ONE POINT
from
לקוטי שיחות חלק טו, שיחה ג לפרשת וישב
מחזור הראשון של לימוד הלקוטי שיחות - ה'תשפ"ד
Sicha resources: www.ProjectLikkuteiSichos.org
Feedback welcome: [email protected]
Lubavitch Hebrew Academy, Margate, FL
IN THE PARSHA:
When the brothers were accused of stealing יוסף’s goblet, they responded in shock:
ההַז ֶֶעֲבָד יךֶָמֵעֲשׂוֹתֶכַדָבָרלֶֶַחָלִילָה – far be it from your servants to do a thing like this!
רש"י explains that the word חלילה is connected to the word חול, something that is not holy. The brothers were saying that it would be a disgrace for them to do such a thing.
QUESTION:
Naturally, much of our lives involves matters of חול.
(The weekdays are called ימותֶהחול, and only שבת is קודש).
When denying that they stole, why do the brothers use the word חלילה, which implies that if something is חול they automatically consider it degrading?
ANSWER / LIFE LESSON:
The statement of the שבטים is a lesson for us.
A Yid must know that his entire being is קדושה - holiness.
Any interaction he does have with the mundane, physical world is because Hashem demands it of him, so that he utilize and harness it for holy purposes, in serving Hashem. Any matter of חול in and of itself he automatically dismisses.
The שבטים made this statement not long before they all would end up moving to מצרים.
And it is this attitude that helps a Yid stay above the challenges of גלות.
Further discussion:
Usually we say that the lives of all of the אבות serve as a lesson for all of us, but each שבט had its own unique details in how they served Hashem. Why does this statement of the שבטים serve as a lesson for everyone? (See אותֶד in the Sicha)
