From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Bialaרבי דוד מתתיהו רבינוביץ מביאלאProfile ›
Self-Sacrifice That Turns Body Into Soul
The Midrash says that Yosef’s mouth, which did not kiss in sin, earned him “by your mouth shall all my people be sustained.” But those words mean that all Egypt would be fed by Yosef’s word. What has keeping his mouth from sin to do with feeding a land?
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Bereishis 41:40
אַתָּה תִּהְיֶה עַל־בֵּיתִי וְעַל־פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק כׇּל־עַמִּי רַק הַכִּסֵּא אֶגְדַּל מִמֶּךָּ
You shall be over my house, and by your mouth shall all my people be sustained; only by the throne shall I be greater than you.
Rashi: Yishak means “shall be nourished, shall be sustained”: all the needs of my people will be carried out through you.
1“You shall be over my house, and by your mouth shall all my people be sustained.” The Midrash hears in yishak, “shall be sustained,” the word nashak, “kissed”: “His mouth, which did not kiss in sin: ‘and by your mouth, al picha yishak, shall all my people be sustained.’ His body, which did not touch sin: ‘and he clothed him in garments of fine linen.’”1 But “by your mouth shall all my people be sustained” means that by Yosef's word the whole land of Egypt would be fed and provided for, as explains.2 What, then, does his keeping his mouth from a sinful kiss have to do with this?
אַתָּה תִּהְיֶה עַל בֵּיתִי וְעַל פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק כָּל עַמִּי (מא, מ). אִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה צ, ג) פִּיו שֶׁלֹּא נָשַׁק בַּעֲבֵירָה ״וְעַל פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק כָּל עַמִּי״, גּוּפוֹ שֶׁלֹּא נָגַע בַּעֲבֵירָה ״וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ אוֹתוֹ בִּגְדֵי שֵׁשׁ״ (שם, מב). וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין, הֲרֵי פֵּירוּשׁ ׳עַל פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק׳ הוּא, שֶׁעַל פִּיו יִתְזַן וְיִתְפַּרְנֵס כָּל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁפֵּירֵשׁ רש״י ז״ל, וְאִם כֵּן מָה עִנְיַן מְנִיעָתוֹ מִנְּשִׁיקַת הַפֶּה בַּעֲבֵירָה לָזֶה.
In shortThe Midrash ties Yosef's mouth, which kissed no sin, to “by your mouth shall all my people be sustained”; what links restraint to feeding Egypt?
2Let us first explain what we say in the Chanukah prayer, Al HaNissim: “You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of the righteous.” It is easy to see why the words “the mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few” were instituted: with them we recall how great the miracle was. But what miracle or wonder is there in “the impure into the hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of the righteous”? Why were these words instituted?
וְנַקְדִּים לְבָאֵר, מַה שֶּׁאָנוּ אוֹמְרִים בַּחֲנוּכָּה בִּתְפִילָּה ׳מָסַרְתָּ גִּבּוֹרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים וְרַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים׳. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין, דְּבִשְׁלָמָא מַה שֶׁתִּיקְּנוּ לוֹמַר ׳מָסַרְתָּ גִּבּוֹרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים וְרַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים׳ מוּבָן, דְּבָזֶה מַזְכִּירִים גּוֹדֶל הַנֵּס, אֲבָל ׳טְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים׳ אֵיזֶה נֵס וּפֶלֶא יֵשׁ בַּדָּבָר, וְלָמָּה תִּיקְּנוּ לְהַזְכִּיר זֶה.
Sources here
In short“The mighty into the hands of the weak” recalls a miracle; but what is miraculous in “the impure into the hands of the pure”?
3We may say, however, that the answer rests on a well-known principle. To draw down a salvation from Heaven, there must first be an awakening and a strengthening in avodas Hashem, the service of Hashem: an arousal from below, a stirring that begins with man, to draw the salvation down from Above. This is especially so when the salvation can come only through a miracle. Then a person must also act below in a way beyond the bounds of nature, and that is mesirus nefesh, the readiness to give one's life. As Chazal said in the Gemara: “The earlier generations gave their lives for the sanctification of Hashem's Name, and miracles were done for them. We do not give our lives for the sanctification of Hashem's Name, and no miracles are done for us.”3 So the power of mesirus nefesh is needed to draw miracles down upon Israel.
