A Chain Reaction
One cannot commit a private immoral act. Our entire universe is an organic whole, where each and every action, word and even thought reverberates throughout the universe in a chain reaction.
Joseph’s Refusal
When Joseph was repeatedly put to the test by the wife of his master Potiphar, he passed with flying colors. Day after day, the Torah recounts, in this week’s parsha, how Mrs. Potiphar (for want of a better name) tried to seduce Joseph, the son of Jacob who had been sold into slavery by his brothers. The Torah describes Joseph’s reaction to her propositioning him:
“And he refused and he said to the wife of his master…”
The Torah then proceeds to list Joseph’s logical arguments to Potiphar’s wife as to why he shouldn’t commit adultery.
Chassidic commentators stress that even before the Torah mentions that Joseph presented his rational arguments to Potiphar’s wife, the Torah states that “he refused.“ Joseph, simply and categorically, said no! The lesson we can learn from this is that before one should even begin to offer a rational explanation as to why they should not do that which is unethical and immoral, they should make it clear that it is not subject to debate and discussion.
The Shalsheles Note
Commentators also note that the Hebrew word “Va’yemaein-and he refused” is endowed with a very unusual musical note known as shalsheles. All of the words in the Torah also have musical notes attached to them that are chanted whenever we read the Torah. There are certain notes that appear rarely in the Torah. Shalsheles is one of them that appears only four times in the whole Torah.
The word shalsheles means chain and it describes the way this note winds. This, of course, begs the question, what does Joseph’s refusal to submit to Potiphar’s wife have to do with a chain?
Commentators explain by citing the comment of our Sages that Joseph was about to succumb, when suddenly the appearance of his father appeared to him. Joseph was made aware that if he were to give in to Potiphar’s wife, he would be severing his link of the chain of his illustrious father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Cosmic Influence
We can take the analogy of a chain a step further. Joseph realized that his solitary act of indiscretion would have farreaching effects. Joseph realized that the ripple effect of his action would extend to all the future generations of the Jewish people. One cannot commit a private immoral act. Our entire universe is an organic whole, where each and every action, word and even thought reverberates throughout the universe in a chain reaction.
This thought can serve as a further reinforcement of the statement made by our Sages in the Talmud — and was codified by Maimonides — that one should always view their every solitary action as the one that might “tip the scales” in favor of the world’s salvation, or cause its catastrophic downfall.
One is entitled to ask how can that be? What is the likelihood that one action can have such immense power? One of the explanations for this phenomenon is that every action sets into motion a chain reaction that affects the entire universe.
Now, if this “chain-reaction” philosophy applies to an illicit act, how much more so that it applies to acts of goodness and kindness. One relatively minor mitzvah can literally save the world because of the “chain-reaction” that it causes.
Joseph thus deserves the credit as the first person to discover the “chain-reaction” concept as it relates to our moral and spiritual behavior.
Serving 12 Years n Jail
But, one may be tempted to raise another question. Joseph’s act did in fact, have a ripple effect; but the opposite one. He ended up serving 12 years in jail! Why?
The answer to this is also alluded to by the shalsheles-chain musical note. It is true that sometimes the positive decisions we make have an immediate negative effect. When we follow the process beyond its immediate effect, we will see, however, how everything will turn out fine. Indeed, as a result of being thrown into prison, Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s butler. This, in turn, enabled the butler to subsequently identify Joseph as a dream interpreter to Pharaoh when he had his fateful dream that portended a major famine that would wipe out all of the world’s population, had Joseph not successfully predicted the famine and provide Pharaoh with a means to prepare for it.
The lesson for our times is obvious. We must do more acts of goodness and kindness, study of Torah and observance of the Mitzvos. Even if we cannot see the immediate positive effects, we must be rest assured that it will inevitably and imminently lead to the ultimate Redemption through our righteous Moshiach.
It is hard for us to imagine that 3,300 years of Mitzvos performed by myriads of Mitzvos under the most trying circumstances, yet it is our one Mitzvah or resistance to transgression that can actually bring the Redemption.
The logic behind this assertion is simple. Mitzvos are cumulative and the one Mitzvah we will do will tip the scales in favor of our Resemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayeishev by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
