Nothing is Random

In the portion of Miketz, Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him. He accuses them of being spies and demands that they bring their little brother Benjamin to him as proof that they were not. At this point, Joseph also remembers his dreams about the stalks and the stars, where it was predicted that one day all his brothers would bow down to him. The Zohar asks was Joseph seeking revenge for his brothers selling him into slavery by putting them through this agony of having to bring Benjamin and consequently Jacob back to Egypt. Are we to believe that Joseph, a chariot connected to the immaterial world where no chaos exists, could behave in this manner?

"All chaos can be overturned or corrected."

The Zohar is teaching us that Joseph had the presence of two universes: The Flawless Universe or Tree of Life Reality, where time, space, and motion are not limiting factors, and our world, the Tree of Knowledge, which has the limitation of time, space, and motion, and where chaos exists.

If someone has wronged us, the Zohar explains, we are to consider that which has affected us as part of our own tikun because we are caught in the illusion of this physical world, which is totally governed by cause and effect. Even a sniper, who has not known or come in contact with his victims in this lifetime, and kills for self-satisfaction, is not random. According to the Zohar, there is no such thing as random. Although sometimes there appears to be no logic, in this instance we have simply forgotten that because we are limited by time, space, and motion, we cannot see beyond the physicality and do not have a complete picture of what is actually going on.

Prior lifetimes are always separated by time. Once we have achieved access into the Tree of Life Reality, which is the ultimate purpose of all our study, we begin to realize that there are no single parts to a picture but that everything that goes beyond time, space, and motion is what has to be considered.

The Zohar says that when Joseph remembered his dreams, he now understood that his dreams were coming true. The Bible is teaching us that to achieve an insight into the world of the spiritual realm, we must begin to recognize that all chaos can be overturned or corrected. The physical reality is the illusionary world for a reason; here today, gone tomorrow. What we think we see is not always what we see. If we are still holding on to the physicality (the rational mind), the Zohar says, we possess nothing. How many of us are familiar with healthy people who experience a “sudden” heart attack; here today, gone tomorrow. It is important for us to know that if something involves chaos, it is not real, but we still have to deal with it or live in that misery.

"The Zohar presents the rules of the universe."

The Bible says Joseph remembered his dreams only to indicate that this physical reality cannot be understood unless we take into account prior lifetimes and not just a single moment in time. The Zohar explains that we cannot have any understanding of what is happening at a single moment, if this moment is all to which we direct our attention. We can be literally saved from death, and have so many other great things happen to us, and yet in a moment we can forget it all. How is this possible? It is possible because of the power of the illusionary state we live in. The Zohar says if we direct our consciousness to one time frame, we are living in the world of illusion and cannot expect to overcome chaos. Even with all the teachings and tools of Kabbalah, it is impossible because we have opted for a life in the world of illusions.

The Zohar says Joseph did not orchestrate the chaos that ensued with his brothers, and that there are rules and principles in this universe concerning prior lifetimes or this lifetime. When we commit a violation, no matter how we validate it, if something of a chaotic nature then falls upon us, we have no one else to blame. Believing that someone else is contributing to our chaos is the trap that prevents us from letting go of this illusionary reality. Nothing in this physical universe escapes the idea of here today, gone tomorrow, and yet we do not let go because of the Satan’s stranglehold on us.

The Zohar presents the rules of the universe, and whether we are aware of all of its implications or not, the principle is that this universe is not governed by the chaotic universe, it is governed by the Flawless Universe. One is not suddenly stricken by chaos. There is no random. If we surrender to an illusionary moment in time, most times, most people, unfortunately, find it difficult to remove themselves from it. We need to understand that this moment in time is an accumulation of many lifetimes coming together. Thousands of lifetimes become all inclusive within this one moment. The Zohar says if we can raise our consciousness, and accept that we can control the chaos that fills our lives, we have begun the journey to a better life ahead.