Kabbalah Library

102) “And a man found him, and he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him saying, ‘What do you seek?’” How could the complete Jacob, who loved Joseph more than all his sons, and who knew that his brothers hated him, send him to them? But he did not suspect them, for he knew that they were all righteous. But the Creator arranged it all so as to keep the sentence He had given to Abraham the Patriarch in the covenant of the pieces.

103) We find that the sons of Jacob should have reigned even before Joseph went down to Egypt. This is because had he gone down to Egypt and they did not rule over him first, the Egyptians would have been able to rule over Israel forever, and they would never be able to come out of there.

This is why it happened to Joseph, who was sold by his brothers into slavery, and they ruled over him to sell him into slavery.

For this reason, even though Joseph later became a king, since the Egyptians crowned him, Israel are already ruling over all of them, since they had already governed their king, Joseph, and sold him into slavery, all the more so that they ruled over the Egyptians themselves. This weakened the power of the Egyptians and they could be freed from them.

104) Joseph was the upper covenant, Yesod of [of] ZA. As long as the covenant existed, the Shechina existed as it—should, peacefully in Israel. Since Joseph, the upper covenant, left the world, for he was sold into slavery, the covenant and the Shechina and Israel were all exiled.

Also, it is written, “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” This indicates that his merit had been revoked and he was exiled. And it all came from the Creator, as it should be.

105) “And a man found him,” this is Gabriel. “Wandering,” for he was wandering about everything, since he had trusted his brothers and sought brotherhood from them, but did not find it. He also sought them, themselves, but did not find them. Hence, “And the man asked him, saying: ‘What do you seek?’”