Chasidut · Breslov

Likutei Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Laws of Morning Conduct 4:17/ליקוטי הלכות·אורח חיים·הלכות השכמת הבוקר ד׳:י״ז

אוְעַל־כֵּן נִקְרָא ״יוֹסֵף״, בְּחִינַת (בראשית ל, כג): ״אָסַף אֱלֹקִים אֶת חֶרְפָּתִי״ – שֶׁמְּאַסֵּף וּמְבַטֵּל כָּל הַחֲרָפוֹת וּבוּשׁוֹת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי מַחֲזִירֵם בִּתְשׁוּבָה וּמְקָרְבָם לְהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (שם): ״יֹסֵף ה׳ לִי בֵּן״, שֶׁעַל שֵׁם זֶה נִקְרָא ״יוֹסֵף״. הַיְנוּ שֶׁהַצַּדִּיק עוֹסֵק תָּמִיד לְהוֹסִיף וּלְקָרֵב נְפָשׁוֹת חֲדָשׁוֹת בְּכָל פַּעַם, וּמְבַקֵּשׁ תָּמִיד מֵהַשֵּׁם־יִתְבָּרַךְ עַל זֶה, בְּחִינַת ״יֹסֵף ה׳ לִי בֶּן אַחֵר״, שֶׁיּוֹסֵף ה׳ לוֹ בְּכָל פַּעַם תַּלְמִיד חָדָשׁ שֶׁנִּקְרָא בֵּן, כִּי ״כָּל הַמְלַמֵּד בֶּן חֲבֵרוֹ תּוֹרָה כְּאִלּוּ יְלָדוֹ״ (סנהדרין יט:). וְהוּא מְחַפֵּשׂ וּמְבַקֵּשׁ תָּמִיד לְהוֹסִיף וּלְקָרֵב חֲדָשִׁים, בִּבְחִינַת ״יֹסֵף ה׳ לִי בֵּן אַחֵר״.

1YOSEF, THE TZADDIK OF COMPASSIONIn this section Reb Noson brings further proof that Yosef HaTzaddik is identified with bringing everyone nearer to HaShem and illuminating them with perceptions of Godliness.This is why he is called Yosef, as alluded to in “God asaf my shame.” Yosef gathers in and eliminates all disgrace and embarrassment from the Jewish people, since he brings them to teshuvah and so closer to HaShem. This is the meaning of “May HaShem yosef for me another son,” on account of which he is called Yosef. This means that the tzaddik always works le-hosif, to add, and to draw close new souls each time.¹³⁰130 The word asaf is formed of the three root letters (יוסף) meaning “gather.” The name Yosef ,(אסף) ASF are formed of the (להוסיף) and the word le-hosif meaning ,(יסף) etymologically similar root letters YSF “add.” The tzaddik, personified by Yosef HaTzaddik, serves HaShem by gathering in those who have grown distant from Him and thus adding to the souls who serve Him. He constantly requests this of HaShem, as alluded to in “May HaShem add for me another son,” in the sense that each time HaShem should add for him a new student—since a student is called a son, because “whoever teaches Torah to his friend’s son is considered as if he fathered him.”¹³¹ 19b. He constantly searches and seeks to add new people and bring them near, as in “May HaShem yosef for me another son.”

בוְעַל־כֵּן ״וְיִשְׁרָאֵל אָהַב אֶת יוֹסֵף מִכָּל בָּנָיו, כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ״ (בראשית לז, ג) – שֶׁאָהַב אוֹתוֹ בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה מְאֹד, כִּי הוּא חָפֵץ בָּזֶה לְרַחֵם עַל הַכֹּל וְלַעֲשׂוֹת תַּחְבּוּלוֹת לְקָרֵב הַכֹּל. וְזֶהוּ ״כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים הוּא לוֹ״ – ״זָקֵן״ זֶה בְּחִינַת רַחֲמִים גְּדוֹלִים מְאֹד, בְּחִינַת (רש״י שמות כ, ב): ״זָקֵן מָלֵא רַחֲמִים״, בְּחִינַת תְּלֵיסַר תִּיקּוּנֵי דִיקְנָא (זהר נשא קלא.), שֶׁהֵם רַחֲמִים גְּדוֹלִים מְאֹד, הַיְנוּ שֶׁקִּבֵּל מִמֶּנּוּ כָּל הַשְּׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת שֶׁל רַחֲמִים שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת זָקֵן כַּנַּ״ל, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הוּא מְרַחֵם עַל הַכֹּל וּמְקָרֵב כֻּלָּם.

