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Orchard of Delights

guilty regarding our brother [Joseph] for we saw his anguished soul
when he pleaded with us and we did not hear, therefore this painful
experience has come upon us” (Genesis 42:21). The brothers’ reaction
demonstrates that they had already internalized the horror of what
they had done to Joseph. Furthermore, their immediate association
of events long past to the present demonstrates their spiritual
sensitivity. The brothers realized that their current suffering was
not random, a streak of bad luck or a coincidence, but was a long
overdue payment for the horrible deed of selling their brother. They
understood that events do not happen in a vacuum; invisible threads
of connection link everything that happens. We just require a certain
sensitivity to see them.
Once again, the Torah provides us with “stories” that convey deep
and eternal teachings relevant to each and every person. As we go ee eee exOdusxOdusxOdusxOdusxOdusxOdus
through life we are bombarded with constant stimuli and confronted
תוֹמ ְשׁתוֹמ ְשׁוֹמ ְשׁתוֹמ ְשׁתוֹמ ְשׁוֹמ ְשׁ
with events that sometimes unfold at breathtaking speed. In an
attempt to just keep up with events, we sometimes lose sight of the ת ת
broader picture, forgetting that everything that happens in God’s
world is a consequence of cause and effect, a manifestation of the
Divine principle of “measure for measure.”
Although each individual has free choice, we sometimes forget that
h h
hemOtemOtemOt
these choices are made within the overriding framework of Divine s s s s s shemOthemOthemOt
Providence. Like Joseph’s brothers we need to be constantly aware of
how and why things are happening to us. Although we can never be
absolutely sure that our analysis of the connections between events
is entirely accurate, it is crucial for our spiritual growth to cultivate
an awareness of the interconnection between all things, especially of
those events taking place in our own lives and in the world around
us.

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