseling them.
When one of his followers asked why he had suddenly stopped seeing people and spent several days in such solemn prayer, he replied that when anybody would come and tell him their spiritual problems, the only way he could help them was to search within his own soul to find a similar, albeit, far more subtle, form of their shortcoming or sin, in his own soul.
The Rebbe then related that a few days earlier, a man came to him and confided that he had committed such a horrible sin, that he could not find this transgression within his soul, even in its most subtle form.
Yet, the very fact that Divine Providence had sent this man to him for assistance, was proof that he must be able to help him and he was therefore convinced that he had, at least, some miniscule trace of this deficiency in his own personality, embedded deeply in the farthest reaches of his soul.
The Rebbe therefore started an unrelenting searched deep down within his soul to find even the most infinitesimal trace of this transgression. After a few days of soulsearching, he finally located the “flaw” and corrected it. At that point and only then could he help that individual and resume his efforts at counseling and helping others.
Understanding Joseph’s Weeping: An Exercise in Soul- Searching
We can now understand why Joseph was driven to tears when he heard that his brothers suspected him of taking revenge. Despite the fact that he did not harbor any trace of hatred or revenge, the mere fact that his brothers reported that their father considered it a possibility, was a sign that deep down in the most hidden crevices of his soul, he might have harbored a microscopic amount of anger against his brothers, that was so embedded within his psyche that he was not aware of its existence.
Joseph’s crying was a cathartic process that enabled him to search his own soul for any trace of revenge that he might have possessed in his subconscious.
Everything Revealed
In the Book of Daniel we are told that before the Messianic Age all secret matters will be revealed. This includes all the dark secrets of our personalities of which we ourselves may not be aware. Simultaneously, all the hidden qualities and virtues that we were not aware that they even existed will also coming to the surface.
We must realize that in the present era, as we prepare to enter into the Messianic Age, we were given the unique opportunity to achieve unprecedented goals. Some extraordinary talents that were previously latent are now coming to the fore, giving us the ability to accomplish unprecedented positive things.
However, we must also anticipate the emergence of some negative traits that were deeply embedded within our souls.
By utilizing the newly discovered energies and talents and by eradicating the hidden forms of evil, we will be well prepared for the imminent arrival of Moshiach and the world of Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayechi by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