אָכֵן יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, עַל פִּי מַה דְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁכַּאֲשֶׁר צְרִיכִים לְהַמְשִׁיךְ יְשׁוּעָה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, צָרִיךְ תְּחִילָּה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הִתְעוֹרְרוּת וְהִתְגַּבְּרוּת בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה׳ בְּאִתְעָרוּתָא דִּלְתַתָּא בִּכְדֵי לְהַמְשִׁיךְ הַיְּשׁוּעָה מִלְּעֵילָא, וּבְיִחוּד כַּאֲשֶׁר לְהַצְמִיחַ הַיְּשׁוּעָה צְרִיכִים לְנֵס, שֶׁאָז צְרִיכִים לְהִתְנַהֵג גַּם לְמַטָּה בְּאוֹפֶן שֶׁהוּא מִחוּץ לְגֶדֶר הַטֶּבַע, שֶׁזֶּהוּ בְּחִינַת מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל בִּבְרָכוֹת (כ, א) קַמָּאֵי הֲוֹו קָא מָסְרִי נַפְשַׁיְיהוּ אַקְּדוּשַּׁת הַשֵּׁם אִיתְרְחִישׁ לְהוּ נִיסָּא, אֲנַן לָא מָסְרִינַן נַפְשִׁין אַקְּדוּשַּׁת הַשֵּׁם לָא מִתְרְחִישׁ לָן נִיסָּא, הֲרֵי שֶׁמֵּהַצּוֹרֶךְ לְכֹחַ מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ כְּדֵי לְהַמְשִׁיךְ הַנִּיסִּים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל.
- Berachos 20a. ↩
In shortA miracle, being beyond nature, needs an arousal from below that is beyond nature too: mesirus nefesh, as the Gemara teaches.
4As is well known, at the time of the Chanukah miracle Israel gave its life to uphold the Torah. The Chashmona'im, the Hasmoneans, above all poured out their souls for the honor of Hashem's Name, and by this power they were privileged to see the miracle of Chanukah. My holy father and teacher, zt"l, explained why we say mesirus nefesh, “giving over the soul,” when it is the body, not the soul, that a person gives over. When a Jew reaches the lofty level of mesirus nefesh, he is raised so high that he turns physical matter into spiritual form. All of him becomes soul, his body too, and so the giving over of his body is rightly called “giving over the soul.” So when Bnei Yisrael gave their lives to uphold the Torah, they were refined still more, and by the power of their mesirus nefesh they reached the level of “pure” and “righteous.” That is why Al HaNissim says, “You delivered … the impure into the hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of the righteous.” The intent of these words is to recall their mesirus nefesh, through which they became “pure” and “righteous,” and because of which the miracle was done for them.
וְהִנֵּה בִּזְמַן הַנֵּס שֶׁל חֲנוּכָּה מָסְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל נַפְשָׁם עַל קִיּוּם הַתּוֹרָה כַּיָּדוּעַ, וּבִפְרָט הַחַשְׁמוֹנָאִים שֶׁהֶעֱרוּ נַפְשָׁם בִּשְׁבִיל כְּבוֹד שְׁמוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, וּבְכֹחַ זֶה זָכוּ לְנֵס חֲנוּכָּה. וְהִנֵּה כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה אָמַר לְבָאֵר, לָמָּה אוֹמְרִים ׳מְסִירוֹת נֶפֶשׁ׳, הֲרֵי אֶת הַגּוּף מוֹסְרִים וְלֹא אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ. אֶלָּא שֶׁכַּאֲשֶׁר אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַגִּיעַ לְדַרְגָּה הַנַּעֲלֵית שֶׁל מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ, אֲזַי זֶה הָאָדָם מִתְעַלֶּה כָּל כָּךְ עַד שֶׁמְּהַפֵּךְ אֶת הַחוֹמֶר לַצּוּרָה, וְכָל כּוּלּוֹ הוּא בְּחִינַת נֶפֶשׁ, גַּם גּוּפוֹ, וְלָכֵן שַׁפִּיר נִקְרָא מְסִירַת גּוּפוֹ בְּשֵׁם ׳מְסִירוֹת נֶפֶשׁ׳. וְלָכֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מָסְרוּ נַפְשָׁם עַל קִיּוּם הַתּוֹרָה, עַל יְדֵי זֶה נִזְדַּכְּכוּ בְּיוֹתֵר וְהִגִּיעוּ לִבְחִינַת טְהוֹרִים וְצַדִּיקִים, בְּכֹחַ הַמְּסִירוֹת נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁהָיָה לָהֶם, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁתִּיקְּנוּ בִּתְפִילָּה ׳מָסַרְתָּ וְכוּ׳ וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים׳, וְהַכַּוָּונָה בָּזֶה לְהַזְכִּיר הַמְּסִירוֹת נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁהָיְתָה לָהֶם שֶׁבְּכוֹחָהּ בָּאוּ לִהְיוֹת בִּבְחִינַת טְהוֹרִים וְצַדִּיקִים, וּמֵחֲמַת זֶה נַעֲשָׂה לָהֶם הַנֵּס.
In shortMesirus nefesh turns the body itself into soul, the Rebbe's father taught; it made the Chashmona'im “pure” and “righteous,” and that brought the miracle.
5So we find with Yosef HaTzaddik. He was thrown into a pit that held snakes and scorpions, as Chazal tell us,4 and he was saved from them by the power of his mesirus nefesh. When Yaakov Avinu said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them,” Yosef “said to him, ‘Here I am.’”5 On this the Midrash says: “R' Chama bar Chanina said: Yaakov Avinu would remember these words, and his heart would be torn within him: ‘You knew that your brothers hated you, and yet you said to me, Here I am!’”6 We see that Yosef gave his life to fulfill his father's command. His mesirus nefesh shows even more in the episode with Potiphar's wife. And by the power of his mesirus nefesh the miracle was done for him: he was brought out of prison and became ruler over all the land of Egypt. As we have explained, to draw down a miracle, an arousal from below of mesirus nefesh must come first.
