Yosef and The Descending Elevator

In the end, everything ends up, up. (Vayeisheiv 2022)

I once asked my rebbe, The Holy Yishba, how he defined God, and he laughed. 

“There’s just not enough ink 
in this world.”

like stuffing a whale 
into a pencil case
It just won’t fit, 

and everyone WILL 
be harmed in the attempt.”

So how can I know, at the very least, that He’s good? I mean, did you see what happened to Yosef? The light of a colorful dream, abandoned by its own brothers and exiled into a land of heavy darkness? Did you see that? Have you seen the verse? Do you see what I’m seeing? It’s such a sad passuk. The moment that Yosef is going all the way down — leaving everything he knows. He’s a slave now, a spiritual has-been. A one time dreamer of stars , donning vibrant clothing, now, just a helpless body dominated by another for a palmful of coin.

Don’t define God, fine, but tell me Rebbe — how could God do such a thing? I thought he loved His little Yosef! It's such a sad verse, how do you not cry with him this time of year. “Yosef went down to Egypt.” Such a heart peeler.

The rebbe sighed.

“The verse hurts my little rebbe heart.”

But understand that humans are so judgmental. His brothers were so judgemental. Do you know why the Holy Second Temple, The Beis Hamikdash, had to be destroyed? It was because everybody just hated everybody. Why so much hate? For what terrible reason could a man hate another man so deeply? This is the saddest part of it all. The Sages write: “FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON!” They hated for the sake of hate and they judged for the sake of judgment. It was so unjust, so inhumane. So un-jewish. 

So, my sweet student, are we to go on the same and judge Yosef’s condition at face value? Let’s read it again. The verse says that “Yosef went down.” But goooo deeeeeper. Get closer to the words, like lovers in love. Did he really? Did he really go down to Egypt?

“Come with me!” By morning, we arrived in Dubai, and were driven to the tallest building in the world. The doormen greeted The Yishba with hugs and kisses. “May we?” he asked them. It seemed the doormen were thrilled he had returned. “Of course Master Yishba!” 

A waiter appeared from no-where and set a table for us in the elevator. We went all the way to the top floor, and then back to the first floor. All day long we ate, and drank and were merry all while the elevator went up and down, up and down. 

At the end, we took the elevator down one last time and called for a taxi. 

It was all so warm and pleasant to be in the presence of the rebbe, so I didn’t bother asking why we had come to Dubai, why the tallest building in the world, why the elevator. 

But then, in the car, he told me:

“Yosef,  
anything that goes down also goes up. don't you see? 
There are only downs, because there are ups and
in the end, everything ends up, 
up.

The answer is always hidden right there in the question. Sharpen your gaze and look closer at the verse. A very big, little kiss from the Ultimate Writer has been hidden forever. 

Look to the end, first. 
Look at the last letters of the verse, first.  
Look very closely.

Can you see it?

In the midst of Yosef’s 
descent into darkness,
he was simultaneously 
being rescued.

Then look again. Then look again. 

Then muster the courage to put your own name in the verse, and to switch Egypt, no matter how dark your Egypt is, with your very personal Egypt. 

---

The Yishba handed me a calculator. What are the chances of your existence right now. I did not know how to do the math. “Try  impossible multiplied by impossible- I did not know how to do the math. “Now multiply that by your specific obstacle?” I did not know how to do the math. I had not typed in a single digit, it was all impossible. His eyes lit up. “The answer is You.”

The whole world would laugh at us if we told them you were possible. But not only were you granted a reality, but you’re here right now in the midst of all these regularities. We can’t shy away from the words that define this moment. we can't close the book, we can't shut the gates. Because this story is not over. Yosef wasn’t really going down to Egypt, he was ascending through Egypt. It’s right there. God hid it right there for us to find. For you to find. For you to find right now. 

Wishing all the love in the world.