Your Environment: A Reflection of You

MyLife Essay Contest 2015

There is an astounding question the Lubavitcher Rebbe asks in Parshas Mikeitz. The answer he gives reverberates through my being. When Joseph was brought to Egypt, the pharaoh at the time had two dreams. The dreams and the sequence of events that follow lead us on a journey of understanding and touch upon fundamental principles in Chassidus.

The first principle is ‘tract gut vetzan gut ‘which means we create positive reality by first envisioning it. The second one is based upon the phrase in the Torah ‘Asher bare laasos ‘ which means G-d creates man with a purpose of perfecting the world. These two foundational concepts in Chassidus help me resolve challenges of anxiety, sadness and stress. Once I learned this sicha, heaviness , lethargy and hopelessness evaporated and I was able to be present and joyful as a mother.

The dreams start with seven unhealthy, frail cows which swallow seven robust, healthy ones. However, there is no change in their size. The same results in Pharaoh’s second dream when seven bundles of corn, barely standing from being so withered, consume seven flourishing crops of corn and remain shriveled and thin. Why would the holy Torah record in detail the dream of an Egyptian king? The answer lies in catching a glimpse into who Joseph was.

The sicha continues. Joseph was the rightous man, the tzaddik of the generation .Since the world is sustained through the tzaddik, it follows that the inflow of energy descended to the world in a way that mirrored him. Joseph was a dreamer,”ish chalomos”and his prophesy came through dreams since he was a child. Therefore, pharoah and his kingdom were perplexed by dreams and searched to decipher them. Also, Joseph’s rise to power came about when he was called upon to interpret dreams. Thus, dreams are the key component in shaping this story of Jewish history. The sicha continues that we are each the Joseph in our own lives. Just as Joseph dreams caused the rulers dreams, salvation from the famine decree, and the Jew’s rise to rulership, so to by creating a vision we change our reality.

Thus the Rebbe quotes “amcha kulam tsaddikim” which means we are all tzaddikim. Just as Joseph impacted the world around him we are obligated to do the same for the world around us. This is true at a deeper level. Just as the current flowing through a wire creates s magnetic field so to energy flowing through us affects the physical circumstance we find ourselves. The fact that the whole world is affected by my choice and vision is humbling and empowering. On the flip side, if we see some flaw in someone or any evil trait we can be almost certain that there is a similar component in ourselves. Once we have found it and rectify it the evil around us will dissipate.

I have taken this sicha to heart. Often, the confinement in our small apartment indoors for long periods of time would inevitably cause our children to fight. Sitting there wringing my hands in despair as tension filled my shoulders I would wonder how to go on. This sicha flashed before my eyes. I heard the words “the environment is a reflection of the individual”. I decided right then to implement what I learned. From several “hayom yoms “I learned that one can say passages of Torah to channel G-dly and thus positive energy and remove obstacles. I recited the twelve pesukim , which are a compilation of passages collected by the Lubavitcher Rebbe and visualized myself as a candle spreading light. As soon as I said the passages, I felt warmth, love and calmness radiating outward to my children who looked at me. Amazingly, they immediately resolved the issue without my saying a word. The inner calm became my world and the people involved in my life thus reflected just that!

I was thrilled. However, part of me thought that this was just ‘coincidence’. So, the next day, when my nine year old got into a tantrum over not having a fair playdate like her twin sister, I tried it again. Usually these power struggles go on and on. This time, when I said clearly “when you are ready to be calm we can talk about it.” I again said the twelve passages. I had in mind that she be filled with the light of holiness and love. Within a moment this mood just disappeared.

This worked with my husband too. I was exhausted after a busy day and I had forgotten to move the car for alternate side street cleaning. I said the twelve pesukim, visualized sending him peaceful energy and asked him to move the car. He agreed without a word.

That weekend I was going food shopping. I put money in the meter and amid my shopping I realized there were long lines to the checkout lane. I started to panic about getting a ticket. I didn’t look at the time although I felt I had probably used up my hour. Silently I said the twelve pesukim again . This time I felt my shoulders relax and my body let go. I moved my way through the lines and out to the car walking very slowly and casually although I knew I was five minutes late. I felt an inner calm settle over me as with each step my body surrendered to whatever will be. I got to the car and there was no ticket. As I started pulling away I saw the foreboding figure of a policeman ticketing the car behind me.

While I can’t promise this technique will get you out of a traffic ticket, I can tell you that the positive energy it brings will help you bear life’s stresses with much more inner peace. And, this inner peace creates a space for a divine encounter when peace and goodness will flow naturally.