I'm on a flight right now en route to Art Basel sharing this with you all. The story of Yosef's struggle and redemption is super inspiring, the audio below is something I shared about this week's parashah after my mom passed away last year, I hope it brings you some solace and light. Much Love and Shabbat Shalom!

We read of Pharaoh that “in the morning, his spirit was troubled. He sent for and summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men. Pharaoh told them his dream, but no one could interpret them to Pharaoh” 


Pharaoh’s wise men did interpret the dreams, but not in reference to him as a Pharaoh, instead as a king, so he was unsatisfied with their interpretations. Rashi explains their interpretations as such: Pharaoh would beget seven daughters and bury seven daughters. It was only Yosef that was able to not only interpret the dreams incorporating every aspect of the dreams that Pharaoh had shared, but was able to fill in the parts Pharaoh had left out and offer practical advice so as to keep Egypt in good standing, thus saving Pharaoh and his kingdom. Yosef saw the seven healthy cows in the dream as good and the scrawny cows as evil, something that always exists in the world, where the evil scrawny cows consume the healthy cows in a way that sometimes it seems that evil conquers good. But Reb Natan of Breslov explains that Yosef, a tzadik, is always able to overcome evil even if it has been “swallowed up” by evil. The Lubavitcher Rebbe reminds us that evil is transient while good always remains intact. The wise men told Pharaoh that Yosef’s interpretation didn’t make sense, that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of a famine, because the cows co-existed, so that would clearly not be correct. Yosef explained that they would have to put away food during the years of famine, taking advantage of the good days and storing them in the same way one should with good deeds in this world. And in this way, when the bad/evil befell them there was good to fall back on. So, too, we should store up good deeds, so the evil that exists will be met by good at the same time. 

* There is a ton of inspiration in this week's Dvar, so be sure to READ IT IN FULL @ www.lightofinfinite.com/karma-came-quickly/


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Thanks for listening/reading.
Much love, Erez Safar

Follow on instagram: @thelightofinfinite // Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightofinfinite

Karma Came Quickly (Mikeitz)

Light of Infinite is a blog, a podcast, a festival and a soon to be released book series, where Erez Safar acts as Your Spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah.

The project began on the Yartzeit (yearly memorial) of my ex wife’s mother’s passing, and it’s inspired by both her (Yehudis Chava bat Yakov Dov) and my mother (Frida Levona bat Shalom), who passed the same year. When I think of these women, I think of tzedaka and chesed, words that are hard to translate because they capture the real depths of words like ‘generous’, ‘giving’, ‘loving’, and ‘kindness’. These two women embodied and exemplified these qualities to an angelic degree: so full of life, love, warmth, and light, at every turn, every single moment. Being around them inspired me to be more loving, more giving, more full of a zest for each moment in life.

My goal with this ongoing project is to spread that inspiration and Light that I received and still receive from them. Using each week’s Torah portion, delving deep into the text, the commentaries, and the Kabbalah connected to it, I’ll share insights that bring that inspiration and Light to life for me, and will hopefully do the same for you.

As DJ Shadow sampled on his seminal record, Entroducing, “It’s not me that’s coming through– the music’s coming through me”. With that said, I do not take any recognition for any part of the material except the writing style. The recognition is meant for the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and the Giants of Torah that reveal the the Light of Infinite in a way that only they can. So, I would like to give thanks to some of the Chassidic Masters and Rabbis that I draw the most inspiration from, whose wisdom I’m attempting to bring down and make accessible. These include Reb Nachman & Reb Nosson Mi’Breslov, The Arizal, The Ba’al Shem Tov, R’Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe), Carlebach, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and so many others.

I hope that these words inspire you to delve deeper into the Torah and kabbalisitc texts, and, as Chaim Vital says, “One can go deeper and deeper, as far as the human mind can delve, and it will always yield new treasures.”

Light of Infinite is an upcoming book series where I act as your spiritual DJ, curating insights into the weekly Torah portion and the infinite light of Kabbalah. The sefer (book) will include newly edited, and in some cases, expanded text on the weekly parashah. There will also be a section on key concepts of Kabbalah as well as a section that includes stories and info on some of my favorite Rebbe’s.

Karma Came Quickly (Mikeitz)

light of infinite