One of the laws governing the physical universe is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This same principle operates in the spiritual worlds as well; for instance, Divine justice is meted out “measure for measure” throughout the Torah. Likewise, human beings possess good and evil inclinations, and there is even a biblical verse that succinctly expresses the notion of equal and opposite energies: “These against these did God make” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).
In the last section, we discussed the importance of taking full advantage of an opportunity when the “gates are open.” This advice cannot be disputed; however, many times what appears to be a golden opportunity turns out to be “too good to be true.” We are in fact being lured into taking part in someone else’s evil or crooked schemes. Sometimes an opportunity that looks so inviting is nothing more than an illusion, a figment of our inflated egos or base desires that causes us to throw all caution to the wind. Other times the apparent opportunity may be a test from on High, God’s way of assessing a person’s spiritual maturity and self-control.
Joseph himself once fell into the trap of misreading an opportunity and this error had disastrous “equal and opposite” consequences for the Jewish people. This occurred when Joseph tried to impact the world spiritually by having all the Egyptians circumcised. This episode is alluded to by the following verse: “When all the land of Egypt hungered, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread. So Pharaoh said to all Egypt, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he tells you, you should do'” (Genesis 41:55). This verse is difficult to understand for two reasons: Firstly, why did the people cry out to Pharaoh when it was Joseph who was in charge of distributing the food? Secondly, what was Pharaoh referring to when he cryptically told the people to do “whatever” Joseph commands? Midrash Tanchuma, cited by Rashi, seems to resolve these two questions by explaining that the people complained to Pharaoh regarding Joseph’s unusual request to circumcise themselves. Pharaoh cryptically replied that they should do whatever Joseph asks.
The Zohar (2:17a) explains that Joseph desired to “convert” those souls who were ready to leave the depraved ways of Egypt (the word for “Egypt” in Hebrew aptly connotes “constriction” or “a narrow place”). Joseph realized that his rise to power gave him opportunities on the spiritual level, not just the material one. He must have pondered at great length how best to translate his position of power into a means for the spiritual advancement of the world. As a son of Jacob, he doubtless knew the role the Jewish people were to play in the rectification of the world, so he “flung the gate wide open.” Sadly, although his motives were pure, he had misread the situation. His actions were premature and they led to the very opposite of what he had intended. These “converted” souls became the “mixed multitude” that Moses erred in taking out of Egypt along with the Jewish people.
Indeed, compounding Joseph’s error, Moses also seized the opportunity of attempting to elevate more souls by taking them out of Egypt; but his good intentions also backfired because he misread the situation. In retrospect he came to see that when God warned him that these souls were not yet ready to leave Egypt, He was of course correct, as this “mixed multitude” was primarily responsible for the sin of the Golden Calf.
We learn from Joseph and Moses’ actions that every situation contains the kernel of positive and negative outcomes; we must balance the need to assertively take advantage of opportunities that arise with the need to exercise discernment and caution. On the one hand, we must assess every opportunity and make sure that our own, or other peoples’, baser natures are not skewing the picture presenting itself, for jumping too hastily can lead to disastrous results. However, on the other hand, we must not forget that undue procrastination can also severely impede material and spiritual advancement.
