Tapping into Vayimaen | Rabbi Nachum Binder

When Yosef HaTzaddik faced that ultimate Nisayon of Eishes Potiphar, the Torah tells us that Yosef HaTzaddik was Misgaber, overcame his Yetzer Hara with the power of And the Sefarim ask, Why does the Torah use the word, he refused? Why doesn't it say, he didn't want? In the Sefer Afikei Yehuda, from one of the great Gedolim in the 18th century, he answers this question with a very big Yesod. He tells us, What was Eishes Potiphar thinking? How did she think that Yosef HaTzaddik would fall to such a test, would fall to such a Yetzer Hara? And he says that Eishes Potiphar knew the natural capabilities of a human being, and she knew that there's some things that naturally we cannot overcome. With enough persuasion, with enough תאווה, with enough Nisayon, it's not natural for a person to overcome. But Yosef HaTzaddik did not overcome it naturally. Yosef HaTzaddik overcame it with the power of וימאן. It's not ולא אבה, it's not that he didn't want. Naturally, he wanted it. Zogt the Afikei Yehuda, A Yid has the power to access supernatural Kochos, when it comes to fighting our Yetzer Hara. The power of וימאן represents that even when naturally there's no way to overcome this Yetzer Hara, we are bigger than nature. We can overcome what can't be overcome. And I think that that's what Chazal mean when they tell us that Yosef HaTzaddik saw דמות דיוקנו של אביו בחלון he saw that image of Yaakov Avinu. What Yosef HaTzaddik realized and recognized at that moment was I am different. I am Yaakov Avinu’s son. And as Yaakov Avinu’s son, I am greater than nature and I am greater than the Yetzer Hara that nature brings my way. מוריי ורבותיי, we all have that Ko’ach of וימאן. Yes, there are times when we feel that we can't anymore. There are times that we feel that naturally, there's nothing for me to do. But at that moment, we have to be able to tap in to our inner selves of who we are, as בני אברהם, יצחק ויעקב and say: No. וימאן. I won’t. And if we tap into that וימאן, then we really won't. And then we'll be zoche to all the Brachos that Yosef HaTzaddik was zoche to when he did his וימאן, with our וימאן.