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Daily Wisdom

After concluding his blessings to his family, Jacob passed away. Joseph led his brothers to Canaan to bury their father in Hebron. After they returned to Egypt, Joseph continued to provide for his family. Before his own death, Joseph reminded the family of G‑d's promise to return their descendants to the Land of Israel.

"Joseph died and was placed in a coffin in Egypt."(Genesis 50:26)

Throughout their lives, our patriarchs and matriarchs clung to G‑d and His plan for creation. They were, therefore, unaffected by our world's concealment of Divinity. Although our Divine consciousness is much lower, we have nonetheless inherited some of their ability to rise above the limitations of this world. This is what has enabled us to fulfill the Divine mission described in the next book of the Torah, Exodus. In the Book of Exodus, we will see the Jewish people receive the Torah and begin building a home for G‑d out of this world.

To provide us with this inspiration, our ancestors, too, had to live in a state similar to exile. This happened when Jacob and his family descended to Egypt. Although they were never enslaved, they were still in "exile," banished from the Holy Land. By maintaining spiritual mastery over Egypt, Jacob and his sons gave us the strength to overcome the spiritual darkness of our own exile.

After the account of Jacob in Egypt, the Torah gives us the inspiration that will sustain us until the end of our exile: "Joseph was placed in a coffin in Egypt." We are not alone; Joseph is with us in exile, reminding us that we too can rise above exile and transform it into Redemption.


Parshah

The Human Story in Twelve Words

If we take the names of the twelve Torah sections ("Parshahs") of the book of Genesis, and read them in succession as a sort of shorthand or code, we get a synoptic account of the human story: the purpose of our creation, the soul's transformation from a wholly spiritual entity to a physical human being, the manner in which we develop our self and environment, and the ultimate realization of our mission in life.

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

Read


Video

Two Luminaries

There are many similarities between Maimonides and the Alter Rebbe, the Founder of Chabad Chasidism. They both issued decisions on Jewish law that guide all later generations.

Living Torah

Watch (6:59)


Correspondence

Overcoming Disagreements and Working Together

It is always possible to discuss and settle differences in a friendly way, inasmuch as all are imbued with the same ideals and have the same goal in mind.

Correspondence by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe