Because of the great level that is the source of dreams, there are some aspects in which Yosef was on an even higher level than Moshe Rabeinu:
We see this in the fact that Moshe Rabeinu said that Aharon’s two oldest sons, Nadav and Avihu, were on a higher level than them. He said that during the inauguration of the Mishkan when Nadav and Avihu died after offering Ketores without being commanded to by Hashem. Moshe said that Hashem wanted the Mishkan to be sanctified by having completely righteous people pass away at the time of the inauguration, and since Nadav and Avihu were chosen instead of himself, this proves that they were on a higher spiritual level than him (at least in some aspects).
Since Nadav and Avihu had some higher levels than Moshe Rabeinu, that means that Yosef also did, since Nadav and Avihu were a gilgul-reincarnation of the soul of Yosef. Because Yosef was on such a high level, that is why Nadav and Avihu—who each possessed an aspect his soul—were also on such a high level, even higher than Moshe Rabeinu.
The Soul Levels of Nadav and Avihu
Now the Alter Rebbe goes into details of how Nadav and Avihu possessed aspects of Yosef’s soul:
Nadav and Avihu had the levels of ‘nefesh’ and ‘ruach’ of the soul of Yosef.
It says in the Torah that the people who took out the dead bodies of Nadav and Avihu from the Mishkan were not able to bring the Pesach offering (since Pesach was only a few days after the inauguration of the Mishkan) because they became impure through touching a dead body.
However, if we look at the verse carefully it says: “We are impure by touching the dead body of the nefesh-soul of a man.” (Bamidbar 9:7) This nefesh-soul is referring to Avihu, who had the nefesh level of Yosef.
There are five levels of the soul: 1-nefesh 2-ruach 3-neshama 4-chaya 5-yechida. The lowest is nefesh and the highest is yechida.
We see that the verse uses the singular term soul-nefesh and not plural ‘souls.’ We have a tradition that this is because the people only became impure by touching the dead body of Avihu, who had the level of nefesh. However, Nadav was on an even higher level than Avihu, and his dead body did not transmit any impurity to those that touched it.
However, Nadav had the ruach of Yosef’s soul. Therefore, the people who touched his dead body did not need to be purified by having the ashes of the Para Aduma-Red Cow mixed with water sprinkled on them.
Regarding him (Nadav), it is written, (Tehilim 51:14) “And support me with a nadav-generous ruach-spirit,” meaning that the verse connects the word “Nadav” with the level of “ruach,” since Nadav had the ruach level of Yosef.
This is also the meaning of what is written in Tehilim, (80:2) “He (Hashem) guides like sheep the Jewish People who are called Yosef.” The reason that the entire Jewish People are called Yosef in this verse (even those who are not his descendants), is that the way that Hashem guides the Jewish People during the time of Exile is similar to how Yosef served Hashem, from the level of “dreams” from the world of “Circles.”
Just like Yosef served Hashem with dreams, the entire Jewish People serve Hashem in a way that is likened to dreams during the time of Exile. This is why we are all called Yosef. Yaakov and Yosef had challenging lives and times when Hashem was very concealed from them. Nevertheless, they persevered and served Hashem with self-sacrifice. They served Hashem like a person who is dreaming, but is aware that he is dreaming. Such a person knows that he is connecting to a higher reality. So too, when the Jewish people are in exile, Hashem is in a state of concealment to us, so we serve Him in the manner of a “dream,” with self-sacrifice. Thus, we have the power to serve Hashem in ways that do not seem to make sense. It is because of this that we are even higher than Moshe Rabeinu in some ways, as the Midrash states, that Moshe Rabeinu was humbled when he saw the self-sacrifice and dedication of the last generations of Exile (including our current generation), who serve Hashem even though they don’t have any understanding and awareness, like one who is in a dream.
Because Yosef was connected to the level of “dreams,” he is referred to in the verse (Bereishis 49:22) as “a son that פַוֹרָ''ת-multiplies,” on a literal level this means that his descendants will multiply, but the word פוֹרָ''ת contains the letters that spell two other words: פוֹתֵ''ר-interpret and תוֹפֵ''ר-connect, meaning the ability to connect seemingly random and disconnected things together to infer the correct explanation of dreams. This is why he was able to interpret dreams for Pharoh and his officers, since his soul was connected to the spiritual source of dreams.
