The Moment that They Sold Yosef, All the Bounty Stopped – Rabbi Eliezer Berland Shlit”a

What is the connection between the state of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel to Yosef’s tomb?

What do our enemies understand that we don’t?  How is it possible to explain a hatred-filled mob that chooses to specifically express its hatred by destroying a grave of a man who died thousands of years ago?

The holy words of Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a in honor of the holy Yahrzeit of Yosef HaTzaddik, which falls on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz.  Moreinu HaRav shlit”a has spoken extensively over the years about the greatness of Yosef HaTzaddik, how he maintained his holiness and even continued to ascend spiritually despite his being sold at a young age by his brothers and growing up and being educated in a place described as “the nakedness of the land” (Egypt).

Through Yosef’s guarding of his eyes, he sanctified the entire universe

Yosef HaTzaddik guarded his eyes.  He never opened his eyes.  Through this, he sanctified the entire universe.   He went through such terrible suffering, such tests, one year in the home of Potiphar, and another 12 years in the dungeon.

“I will walk with closed eyes, and Hashem will open them for me”

The Midrash says that Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Yosef three times a day with endless temptations.  Three times a day, she would change clothes -- morning, afternoon and evening.  Every day, she would come and poke him with needles and pins, with iron combs – “His soul came into iron.” She told him, “I will blind your eyes.  I will take out your eyes.” He said to her, “‘Hashem makes the blind see.’  I will walk with closed eyes, and Hashem with open them for me.”  She pierced him with pins under his neck and he never opened his eyes. She said to him, “I will bend you over, I will bring you down.” He replied, “Hashem straightens the bent.” “You will be imprisoned here in the dungeon for life.  You will never get out of here.” He replied to her, “Hashem frees the bound.” [caption id="attachment_53607" align="aligncenter" width="907"] Moreinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a at Yosef's tomb with his students[/caption]

“For the sake of shoes, they sold Yosef”

 The holiness of Yosef sanctified the entire universe.  When Yosef was alive, even the ground was sanctified.

The Midrash says that they sold Yosef “for the sake of shoes.”  What is the meaning of “for the sake of shoes”?  No one sells a brother for the sake of shoes.  Where is such a thing heard of, that people sell their brother for the sake of shoes?  What, didn’t they have shoes? The “Pelach HaRimon” explains that during the lifetime of Yosef HaTzaddik, who had complete shemirat einayim (guarding of the eyes) and never opened his eyes, he sanctified the entire universe, the entire Land of Israel.

Through the holiness of the Temple, people could walk in the Land of Israel without shoes

All of the Land of Israel became sanctified with the holiness of the Temple.  Therefore, everyone could walk throughout the Land of Israel without shoes.  Like how in the Temple, people walk without shoes because of the holiness, so it was during the time of Yosef, that people could walk everywhere without shoes. There was such holiness in every walk that they didn’t feel being pricked from thorns or stones.  As long as they believed in Yosef and didn’t think of selling him, nothing pricked them.  The thorns were holy; everything was holy.

“The moment that they sold Yosef, all the bounty stopped”

The brothers didn’t know who was the Tzaddik in whose merit the Land was filled with holiness.  Each one thought that perhaps it was in his own merit.  They didn’t believe that this was in the merit of Yosef.

The moment that they sold Yosef, everything stopped.  They didn’t feel the holiness of the Land.  The ground was like just plain ground.  Suddenly, they felt that everyone was pricking them, everything hurt, and immediately they needed shoes.

It’s forbidden to look even if this doesn’t cause harm

The Yerushalmi in Peah says that Yosef rebuked his brothers for looking at the girls of the land.  He said to them, “Why are you looking?” They told him, “This doesn’t harm us.”  But Yosef argued that even if a person is holy and pure and looking doesn’t harm him, it’s forbidden to look, because the very essence of seeing harms.

“A person transfers all their vitality to whoever they look at”

Rabbi Natan explains that from the eyes emerge such powerful lights, such wondrous lights, that all the vitality of a person passes by way of the eyes.  A person transfers all of their vitality, all their soul, everything, to those whom they look at.  Because the essence of looking, the essence of seeing itself transfers power, transfers vitality.  Because a person is full of Torah, full of prayer, full of Godliness, and when one looks at the klipot (the impure husks), at the wicked, at the gentiles, one transfers to them vitality and power. This is what Yosef rebuked his brothers about: “True, your seeing doesn’t harm.  You are the tribes of Y-ah, supremely holy, but through the very essence of looking itself, you transfer power to the Sitra Achra [the “Other Side” of evil], to the powers of impurity.  Therefore, it’s forbidden for you to look.”

“If you open your eyes, all your Torah goes to the klipot”

The Tur says in the first section, “Be light like an eagle” – this corresponds to guarding one’s eyes, to close your eyes, close them swiftly like an eagle.  This is how the Tur begins. If a person opens his eyes, walks with open eyes, all the Torah that he learns goes to the klipot, to the enemies, to the wicked.  Everything goes to them.  One sustains them and gives them their power.  Because their vitality is from you.  Their vitality, their power comes from you, because you learned.  If you learned ten hours and said 600,000 letters, because you looked at and saw forbidden things, you gave life to all the klipot.  All 600,000 letters went to them!  If you hadn’t looked at them, they would not have had any strength or vitality.

“Guarding one’s eyes raises up all the sparks”

If a person would go out to the street with shemirat einayim, he would elevate all the sparks that are found in the klipot.  If a person closed his eyes, he incinerated all the klipot.  In every klipah, there is a holy spark.  The moment that a person passes by in the street while guarding his eyes, the spark is freed. The ”Heichal HaBerachah” says that from the creation of the world, sparks are imbedded in the streets and marketplaces, waiting for someone to raise them up, for someone to rectify them.  Only with closed eyes is it possible to elevate them.  The Godly spark is found in every place, but we don’t see it.  It is hidden, because with a forbidden glance, people see only the klipah, and they create another klipah and another klipah.

“The spark in a woman cries out, ‘Don’t look’”

Don’t look! If you look, more and more klipot accumulate.  The holy spark in a woman is found in a prison and cries out to you: “Don’t look!  Brother, have mercy on me.  Don’t look at me!  Free me!  When you look at me, you bury me.  You bind me in more chains.”  The spark begs a person: “Brother, have mercy on me!  Free me from this prison.  If you don’t look, you will bring the redemption.  Until now, no one redeemed me or rectified me.  Have mercy on me; take me out of imprisonment.  Don’t look.  One time of not looking and you bring down the endless walls and endless klipot which are surrounding me.”

“Only people can perform the rectification”

You need to know, if an angel would pass by in the street, it wouldn’t do any rectification.  It wouldn’t raise up any spark, because they don’t have the evil inclination to gaze.  It doesn’t have the evil inclination for impurity.  However, people – who are flesh and blood – need tremendous self-sacrifice to guard their eyes.  The moment that people walk in marketplaces and streets, they have terrible tests, and through guarding their eyes, they raise up and rectify all the sparks that are found there.