The Daily Strengthening from The Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a — “Yosef Is Alive and Endures”

“And Moshe took the bones of Yosef” (Shemos 13:19)

“And David danced with all his might” (II Shmuel 6:14)

Sunday, 26 Adar 5783 — “Whoever laughs when he sees David dancing will not finish out his year.”

These are his holy words:

“And Moshe took the bones of Yosef” (Shemos 13:19)—even Moshe needs to bind himself to Yosef.

A person must be connected to the Tzaddik every second—whether it is a living Tzaddik or a Tzaddik who has passed on. Yosef had already passed away, but it makes no difference: Yosef’s bones were with Moshe—Yosef is alive and endures.

Yosef is alive and endures; David is alive and endures. The Arizal showed everyone Avraham. The Arizal said: Today you will see Avraham; today you will see Yitzchak; today you will see Yaakov; today you will see Moshe; today you will see Yosef; today you will see David. And so the Arizal showed them the Seven Shepherds.

The Arizal called Avraham first. He said: This Shabbos (the Shabbos on which the Arizal delivered these words) is the holy Shabbos of Beshalach—on it you will see all Seven Shepherds: the three Avos; and he showed them Moshe and Aharon, Yosef and David.

Suddenly they saw Avraham called up to the Torah—reading from the Torah and saying “Barchu.” After that, Yitzchak—they saw Yitzchak literally; the students of the Arizal saw Yitzchak.

After that they saw Yaakov. Yaakov came down from Heaven, approached, and said “Barchu.” After that they saw Yosef HaTzaddik—Yosef’s bones. After that they saw Moshe, and Aharon.

Before the revelation of David, the Arizal said: Whoever laughs will not finish out his year, because “And David danced with all his might” (II Shmuel 6:14)—the main thing is to dance with all one’s might.