Voice of the Inner Dreamer

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayeishev

Do you have a dream?

Yosef's brothers despised him for sharing his dreams: "Would you then reign over us? Would you then dominate us?"
(Bereshit 37: 8)

Yosef stands alone among a crowd of non-believers. What do we do when the dissenting voices within us try to overcome the voice of our inner dreamer? A possible answer lies in the text: His father kept the matter in mind. (37:11) Observe yourself without judging.

What would it be like to amplify the voice of your inner dreamer?  

Making Peace with the Past

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayeishev

Ever regret where you've been?

Part of Yosef's journey is to be sold so many times that his brothers lose track of him (R. Munk).  Yet he will eventually end up in the right place at the right time: As second in command in Egypt, he will able to sell food to his family during the famine and bring his brothers to teshuvah -- repentence. (Bereshit 42:6).

What if the purpose of all your life's experience was to end up exactly where you are right now?

Is there something or someone you still need to make peace with, including yourself?

If You Blame, Remember the Gain

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayeishev

Do you blame yourself over things from the past?

You're in good company, because Reuven does, too. Seeing that his brothers want to kill Yosef, he tries saving him from harm by suggesting that the brothers put Yosef into a pit.  But when Reuven returns, he discovers Yosef missing -- now a slave on the way down to Egypt -- and rents his garments, asking, "Where can I go?" (Bereshit 37:30)

Poor Reuven. He thinks he is in control of all of his actions. He doesn't consider that his good-hearted attempt is an act of divine intervention, all in the context of G-d's overall plan. How? It's the grand plan of bringing the Children of Israel to Egypt into slavery and then redeeming them to give them the holy Torah.

If Reuven pays attention he may see that the numerical value of "Where can I go" is 120, the age at which Moses dies, and therefore a symbol of Israel's redemption from Egypt.

So where can you go in your Reuven-ic consciousness? When you fall to the temptation of blaming yourself, just imagine what tremendous salvation G-d has planned for you.

Or perhaps it's already in front of your eyes, waiting for you to notice?