Parshas Miketz - Yosef, Asnath and Revealing the Torah's Secrets

 Parshas Miketz, which often coincides with Chanukah, is filled with many deep and profound ideas. I’d like to touch on one of them, namely the discussion about Yosef and his marriage to Asnath. As we explained in the article HERE this union was very unique. Asnath in fact was the daughter of Dinah and Shechem. The marriage of Asnath and Yosef represented a cosmic reunification and planted the seeds for the final redemption. 

But that was just the beginning. Let’s see how this marriage is depicted in Parshas Miketz and allow us to gain even deeper wisdom and understanding. The Torah, in Genesis 41:45 states:

וַיִּקְרָ֨א פַרְעֹ֣ה שֵׁם־יוֹסֵף֮ צָֽפְנַ֣ת פַּעְנֵ֒חַ֒ וַיִּתֶּן־ל֣וֹ אֶת־אָֽסְנַ֗ת בַּת־פּ֥וֹטִי פֶ֛רַע כֹּהֵ֥ן אֹ֖ן לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וַיֵּצֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֖ף עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ 

Pharaoh then gave Joseph the name Tzafnas-paneach; and he gave him for a wife Asnath daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On. Thus Joseph emerged in charge of the land of Egypt.

What does Yosef’s new name represent and why did he receive it now? Rashi explains that this name means that Yosef becomes the explainer of hidden things. And fascinatingly enough, this name never appears again throughout the entire Tanach. Only one person in history was given such a status, and that is Yosef Hatzaddik at the same time of his marriage to Asnath. 

The Kol Hator 2:122, attributed to the Vilna Goan explains:

Tsofnat Paneach “one who explains what is hidden” -- This was said about Yosef, and it is one of the missions of Mashiach ben Yosef that in every generation he explains the hints in the Torah, especially as the footsteps of the Mashiach come nearer, as is known.

Says the Gra, this power that was given to Yosef Hatzaddik was actually planted in every generation, bestowing the ability to reveal the secrets of Torah, especially in the final years before the Geula. But what did this have to do with Asnath and her marriage to Yosef at this auspicious time?

Interestingly, Rabbeinu Bachya in his commentary on this Passuk says that there is another time we see the concept being used, this idea of Revealer of Secrets. It’s actually in the Nishmas prayer according to Nusach Sefard and Sefardi. Right in the middle of the paragraph it described that Hashem Himself is המפענח נעלמים, reveals secrets. 

So it would come out that according to Rabbeinu Bachya, Yosef was not given some magical superpower. Instead, he was given the Light of Hashem, tapping into that Divinity to reveal secrets just like Hashem does. But what secrets are we talking about and still what does this have to do with Asnath?

The Maggid of Kozhnitz in his commentary on the siddur, Avodas Yisrael, provides an incredibly profound insight on what this all means. These are his words:

And who is this revealer of hidden things and discloser of what is concealed—the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, who says to His dove ‘You are perfect’—these are words of affection at the time of union? It is none other than King David, peace be upon him, who was the badchan (jester) of the King, as is written in the Zohar. 

And it is the way of the badchan to hide himself in order to hear the words of the groom and bride at the time of their union—from my flesh I behold this Above. Therefore they said: ‘And in Your holy words it is written, saying: Hashem shall reign.’ 

For through King David the matter was certainly revealed—that they should say ‘Hashem shall reign’—since he was the badchan of the King and revealed the words of union, whereby the groom taught His beloved what to say before Him. Understand this.

What is he speaking about? What does the Zohar mean when it says Dovid Hamelech was the jester of Hashem? And how does this tie back into our Passuk in question?

The Avodas Yisrael is teaching that the deepest divine secrets are not revealed through direct prophecy or clear statements, but through listening at the edge of intimacy. In Kabbalah, the bond between Hashem and Knesses Yisrael is compared to a groom and bride in a private union. That union itself must remain hidden. The only truths that can emerge are those that “leak out” indirectly. And the core of this revelation is the phrase that Hashem says to the Jewish people, “You are perfect”.

Dovid Hamelech is described in the Zohar as the badchan—the jester—of the King. A badchan does not stand at the center of the wedding, but at the side. He hides himself, listens carefully, and then hints, jokes, or sings in a way that reveals something without exposing it fully. David’s greatness is not that he saw divine union, but that he heard what could be said afterward. This is why his prophecy takes the form of song and Tehillim, not direct commands.

And nobody embodies this principle more than Yosef Hatzaddik. Yosef lives in a completely imperfect world. From his perspective, he was abandoned by his father, sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongly accused for raping his masters wife and sat in the depths of despair in a dungeon in Egypt. 

And yet, he whispered back to Hashem, “You are perfect”. He saw the silver lining in every situation. He appreciated the smells of spices as his captures whisked him off to foreign lands. He retained his faith in every situation. He was able to remain positive and caring even in the darkest of times.  When reunited with his father and brothers, he showed he had no resentment and completely forgave them for their heinous actions. 

And that’s why it took Yosef Hatzaddik to marry Asnath. From everyone else’s perspective, she was damaged goods. Born of a union of rape, shame and blemish on the family. She was cast off to Egypt, a tainted girl in a foreign land. When all of the women were throwing flowers upon Yosef, she had none. All she had was her insignia that she came from the house of Yaakov and she tossed that instead. Yosef grabbed it and thought, “You are perfect”. You are perfect Hashem, that out of all of the women in Egypt, you are connecting me back to my holy roots from the house of Yaakov. And “you are perfect” Asnath, that despite all you have been through, all of the shame, guilt and abandonment, I see through that. I see your holy soul and want to marry you as a wife. 

And perhaps this might be the deeper understanding of why we bless our boys every Friday night with the Bracha that they should “Become like Ephraim and Menashe”. Boys can be boys. Perhaps throughout the week, they might have been imperfect. Maybe even leading up to kiddush they might have been fighting, complaining or just tuned out. But the father of the house must reach deep inside, just like Yosef Hatzaddik, and say those three special words, “You are perfect”. Yosef married Asnath based upon this perspective, seeing perfection in an imperfect world. So too I can see the perfect in my imperfect sons. What a bracha!

And this is why, exactly at this moment where Yosef and Asnath united, Hashem shared His light as the Revealer of Secrets. Hashem said, I see you already understand the greatest secret of all, that which unites Hashem Essence with the Shechina and the Jewish people. The secret of seeing perfection in an imperfect world. Now you are ready to see the perfection in my Torah as well. If you can see deeper within the souls of the most downtrodden individuals and challenging times, I trust you too will see deeper correctly into the secrets of my Torah. 

And not just in those times, says the Vilna Goan, but forever. Each generation of perfection seekers is given their own glimpse and ability to reveal the secrets of Hashem’s Torah. Yes, the name only appears one time in Tanach, but the ideal lives on and as we get closer to the light of Moshiach, a greater, deeper, higher truth is being revealed to the Jewish people, one Dvar Torah at a time. And who knows, maybe you have the power to see perfection in others, bring down this Divine Flow into the world, and reveal the secrets needed to allow the Geula Sheleima to unfold. L’Chaim!