2Therefore the verse states, “Now, Yisrael loved Yosef more than all his sons, for he was the son of his zekunim.”¹³²” denotes someone with wisdom (Kiddushin 32b). Yisrael loved him greatly because of this—because Yosef desired to show compassion for everyone and to design ways to bring everyone near. This is the meaning of “for [Yosef] was the son of his zekunim.” Zakein, elder, denotes the trait of very great compassion, as in the midrashic depiction of HaShem at Sinai as “a zakein full of compassion.”¹³³ 4. Kabbalistic teaching states that the Thirteen Rectifications of the Zakan, the Supernal Beard, similarly signify very great compassion.¹³⁴ is the Light that shines from the Countenance of the Divine persona of Arikh Anpin (see note 13 above). The Arizal teaches that the channels through which this Light descends are the hairs of Arikh Anpin’s Countenance, otherwise known as the Thirteen Rectifications of the Beard (Sefer HaLikutim, Toldot). The Zohar (III, 131a) associates these Thirteen Rectifications with the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy through which we evoke Heaven’s compassion, as brought in Shemot 34:6-7 (see also Eitz Chaim 13:9 and LM I, 27:3, note 12). This connection is intimated ,זקָָן) by the resemblance between the words ZaKaN elder). In the kabbalistic ,זקֵָן) beard) and ZaKeiN lexicon, Arikh Anpin is the “Elder,” whose defining quality is great compassion. Thus Yosef received from Yaakov all the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, the concept of zakein, through which the great tzaddik shows compassion for everyone and brings them all closer to HaShem.

גוְזֶהוּ שֶׁתִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוּס: ״כִּי בֶן זְקֻנִים״ – ״כִּי בַּר חַכִּים הוּא לֵיהּ״, בַּר חַכִּים וַדַּאי, כִּי צְרִיכִין לָזֶה חָכְמָה גְּדוֹלָה, חָכְמָה נִפְלָאָה, חָכְמָה עֲמֻקָּה מְאֹד מְאֹד, כְּדֵי שֶׁיּוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּלִים וְצִמְצוּמִים כָּאֵלֶּה, שֶׁיּוּכַל לְקָרֵב נְפָשׁוֹת רְחוֹקוֹת כָּאֵלֶּה, חוֹלִים כָּאֵלֶּה, וּלְהַכְנִיס בָּהֶם הַשָּׂגוֹת אֱלֹקוּת וְכַנַּ״ל.

3This is why Targum Onkelos renders “for he was the son of his zekunim” as “for he was his wise son.” Yosef certainly would have needed to be a wise son since one needs great wisdom for this—amazing and exceedingly profound wisdom in order to be able to create the appropriate vessels and constrictions that would enable him to draw near such distant souls, such spiritually ill people, and infuse them with perceptions of Godliness.

דוְזֶה ״וְעָשָׂה לוֹ כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים״ – שֶׁפֵּרוּשׁוֹ, כְּלֵי מִילַת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם גְּוָנִין יָפִים, בְּחִינַת כַּרְפַּס וּתְכֵלֶת (רש״י שם). הַיְנוּ מֵחֲמַת שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁעוֹסֵק בָּהּ לְקָרֵב נְפָשׁוֹת רְחוֹקוֹת, עַל־כֵּן עָשָׂה לוֹ לְבוּשִׁים נִפְלָאִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם גְּוָנִין יָפִים וְנִפְלָאִים, בְּחִינַת ״כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים״, הַיְנוּ בְּחִינַת צִמְצוּמִים נִפְלָאִים, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת כֵּלִים וּלְבוּשִׁים כְּדֵי שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהַמְשִׁיךְ עַל יָדָם הַשָּׂגַת אֱלֹקוּת אֲפִלּוּ לְהָרְחוֹקִים מְאֹד וְכַנַּ״ל, כִּי בְּחִינַת הַצִּמְצוּמִים הַנַּ״ל, שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה תַּתָּאָה הַנַּ״ל, הֵם כְּלוּלִים מִכָּל הַגְּוָנִין, שֶׁהֵם כְּלַל כָּל הַכֵּלִים וְהַלְּבוּשִׁין שֶׁל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה שֶׁעַל יָדָם מַשִּׂיגִין אֱלֹקוּתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּזֹּהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים (זהר חלק ג׳ רעז.; תקוני זהר יב.): ״דְּאִיהִי כְּלִילָא מִכָּל הַגְּוָנִין״.

4Thus the Torah states that “he made him a cloak of passim.” The explanation of passim is “a fine woolen garment of many beautiful colors,” as Rashi comments on the words “karpas and sky-blue wool.”¹³⁵ 1:6, where he explains “white, karpas and skyblue wool” as many different colored fabrics, and his commentary on Bereishit 37:3, where he interprets to mean a fine woolen garment “such (פסים) PaSsim green) and sky-blue wool.” See also ,כרפס) as karPaS Megillah 12a. In other words, because Yaakov saw that Yosef engaged in drawing near to HaShem the spiritually distant, he made for him wondrous garments of amazingly beautiful colors—the concept of “a cloak of passim,” meaning marvelous constrictions, which are vessels and garments through which to extend a perception of Godliness even to the most spiritually distant. Conceptually, the constrictions, which correspond to lower wisdom, are inclusive of all the colors. These colors are the entirety of the vessels and garments of holiness through which one perceives His Godliness, as is written in the holy Zohar several times about Malkhut/lower wisdom, that “it is inclusive of all the colors.”¹³⁶ I, 91a; ibid. III, 296b.