Vayeishev



Yosef's mater, Potifar saw that G-d was with Yosef. How do you see that G-d is with someone?

Rashi says that G-d's name was often on Yodef's tongue, as we see to be true, that he's always thanking G-d, etc. (This could mean that Potifar believed Yosef's saying that G-d was with him, or that what is meant is that he saw that Yosef mentioned G-d a lot. The Nesivos Shalom seems to be holding the latter. The two possibilities are presented in What's Bothering Rashi?)

The Ramban says that in Yosisef's merit Potifar saw a vision of G-d over Yosef's shoulder (as it were, my phrasing).

Nesivos Shalom develops the idea that things only go wrong if we are disconnected from G-d. If someone were to be connected all the time all would be good all the time. He says that the advice for most people, who can't be connected to G-d all the time, is to connect to the community. In the community someone is connected to G-d and by connecting to someone who's connected to G-d we are connected to.

Nesivos Shalom ties in Shabbos to idea of being part of community as way to connect to G-d. He cites a Medrash that he's fond of. Every day had a partener, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, but 7/Shabbos was alone, so she complained. G-d said, The Jewish People - Knesset Yisrael will be your partner. The name used for us in the ingathered Israel. When are we the partner of Shabbos? When we use it to gather and connect.
(Similar to Rabbi SR Hirsch saying that the most used name for our places of worship calls them a Gathering House - Beit HaKnesset rather than a House of Prayer - Beit Tefillah because, perhaps, even more important than how this building allows us to connect with G-d is how it brings us together with one another.)

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