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BEGIN WITH A GRIN

Why does the chassan break a glass under the wedding canopy? To teach his wife what will happen if he washes dishes…

A TALE OF TWO CUPS

This week’s parsha, Mikeitz, tells the story of Yosef HaTzaddik, who suddenly transforms from a lowly prisoner to the second-in-command to the king. At the end of the parsha, after Yosef makes things difficult for his brothers with various questions and interrogations, forcing them to bring his young brother Binyamin before him, we read the story of the silver goblet. Yosef asks the manager of his house to frame Binyamin in a criminal act. He pretends that his personal silver goblet was stolen, one of Yosef’s servants conducts a “predetermined search” in the brothers’ bags, and to their shock, the mysterious goblet is “found” in Binyamin’s bag, leading to the direct conclusion that he “stole” it.

As is known, every detail in the Torah is incredibly precise, and one can learn a moral lesson and guidance in service of G-d from it. What is the spiritual significance of the goblet? After all, this is not about the Champions League cup or even the Egyptian Soccer Championship cup, so what are we supposed to learn from this goblet? And more importantly, what is the connection of the goblet to the true and complete Geula?

Everyone knows that in Yemos HaMoshiach, we anticipate a festive meal of rich meat and excellent wine, the meat delicacies will be from the wild ox, and the wine will be the wine preserved in its grapes from the beginning of creation. At the end of this meal, all the diners will need to recite the Birkas HaMazon. The Gemara tells what will happen before this, and it says there (Pesachim 119b): “After eating and drinking, they will give Avrohom Avinu a cup of blessing to recite the blessing upon, and he will say to them: ‘I will not make the blessing because Yishmael came from me.’ They will say to Yitzchok: ‘Take and recite,’ he will say to them: ‘I will not make the blessing because Eisav came from me.’ They will say to Yaakov: ‘Take and recite,’ he will say to them: ‘I will not make the blessing because I married two sisters in their lifetimes, which the Torah will later forbid to me.’ They will say to Moshe: ‘Take and recite,’ he will say to them: ‘I will not make the blessing because I did not merit entering the Land of Israel, neither in my life nor in my death.’ They will say to Yehoshua: ‘Take and recite,’ he will say to them: ‘I will not make the blessing because I did not merit a son.’ They will say to Dovid: ‘Take and recite,’ he will say: ‘I will make the blessing, and it is fitting for me to bless,’ as it says (Psalms 116:13), ‘I will lift the cup of salvations and call in the name of the L-rd.’”

The same cup that Dovid is destined to hold in his hand and recite the Birkas HaMazon over is mentioned in another place in the Talmud (Yoma 76a), where the Gemara adds a description of the size of this cup. It is said that the cup will contain 221 lugin, which according to today’s measurements is about 20 gallons! The Gemara learns this from the famous verse in Psalms (23:5) “My cup overflows [revaya],” and “revaya” in gematria equals 221, meaning that “my cup,” Dovid HaMelech’s cup in the future, will be “revaya,” with a size of 221 lugin – this is indeed a very spacious cup!!!

PASS THE CUP

In Chassidic teachings, we find a special connection between Yosef’s goblet and Dovid’s giant cup. The Tzemach Tzedek analyzes the similarities and differences between the goblet and the cup, based on biblical verses, biblical commentators, and concluding with sources in Kabbala. What emerges from his words is that the goblet is actually something more similar to a bottle, a vessel in which wine is brought to the table and from which wine is then poured into smaller cups.

In the spiritual sense, the significance of the difference between a goblet and a cup originates in the difference between the souls of Yosef and Dovid. Yosef symbolizes the sefira of Yesod, whose essence is influence, giving, and extension, while Dovid symbolizes the sefira of Malchus. Yosef’s role as second-in-command to the Egyptian king was to bestow life (food and sustenance) to the Egyptians and to the entire world. He was the general provider for all of humanity during that period, which stemmed from his spiritual root, the sefira of Yesod, whose essence is divine effluence to all worlds and their creatures.

Therefore, Yosef, the sefira of Yesod, holds the goblet, a giant bottle through which he “pours” divine life force to whoever needs it. He holds in his hand the power of spiritual influence, and he is the one who can fill the empty cup of Dovid, the sefira of Malchus, which is known to have “nothing of its own.” This is not just a mystical matter, but is anchored in the simplicity of the text. Yosef indeed controlled all the food in the world, and Yaakov’s sons, including Yehuda (ancestor to Dovid, who also symbolizes the sefira of Malchus), had to plead with him to receive a little food.

According to this explanation, the Tzemach Tzedek explains that the root of the word “goblet” [gavia] comes from the word “high” [gavoha], similar to the word “hill” [givah]. Yosef stands at a high spiritual level, and from it, he has the power and ability to influence, give, and provide for everyone’s needs.

