Who is the Joseph in us?

The Torah’s account of Joseph revealing himself to his brothers is not only a dramatic family reunion but also a profound spiritual lesson. After being betrayed, sold into slavery, and imprisoned, Joseph rises to power in Egypt and finally confronts his brothers, who are left speechless in shock. The Talmud relates that Rabbi Elazar would weep at this moment, explaining that if human rebuke can be so overwhelming, Divine rebuke must be far more so.

This teaching is understood on a deeper level when the Torah’s characters are seen as symbols of inner spiritual forces. Joseph represents the pure, holy soul within each person — beautiful, truthful, and a dreamer yearning for closeness to G-d. The soul seeks transcendence, integrity, and spiritual truth, not ego, manipulation, or material excess.

Yet people often ignore or suppress this inner soul because its ideals disrupt comfort and instant gratification. When silenced, the soul becomes “enslaved” to foreign desires and unethical behavior, which Chassidic thought compares to harming something innocent and precious.

But the story does not end in despair. The brothers’ shame did not come only from regret, but from recognition — realizing the greatness of Joseph and that reconciliation was still possible. Likewise, when we recognize the holiness of our own soul, that awareness is not meant to crush us, but to awaken us. The very fact that the soul can still reveal itself shows it was never destroyed. Its dreams endure, waiting patiently to be honored again. That moment of recognition becomes not an end filled with guilt, but a beginning — an opportunity to heal, reconnect, and live more fully aligned with the deepest truth within us.

Shabbat shalom!

Candle lighting time: 4:17 PM (in NYC)