From the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l
The Torah portion of Mikeitz begins with a description of Pharaoh's dream. In last week's portion we also read about dreams: those of Joseph, and of Pharaoh's butler and baker.
An Intrinsic Connection Between Dreaming and the Concept of Exile
It was these dreams that ultimately led to the Jewish people's exile in Egypt. Indeed, there is an intrinsic connection between dreaming and the concept of exile. A dream is the product of the imagination. In a dream, logical contradictions make perfect sense. An elephant can pass easily through the eye of a needle. In the same sense, the entire period of exile is only "imaginary." It may appear to a person that he really loves G-d, but what he really loves best is himself, i.e., his own physical comfort. He may be so deluded by his wants and desires that he actually transgresses the will of G-d.
Nonetheless, every Jew possesses a G-dly soul that is always whole and intact. The good deeds a Jew does are eternal. The Torah he studies and the mitzvot he performs last forever. By contrast, the negative things a Jew does are only temporary. If a Jew gives into temptation and sins, the evil doesn't last. In the end, every Jew will return to G-d.
There are some people who claim that religious observance must follow an orderly sequence, from the "lesser" mitzvot to the more "major" ones. They say that if a person hasn't reached a state of spiritual perfection, he cannot ascend to the next level. But this approach is entirely wrong. We aren't living in an "orderly" and logical world; rather, the Jewish people is in exile, the entire period of which is likened to a dream. In a dream, two opposites can co-exist peacefully. Thus, because we are only "dreaming," we must grab every opportunity that comes our way to do a mitzva, no matter how "illogical" or far removed it seems from our present level of spirituality.
A Mitzva to Reveal this Wisdom
In previous generations, very few people studied Chasidut, the inner, esoteric aspects of Torah. A person had to prepare himself for many years before he could even begin to approach it. In our generation, however, "it is a mitzva to reveal this wisdom." Ever since Chasidut was revealed by the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, the obligation to learn Chasidut falls on each and every Jew, in the same way that every Jew is obligated to study every other part of the Torah.
It is precisely now, at the very end of the exile, that we can "jump" to spiritual levels that in former times would have been beyond our reach. In exile, we are only "dreaming," and anything is possible. Regardless of our individual achievements, it is precisely this approach to Torah and mitzvot that will bring an end to the exile and bring redemption to the world.
Reprinted from the Parshat Mikeitz 5761/2000 edition of L’Chaim. Adapted from Volume 1 of Likutei Sichot.
