01 Dec Mikeitz: Transforming Darkness to Light – Mashiach ben Yoseph

Mikeitz: Transforming Darkness to Light
Tshuvah and Mashiach ben Yoseph

 G-d created the Universe with the letter ‘Hei’, His Breath… Speech
and …
From the darkness came the light.

The transformation of darkness to light is a most powerful concept in Torah.

Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers. It is specifically stated in the Torah that the pit was empty, and it  goes further to tell us (additionally)  that ‘it contained no water’. Kabbalistically water is a metaphor for a mirrored reflection (water is also likened to Torah , a reflection of the world as the world should be), and so the lack of water in the pit suggests that any subjective reflection of ‘self’ in this barren pit was removed. It was a pit of darkness with only a spark of Joseph’s inner light to be ignited fro his connection to G-d.

The ‘gift’ of being in the  ‘darkness’ of a pit is the perspective one gains of the ‘light’… and rebirth.

This is where we may relate to the term ‘rock bottom’.  

As we have learned in the conceptual understanding of Hamakom (the place, the space)…, there is no space devoid of G-d. It was in the  absence of the light that darkness made it possible to focus on the most essential source of light… ‘the most powerful light exists within the darkness’. And as we have also learned from the story of Creation, ‘from the darkness came the light’… Creation itself.  When Joseph was retrieved from the pit, and also as he was retrieved from the prison,  these are metaphores for the concept of darkness to the light.

It was from the darkness of the prison that (more of) Josephs’ dreams ( from the darkness) were illuminated to light with wisdom and understanding.   It were these illuminations (i.e. transformations of dark to light) that gave rise to Pharaoh appointing Joseph as Viceroy. The decision for Pharaoh to do so was interceded by his advisers ;  ‘ how could a slave  possibly be appointed to  Viceroy, a Royal Appointment‘? Pharaoh believed that Yoseph had ‘Royal Qualities’, however his advisers claimed that any such Royal appointment  could only be had by the Royal qualification of speaking the 70 (known) languages. It was at this point that the (lesser known) miracle of the malach Gavriel (archangel of gevurah; might &strength) took place. Gavriel gave to Yoseph the letter HEI to his name, giving Yoseph the power of speech of the 70 known languages plus the additional +1 language  of  Hebrew(81:6, Sotah 36b) . Joseph thus knew one more language than Pharaoh, giving Pharaoh and Egypt the understanding that Yoseph was most qualified (even more so than Pharaoh ) for a Royal position.

It is only recorded one time in Psalms (81:6, Sotah 36b) that
Yoseph is noted as ‘ Yohoseph ‘ (with the added letter Hei).

The letter Hei is referred to as ‘G-ds breath’. It was with the letter Hei, as ‘the breath of G-d’,  that G-d spoke the 10 Utterances that created the universe. It was thus that the letter Hei given to Yoseph gave Yoseph the greater power of speech (as he could speak  more languages than Pharoah), and the greater power of Binah- Understanding (which is also the power of the letter Hei).  [The letter hei correspond to the first hei of the tetragrammaton of Y-*-*-K as the World of Creation, the world of Darkness that precedes the World of Formation…Light].  Yoseph was then able to converse and conduct business in all languages with the people Mitzrayim in a manner that began a transformation of  the  World from Darkness to Light as the beginning of the period Mashiach Yoseph became revealed.

We all have the challenge of  transforming the darkness to light whether it be personal or National,  or whether it be physical or spiritual. The darkness and most powerful lights of transformation may be found in both the physical  and spiritual, as it occurs in all of life’s circumstances.

During the time of Chanukah and the darkest month of Kislev (Tevet). We look to the lighting of the Chanukiah to transform the darkness in the world and ignite the sparks of holiness that are concealed within the darkness.

Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counseling (Hnrs)
www.lawrencelax.com
lawrenceJlax@gmail.com