Summary of the Maamar
(Based on the Tzemach Tzedek’s summary of the maamar, quoted in the footnote.)
- The idea of Pharoh’s butler, the officer in charge of drinks, represents the windpipe, which draws out “moisture” (cool and calm collectedness) from the mind to cool off the heat of the emotions. Since, in the heart is where there is the intense fiery love for Hashem to the point of wanting to leave all physicality, and through bringing in the level of Chochma from the mind into the heart, he will be able to return to drawn down Hashem’s Light into this world. This “windpipe” is the aspect that connects the mind and the heart, to bring the awareness of Hashem’s mission for us in the world into the heart to channel the yearning for Hashem into action of Torah and Mitzvos.
- This is the idea of the dream of the butler, “there was a grapevine before me, and I took the grapes and squeezed them into wine, which flowed in Pharoh’s cup, which I placed in his hand.” The Divine soul is compared to a “grape,” since it has the love of Hashem hidden in it, just as the grape has wine hidden in it. Bringing out that hidden love into the open is through “squeezing” it, through squeezing out one’s ego, that “his soul should be like dust to all.”
Through this, we “put the cup of wine on Pharoh’s hand,” meaning, Pharoh of holiness, Malchus of Atzilus, accepts our loving heartfelt prayers, when we open and uncover our heart’s inner love for Him. This love of Hashem is called “the wine that makes people and Hashem happy.”
- However, not everyone merits to experience this “wine that makes happy,” since the complete experience of this level is for the Tzadikim, as it says “for the upright of heart there is joy,” and to a certain extent, anyone who serves Hashem properly. But someone who blemished his soul through immoral behavior, is not able to experience this joy until he corrects the blemish.
The proper advice for one who blemished himself through immorality is to “drink the wine” of bitterness, by contemplating how far he is from His source in Hashem, how low he has fallen etc. Together with this, by the time of reciting Shema before sleep, he should “accept upon himself the four capital punishments of Beis Din.”
In addition to regretting his actions and accepting upon himself to not repeat that improper behavior, he should realize how he blemished Hashem’s Name (as explained in Igeres HaTeshuva), and as a result became spiritually liable to the spiritual version of the capital punishments mentioned in the Torah. By imagining himself receiving the punishment, together with his sincere Teshuva, he can cleanse himself of his spiritual blemish.
- Now, both the “wine of bitterness” and the “wine of joy” cannot be truthfully experienced and remain with the person unless he takes those feelings of bitterness or joy and uses them as motivation to actually learn more Torah and do more mitzvos.
When a person remembers that his mission in life is to make Hashem happy by becoming a “dwelling” for Hashem in this world, then he will understand that every feeling of joy or bitterness needs to be translated into learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvos. Someone who enjoys the spiritual experience of prayer is represented by “the butler,” who serves the “wine” of feelings of joy or bitterness in prayer.
If he decides to “forget Yosef-Increase,” he forgets that his mission is to increase Hashem’s happiness, then he might be satsifed with just enjoying prayer and forget to be involved in actually learning Torah. If he does that, then he will end up “dreaming.” His love of Hashem in prayer, whether in joy or bitterness, will stop being real, it will be like a dream, since the Light of Hashem he felt in prayer will leave him. Instead, he will see “seven healthy cows,” his own good emotions, and that will lead to seeing “seven unhealthy cows,” he will come to unhealth and unholy emotions. However, if the “butler,” the one involved in prayer, will “remember Yosef-Increase,” to increase Hashem’s happiness through learning Torah, then the Light of Hashem he feels in prayer will continue to shine into him.