This power-structure hierarchy is only valid for the current time, but with the coming of Moshiach, the roles will be reversed, and Dovid will rise higher and higher, and he will be the one who bestows effluence upon everyone, including Yosef. This hierarchical change is expressed in Dovid’s giant cup. Now, Dovid’s cup is considered ‘empty,’ it has no power of its own, and it is ‘thirsty’ for every divine revelation it can receive from Yosef’s coveted ‘goblet.’ However, in the future, “my cup is full” – Dovid’s cup will be saturated with divine flow, it will not need to receive from another source, but instead will provide abundant good to everyone. Therefore, the Sages exaggerated the size of that mysterious cup; they wanted to emphasize and highlight the enormous abundance that Moshiach will be able to give to the world, both materially and spiritually. After all, someone holding a 20-gallon cup of excellent wine is not asking to borrow a can of cola or a beer bottle…

But why specifically 221 lugin? What is the inner meaning of this exorbitant number?

221 is the gematria of the word “long” [erech] a hint to the revelation of Hashem’s “long-suffering” attribute [erech apayim], the infinite compassion of the world’s Creator expressed in the 13 Attributes of Mercy, one of which is the attribute of “erech apayim.” In spiritual terminology, this hints at the level of “Arich Anpin” (the Aramaic translation of “long-suffering” or “long-faced”) which, according to Kabbala and Chassidus, symbolizes the innermost aspect of the Crown, a level that has never been revealed and is destined to be revealed only with the coming of Moshiach.

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

We’ll end with a Chassidic story about a different kind of large cup, a Chassidishe cup of whiskey that brings even the most distant closer. R’ Shmuel Prus was arrested, tried, and sent to ten years of forced labor in Siberia, located in Asia, thousands of kilometers from the center of Russia. He was accompanied by two other Chabad Chassidim who were convicted of similar offenses.

He was assigned to work in a weaving factory, and he had to operate heavy machines for twelve hours, which required a lot of strength. The climate conditions were harsh, and the food was very limited. He met a Georgian Jewish man named Avrohom in the camp, who was a strong and fearless person, and was considered the unrecognized leader of the prisoners in the camp. Despite the significant differences in character and background, a bond was formed between the brawny Avrohom and R’ Shmuel the Chassid.

Before Sukkos, R’ Shmuel and his friends were troubled: how would they fulfill the mitzva of dwelling in the sukka? R’ Shmuel confided in Avrohom, and he took care of the rest. He called some of his followers, and overnight a small but kosher sukka was erected next to the window of Avrohom’s work-room. The night of Yom Tov arrived. R’ Shmuel and his friends gathered in the small sukka. Avrohom awaited them there, happy and full of satisfaction from his handiwork. “What now?” he asked.

“On a holiday, we make Kiddush. Now we need ‘mashke,’” said R’ Shmuel.

Avrohom set his men to work, and within a short time, a bottle of vodka, pickled fish, and boiled potatoes were on the table. The mood in the sukka was uplifting. R’ Shmuel recited Kiddush over a large cup of mashke, and the three of them began the festive meal, while the others honored the occasion with a l’chaim. Little by little, the attendees forgot where they were and burst into a joyful singing. Lacking space, they were glued to one another, placing a hand on each other’s shoulders and dancing in place.

Suddenly, a senior officer appeared at the entrance of the sukka. “Aha!” he shouted in anger, “This time I’ve caught some fat fish!” Suddenly, the singing of the revelers stopped. The two friends looked at the officer, anxiously anticipating what would come next, while R’ Shmuel, who had already had his fair share of drinks, was completely oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.

“Comrade officer,” he called out joyfully, “come here and make Kiddush! You surely know today is the holiday of Sukkos.”

He poured vodka into the glass to the brim and handed it to the astonished officer. He walked over to the officer. With one hand, he held the full glass, and with the other, he warmly patted the officer’s back. The Russian officer extended his hand to the full glass, brought it to his mouth, and with the help of R’ Shmuel said: “Savri maranan… shehakol nihiya bidvaro!” and drank the beverage to the last drop.

The drink began to take effect. The anger disappeared from the senior officer’s eyes. He huddled with the Chassidim and began to recount his life story to them. The officer said that he was a Jew who studied in a cheder and later in a yeshiva, and because of the communist government, he ended up where he did.

“I remember,” he said excitedly, “that my father had just such a sukka, only a bit bigger.” After a few minutes, the officer recovered from the effects of the drink. He got to his feet and said, “Now leave the sukka and go to sleep. If they find me celebrating with you, they will arrest me too…”

Good Shabbos!

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