"Shalom, Sivan. My name is Oriyah Elboim. I am a tour guide for a group of teenagers from South Africa, who have come to Israel. This morning we got up early and climbed up to Masada to see the famous sunrise. I've been a tour guide for a few good years now, and we have always seen amazing sunrises there, but this morning something strange happened. We got up and climbed, sat and waited, and... nothing. The sky was cloudy. We did not see the sun rising. I thought to myself that nothing was happening in front of our eyes, but beyond the clouds - the sun was indeed rising up and shining.
"In this week's Portion, Yosef goes through some very difficult experiences: he was sold to Egypt, thrown to jail. Everything in this story seems black and dark, but behind the scenes G-d weaves a big plan here. Behind the scenes the sun is slowly rising, and there is a reason for his going down to Egypt and for all of his suffering. He will yet save the nation from hunger and lay the foundation for the Exodus from Egypt.
"Also in our lives there are such periods, in which everything looks cloudy, and seemingly nothing goes forward and we do not understand why. We must believe that even when it is cloudy, at the end of the day there is a purpose for everything that happens, and in the end a big light will shine upon us. We came down from Masada without seeing the sunrise, but with this thought in mind."
