| Dear Friend,
We are pleased to share an insight by the Rebbe on parshat Vayeishev, excerpted from our Daily Wisdom, adapted by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky.
Protected by the Torah
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his shirt, of the fine woolen robe that he was wearing. (Gen. 37:23)
G-d originally taught Adam the wisdom that He would later present formally to humanity in the form of the Torah. This wisdom was passed down through the generations, and Jacob received it both from his father Isaac and from the school of Shem and Eber, Noah's son and great-grandson. Jacob taught the Torah to all his children, but of all of them, Joseph was the most devoted to absorbing its teachings.
Rashi tells us that Jacob gave Joseph a special robe because Joseph was his most studious son. In this context, the robe that Jacob gave Joseph alluded to how the knowledge of the Torah immunized Joseph against all of the trials that he would eventually face. As Rashi notes, the word for "fine woolen" (pasim), describing Joseph's robe, is an acronym for these trials – Potiphar, Socharim (merchants), Ishmaelites, and Midianites. Allegorically, then, Jacob cloaked Joseph in a "robe" of Torah wisdom that protected him in his future challenges.
Similarly, the wisdom and spiritual power that we glean from studying the Torah nowadays protects us, helping us respond successfully to all life's challenges. --Daily Wisdom Vol. 3
Gut Shabbos, Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman Kehot Publication Society
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