We've arrived at one of the best stories ever written, about Joseph and his brothers, and our mystics have a lot to say about the power of stories...

Here are the sources referred to in this episode:

Vayeshev: https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.37.3?lang=bi&aliyot=0

Kabbalah teaches that the "real" Torah is actually the Infinite Name of the Infinite Creator.
Just as the infinite, eternal Torah (which is beyond narrative) was "condensed down" into stories about our ancestors, so too it must be revealed in the stories of every generation.
Our own stories are also full of Torah, which serve to guide us on the path of our lives.
Some folks are more uplifted by stories than by Torah.
We should always be speaking about leaving Mitzrayim / Constricted Consciousness:
https://www.sefaria.org/Me'or_Einayim%2C_Vayeshev?lang=bi

Rebbe Nachman: The world says stories are for putting people to sleep, but I say they are for waking people up!
https://www.sefaria.org/Chayei_Moharan.25.1?vhe=OYW&lang=bi

Joseph / The Tzadik (Righteous Person) wants to awaken people to the truth. This can't be done directly, has to be done through dreams, interpretations of dreams, stories, tricks, accusations, tests...
https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Halakhot%2C_Choshen_Mishpat%2C_Laws_of_Theft.3.7?lang=en

Stories create us, give birth to us, and the generations before and after us – we're links in a chain connected by stories:
https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan.60.6?lang=bi

It's best not to reveal what the mysteries in the stories mean, then the stories can be most powerful:
https://www.sefaria.org/Sichot_HaRan.151.15?vhe=rabenubook&lang=bi

People sometimes need their "medicine" to be garbed in everyday speech or stories:
https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan.164.1.2?vhe=Likutei_Moharan_-_rabenubook.com&lang=bi

To awaken people (including ourselves!) from spiritual sleep / not being awake to reality, when regular Torah doesn't work, we can use stories.
The person needs to begin to rouse themselves first, there must be an arousal from below – like Besht said, we can't help folks to return who don't want to:
https://www.sefaria.org/Likutei_Moharan.60.6?lang=

Thank you for listening to The Spirit of the Torah from Applied Jewish Spirituality (AJS) - https://www.appliedjewishspirituality.org/

In every episode, Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein explores insights arising from the Hebrew calendar or our weekly Torah portion, and related practices that can help us to effect positive change in our lives.

The intro and outro music is Shiviti by Dreamers - https://linktr.ee/dreamersmusic

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