In Which Sara Gets Deep

Even though I feel like I've been talking to myself recently, I've been thinking about this and want to write it down before I forget it.

I heard a shiur recently where the Rav was speaking about when Yosef HaTzaddik was sold to by his brothers and was taken down to Mitzrayim.

I'm sure most people know the story, but to sum up, in Bereishis, Genesis, Yosef, Joseph, was sold by his brothers as a slave down to Mitzrayim, Egypt. He was sold to a caravan of Yishmaelim who then sold him again and again, until he ended up in Mitzrayim and the whole story of how he rose in power began.

Yosef was sold to Yishmaelim, and it says in the Chumash that they were "bearing spices and balsam" (N'chos, Tzri, and Lot). Now we all know that the Torah does not use any superfluous words. So why on earth are three words "wasted" on telling us what the caravan carried? Who cares?

Rashi says that the Yishamaelim generally carried petroleum and resin, foul smelling items, in their caravans. But since Yosef was a Tzaddik, a righteous man, HaShem made the Yishmaelim carry sweet smelling spices "so that he should not be harmed by the foul odor".

When you read this Rashi, it seems kind of odd. Yosef was just sold by his brothers into slavery, and the miracle that HaShem chose to do was for him to not smell foul odors on his way down to Mitzrayim? How about a miracle that he not be sold? Or that he escape somehow? Why on earth was THIS the miracle?

So the answer, said the Rav that I heard speak, was this. It was predestined that Yosef should go down to Mitzrayim to set into motion the years of slavery and redemption, culminating in the Jewish people receiving the Torah. Yosef's years of servitude and anguish in Mitzrayim, for reasons that we do not understand, had to occur. But G-d gave him a blessing, a sign on his way down to those years of darkness. Yes, you will experience pain and servitude. You will not be with your family. But I will send you down to this experience with a sweet smelling accompaniment. I, G-d, will be with you all the time. Look how I made you comfortable for this hard, hard journey.

This got me thinking about the journey that I have been on with my Dovi. Yes, it is often a journey of darkness. Of pain. Of anguish, watching Dovi struggle to do all that his peers do effortlessly. To run down the street. To climb the stairs. FD is not all bad, but it IS a kind of servitude, servitude to Dovi's body that does not do what it is supposed to do.

But look!


Look at the beautiful b'sammim, spices that we have been given. Dovi has the most wonderful, beautiful personality. I often say that Dovi lacks a Yetzer HaRah, an evil inclination. Everyone who meets Dovi loves him. He is beautiful, both inside and out.



His demeanor is so amazing and enjoyable-how can you not just marvel at the beautiful N'chos, Tzri, and Lot that we have been blessed with along the journey.



HaShem has given us such a blessing. We truly have a sweet accompaniment. We have been made comfortable for this long, hard journey.


and He is with us every step of the way.