וְכֵן מָצִינוּ שֶׁהָיָה בְּיוֹסֵף הַצַּדִּיק, שֶׁהִשְׁלִיכוּ אוֹתוֹ אֶל בּוֹר שֶׁהָיוּ בּוֹ נְחָשִׁים וְעַקְרַבִּים כְּמַאֲמָרָם ז״ל (שבת כב, א), וּמַה שֶׁזָּכָה לִינָּצֵל מֵהֶם הָיָה בְּכֹחַ מִידַּת מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁהָיְתָה לוֹ, כִּדְמָצִינוּ שֶׁכְּשֶׁאָמַר לוֹ יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ ע״ה ״הֲלֹא אַחֶיךָ רוֹעִים בִּשְׁכֶם לְכָה וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֲלֵיהֶם וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הִנֵּנִי״ (בראשית לז, יג), וְאָמְרוּ עַל זֶה בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה פד, יג) ״וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הִנֵּנִי״ א״ר חָמָא בַּר חֲנִינָא, הַדְּבָרִים הַלָּלוּ הָיָה יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ נִזְכָּר וּמֵעָיו מִתְחַתְּכִין, יוֹדֵעַ הָיִיתָ שֶׁאַחֶיךָ שׂוֹנְאִים אוֹתְךָ וְהָיִיתָ אוֹמֵר לִי הִנֵּנִי, הֲרֵי לָנוּ שֶׁמָּסַר נַפְשׁוֹ לְקַיֵּים מִצְוַת אָבִיו. וּבְיוֹתֵר מָצִינוּ עִנְיַן מְסִירוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּעִנְיַן מַעֲשֶׂה דְּפוֹטִיפַר. וּבְכֹחַ מְסִירוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ נַעֲשָׂה לוֹ הַנֵּס שֶׁהוֹצִיאוּהוּ מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים וְנַעֲשָׂה מוֹשֵׁל בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבֵּיאַרְנוּ שֶׁבִּשְׁבִיל לְהַמְשִׁיךְ נֵס צָרִיךְ לְהַקְדִּים אִיתְעָרוּתָא דִּלְתַתָּא שֶׁל מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ.
In shortYosef gave his life to obey his father and to resist Potiphar's wife; that mesirus nefesh saved him from the pit and made him ruler.
6This is what the Midrash we cited means. Yosef's mouth and body took no pleasure in sin, and that was true mesirus nefesh. Through it he was privileged to see the miracle of going out of prison to become ruler and provider over all the land of Egypt, as the verse says, “and by your mouth shall all my people be sustained.”
וְזֶה כַּוָּונַת הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁהִזְכַּרְנוּ שֶׁעַל יְדֵי שֶׁפִּיו וְגוּפוֹ לֹא נֶהֱנוּ מִן הָעֲבֵירָה, שֶׁזֶּה הָיָה מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ מַמָּשׁ, עַל יְדֵי זֶה זָכָה לְהַנֵּס שֶׁיָּצָא מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִים לִהְיוֹת הַשַּׁלִּיט וְהַמַּשְׁבִּיר בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, כְּדִכְתִיב ״וְעַל פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק כָּל עַמִּי״.
In shortYosef's mouth and body refused sin with true mesirus nefesh, and that brought the miracle: “by your mouth shall all my people be sustained.”
7May Hashem grant that we be privileged to serve Him, at least in some small measure, with mesirus nefesh. Amen, may it be His will.
יִתֵּן ה׳, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה בְּמִקְצָת לְעָבְדוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ מִתּוֹךְ מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן:
In shortMay we be privileged to serve Hashem, at least in some small measure, with mesirus nefesh.
The Rebbe asks what Yosef’s refusal of a sinful kiss has to do with feeding Egypt, and what is miraculous in Al HaNissim’s “the impure into the hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of the righteous.” A miracle beyond nature needs an arousal from below that is beyond nature too: mesirus nefesh, as the Gemara says of the earlier generations. The Rebbe’s father, R’ Yechiel Yehoshua of Biala, taught that mesirus nefesh turns the body itself into soul; so Israel, giving their lives for the Torah in the days of the Chashmona’im, became “pure” and “righteous,” and that brought the miracle. Yosef, too, gave his life to obey his father and, above all, to withstand Potiphar’s wife. That mesirus nefesh saved him from the pit and raised him from prison to sustain all Egypt. He prays that we serve Hashem, at least in small measure, with mesirus nefesh.
Takeaway
Miracles above nature answer a service above nature, and that is mesirus nefesh. When a Jew gives himself over to Hashem, even his body becomes soul, as with the Chashmona'im, who became the “pure” and “righteous” of Al HaNissim. Yosef refused sin at the risk of his life and rose from prison to sustain a whole land; even a small measure of such devotion draws Hashem's help to us.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Biala. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.