«En nuestra parashá encontramos un versículo que describe tres estados en el exilio: cuando Iosef es vendido por sus hermanos y revendido varias veces por caravanas de comerciantes, al final del proceso, la Torá nos dice (Bereshit 39:1): «y Iosef fue descendido a Egipto».El Midrash nos dice que la palabra «descendido», Hurad In Hebrew, it has three meanings:
1) Decline, of the word ieridá, Since Joseph was made a servant in Egypt, and was even put in prison.
2) Government, of the word Rediá, Since Joseph, after being presented to Pharaoh, became the governor of all Egypt.
3) He made them descend, of the word hole, ya que Iosef hizo descender la Presencia Divina a Egipto, como está escrito (Bereshit 39:2): «Di-s estuvo con Iosef».
These three explanations indicate three possible ways in which man relates to the world around him. Joseph possessed all three forms: descent, governance, and carrying the Divine Presence with him. Likewise, every Jew, man or woman, can behave in relation to their exile in one of these three ways.
The first possibility is that the Jew perceives a decline in his exile. The diaspora occupies such a significant place in his life that it hinders his service to God, and therefore the Jew struggles against it, striving, with great difficulty, to overcome it.
The problem with this approach to exile, considering it an entity that opposes the observance of Mitzvot, is that even though the person struggles and overcomes difficulties, the victory achieved is not complete, because the struggle leaves a mark on the person, so to speak, their clothes are bloodied from so much battling against the enemy.
The second possibility is that the Jew places himself, from the outset, in a position of authority over the world. He sees no difficulty or inconvenience in fulfilling the Divine Precepts. This approach also defines the situation of exile. As far as he is concerned, there is no exile; he is the ruler over the exile.
The advantage of this approach is that there is no conflict. All difficulties are automatically nullified. However, they don't vanish, but are momentarily subdued; there is a possibility that, if the person descends from their spiritual level, they will awaken and disturb the Divine service.
The third possibility is that the Jew brings the Divine Presence with him. That is, when the Jew goes into exile, he takes God with him, and with His power, transforms the exile itself, until it helps him in the observance of mitzvot. This is the highest level, which transforms the evil of the diaspora into good, darkness into light.
This was Joseph's spiritual level. On one hand, he descended to Egypt, into exile, separating himself from the spiritual life he had shared with his father Jacob, and entering into the material affairs of Egypt. Yet, God was with him, to the point that he became the ruler of all Egypt, and the exile itself served Joseph and aided him in all his endeavors.
This power, Joseph transmitted to the entire Jewish people: one must not be afraid of the difficulties of exile, but rather bring the Divine Presence into the exile itself, and thus bring the final redemption, swiftly in our days.