When Jacob was told that
his son Joseph was still alive, he could not believe it because he thought his son was
long dead.
That’s the popular version of the story.
The Kotzker, however, adds
a different dimension. What Jacob really couldn’t comprehend was how his son managed
to become a leader in secular Egypt and still remain spiritually righteous.
He says; “Jacob couldn’t believe that Joseph managed
to be simultaneously righteous and a leader over Egypt – since the two seemed mutually
exclusive.”[1]
From that moment on, it appears
as if the gene had been implanted within the Jewish people to master both the
religious and secular realms without fear that one would diminish the other.
[1]
Amud HaEmet p.36, par 3
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