In this week's Torah portion, Joseph is flung into a pit, to await his death, or Reuben's secret plan to rescue him clandestinely.
The Torah describes the pit as being "empty, without any water."
Asks the Vilna Gaon, why it has to relate that the pit was empty and not aqueous at all?
Rashi explains that the Torah tells us there wasn't any water in the pit to implicate the fact that there were scorpions and snakes in the pit - not the safest place to be at all!
However, says the Vilna Gaon, that the water represents spirituality and the snakes and scorpions indicate the vain pursuits that one can pursue in the physical world.
The Torah is compared to Torah in Rabbi Akiba's famous parable about a fox who tries to entice a fish to escape the fishermen by jumping up onto dry land, for the fox's lunch. The fish rebukes the fox by exclaiming that if in the water they have a chance of being caught and killed; on land they will surely 100% die!
We see from this there is no middle ground. We have to strive to fill our "pits" with water. We cannot let snakes and scorpions in. Ask any professional terminator, the best way of dealing with an infestation is the clear out the place or block the hole/crevice where the infestation takes place. By filling ourselves with spirituality, we ensure that no negative influences can come in; there simply isn't any room.
This week I shall...
...contemplate my role in bringing spirituality to my life, using the wisdom of the Torah to help me in my day to day occurrences.
Shabbat Shalom
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