Why Was Yosef So Special? - Rabbi Shimon Isaacson

everyone this week is parshas vayeshev and we begin reading in the torah about the sipura yosef and his struggles with his brothers his being thrown into a pit sold down to the limb to mitsura in the house of potiphar and the whole stories of ultimately leading to his being thrown to jail and then rising interpreting the dreams of power rising to the highest levels of power and many people note that calendarically in the calendar the stories of yosefi's creo that we have always link into hanukkah and there's certainly a lot of divrei torah that link chanukah and the stories of yosef but perhaps we could suggest that there's an even deeper linkage and deeper connection between the stories of yosef that we're reading about right now and the nace of purim and esther and mordechai and all the rest we see tremendous tremendous thematic links first of all these are both events that take place in golis in both cases esther and yosef mordechai as well rise to the highest of levels in a foreign government they're both initially esther and yosef are taken against their will but onus they use that position of power to save the nav from destruction they're also able to yosef help sparrow mordechai helps ah they're able to help that foreign government in both cases yosef and and esther they only reveal their identity at the end of the story in the context of a mystery yosef reveals himself to his brothers esther to akhash fears that she really is a jew in both cases there's a dream or a lack of sleep of the king of akhashverosh [Music] and para who can't dream meet his dreams interpreted both stories involve the hanging of rebellious officials very striking but perhaps the most important element is in both stories is you don't find the shame hashem you don't find hakuras fully fully revealed everything that happens to esther and mordechai you could explain it away a great story a story of games of thrones it's a great story but you could explain it away wait the shame hashem is not there everything just seems to work out so perfectly well the same exact thing is true when it comes to the stories of yosef everything is orchestrated he's looking he sent out to find his brothers there's an ish called everything is orchestrated he ends up being thrown into a pit no deep pit a miracle happens but no it could be explained naturally that shame hashem is not is not evident we go from place to place yeshua made on him down to power the house of polti fire miracles happen he doesn't engage with asia's potiphar he's thrown into jail there he interprets dreams pyro hears about it he ends up in the house apollo rides to michelle melech saves all of midstryme from famine and ultimately you see clearly that this is all hashem works in multiple ways he works overtly with nasa yeah that's hanukkah and then he works behind the scenes he works in the mist of it everything is a perfect exquisite orchestration by akrash paku working this theme the master puppeteer making sure everything is positioned exactly as it's supposed to these are the lessons of c rayose the lessons of nace purim to go ahead and appreciate hashem not just in the overt not just in the miracle of lights but also behind the scenes the master puppeteer working through everything making sure that everything is positioned in the most exquisite and perfect way possible have a wonderful shabbos [Music]