In all three parshiyot: Vayeshev, Miketz, Vayigash, we search for the "Tzaddik Yesod Olam", the true tzaddik.

This week in Parshat "Vayigash", the tzaddik cries out "I am Yosef" when the true tzaddik is revealed. The brothers were all true tzaddikim, holy and exalted, but they did not believe that Yosef was the "Tzaddik Yesod Olam". The brothers erred with Yosef, they thought that Yosef the tzaddik was like them, only that he served Hashem more than them, learned more, guarded his eyes more. Each of the brothers was sure he was the true tzaddik, but they did not know that the Tzaddik Yesod Olam is something entirely different, Yosef illuminated from one end of the world to the other.

The "Heichal HaBeracha" says, the light of Yosef the tzaddik shone in all the worlds and all the spheres, he shone like the sun. The brothers did not know what a great light was present here, as it is written in the Zohar Chadash Parshat Vayeshev, that Yosef is everything, he is the root of all, from him all abundance flows. And this is what our Rebbe brings in Torah 67, part 2, "For there is a tzaddik who is the beauty, splendor, and grace of the entire world, as in (Genesis 39:6) "And Yosef was handsome in form and appearance" and in (Psalms 45:3) "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth" because this is the true tzaddik, who is in the aspect of Yosef, he is the adornment and beauty of the entire world, and when this beauty and splendor is revealed in the world, meaning when this tzaddik, who is the beauty of the entire world, becomes known and great in the world, then the eyes of the world are opened... anyone who draws near and is included in this true grace, his eyes are opened, and he sees and looks at himself, how he holds in all the traits... and he can also see and look at the greatness of Hashem."

For the true tzaddik comes only for one thing - to reveal Hashem, the true tzaddik comes to reveal that there is Hashem in the world so that a person does not think he acts by his own power, that he can walk, that he can do things alone, run alone, act alone, without Hashem. Here he receives a blow to the hand, here he receives a blow to the foot, every moment he receives a new blow, and still he thinks, I walk, I run, I do. A person thinks he rules the world, he walks, he breathes, he is shown in one second that if something small in the body moves a fraction of a millimeter, then it's over! And immediately he needs surgeries, tests, scans, and then he already sees he is not God, he is not an angel, he does not rule the world. Life teaches us slowly that a person is built "with many openings and cavities, known and revealed before Your glorious throne that if one of them were to open or close, it would be impossible to exist and stand before You even for one hour."

When a person reaches the age of 60, already a vertebra starts to move here and a tendon starts to move there, at age 60 the leg dries up, the tendon dries up. Until age 60, a person can deceive himself, that he is something, that he is all-powerful, but at this age, he already sees with his senses that he is really not something, here I fell, here I can no longer walk. But who can open our eyes and show us while we are healthy, strong, and robust that everything is Hashem, health is from Hashem, strength is from Hashem, everything is from Hashem, it is only the tzaddik who is in the aspect of Yosef, who can show us that there is Hashem in the world.

All that we came to the world for is to know that we do nothing, we came to know that Hashem leads the world, we only need to see Divinity, to see Hashem in every step, to see Hashem in every movement, to see Hashem in every thought and speech. A person moves a hand, moves a foot, it is all Hashem. Hashem moves the hand, Hashem moves the foot. A person lives in the world "a friend" builds buildings, builds yeshivas, if he does not know that Hashem did everything then it is all a Tower of Babel as King Solomon said "I have built a lofty house". Hashem said: Have you built? You built? If so, it is decreed that the house will be destroyed. Say Hashem built! Hashem did!

The Maggid of Mezritch forbade saying the word I. Tzaddikim were careful not to say the word I. A person says the word I, woe and alas! All the Torah, all the Gemara, Shulchan Aruch, all the Yoreh De'ah, all the prayers are only so that we know that Hashem does everything, that there is Hashem in the world, we do nothing, we do not move a hand, we do not move a foot, we do not breathe "Let every soul praise Hashem, Hallelujah" - every breath is from Hashem. The entire work of a person for 120 years is to know who the tzaddik is through whom life flows to the entire world, thanks to whom abundance comes to the world, as the Gemara tells about Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa: "The entire world is sustained in the merit of Chanina my son, and Chanina is content with a measure of carobs."

The first thing a Jew needs to know is what the world stands on, thanks to whom the world is sustained, he needs to search for who this tzaddik is through whom the world is truly sustained, to search for who these tzaddikim are who uphold the world, who are the tzaddikim who protect us.

And anyone who draws near to this tzaddik, anyone who is included in the true name of this tzaddik can see where he stands in the rectification of traits, the proof is that a person who has reached the tzaddik begins to hate his own evil, begins to hate his inclinations, he begins to hate all the material things that surround him, he only hates the body, the bad things, all the desires, at the very least he will not make them an ideal, he will not boast of them. The moment a person draws near to the true tzaddik, he only seeks the good things, sees only good in everyone, begins to love the people of Israel, loves them with a soul's love, sacrifices himself for everyone. He only wants to leave all his bad traits, all the desires, and merits to return in complete teshuvah to Hashem. Because this true tzaddik has the power to rectify the entire world, because this tzaddik can bring the entire world to goodness, if people would draw near to him and believe in him, they would leave all their evil, become completely purified. Because the tzaddik who has already left the four elements, who has purified all the four elements, who is already clean from all desire, he can bring out all the people of the world from their evil, from their desires.

Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen of Dvinsk, the author of "Or Sameach" on the Rambam, the head of the Lithuanian Jews of the previous generation, on the Gemara in Tractate Sotah (13a) "And they lamented there with a great and very heavy lamentation" (Genesis 50:10) "The Tanna says even horses and even donkeys" says Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen in Parshat "Vayechi":

"And they lamented with a great lamentation", even the horses lamented for Yaakov Avinu, there was such a great lamentation, such a heavy lamentation that the horses cried, the donkeys cried, everyone cried for the tzaddik. The horses felt that the tzaddik had disappeared, the donkeys felt that the tzaddik was no longer "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but my people do not know, my people do not understand". The horses acknowledge the true tzaddik, the donkeys acknowledge the true tzaddik, it is truly a shame and disgrace how people do not see the tzaddik, how people are blind, wandering the world not knowing who the tzaddik is.
A person with his pride, with his inclinations, does not want to believe in the tzaddik, does not want to know who the tzaddik is, but the horses and donkeys felt they were lost without the tzaddik, who will uphold the world, who will protect them, who guards the horses? Who guards the donkeys? Who protects the world? They know thanks to whom they live. If the tzaddik is not present, there will be famine, there will be a Holocaust in the world, there will be wars, says Rabbi Meir Simcha HaKohen, start seeing the tzaddikim, start following the tzaddikim, open your eyes and see who the tzaddik is thanks to whom you live.

A Prayer for the Poor

 Master of the Universe, who performs great deeds beyond comprehension, miracles and wonders beyond number, please, reveal to us in Your many wonders the tzaddik, who can purify the entire world from its desires, the tzaddik who took the people of Israel out of the forty-nine gates of impurity and brought them into the forty-nine gates of kedushah. Please, have mercy and compassion on us, for now we are in great need of a tzaddik in the aspect of Moshe, who will elevate us to the fifty gates of understanding, and will reveal to us that everything is under Your providence, and nothing else exists, and will prepare us and elevate us from the impurity of Ammon and Moab, and will uproot from our hearts the spirit of jealousy and baseless hatred, so that we will be worthy of the Holy Temple being built in our days.