Hidden Divine Life-Force

במדרש ושמעו אל ישראל אביכם מה הקב"ה בורא עולמות אף יעקב אביכם כו'.

In the Midrash: “And listen to Israel your father — just as the Holy One, blessed be He, creates worlds, so too your father Jacob…”

The Midrash compares Jacob to the Creator, indicating that Jacob possessed a spiritual power to generate vitality and reality, mirroring divine creative influence.

נ"ל כי חיות מצרים עצמו הי' ע"י יעקב.

It seems to me that the very life‑force of Egypt was through Jacob.

The Sefat Emet teaches that Jacob’s presence sustained Egypt spiritually; his holiness infused life even into a place of deep impurity.

וזהו עשה הש"י הכנה לגאולה כענין שכ' בזוה"ק על יוסף שהי' צריך להיות מקודם כפוף ת"י השבטים ע"ש וישב.

And this is how the Holy One prepared for the redemption, similar to what the Zohar writes about Joseph — that he first needed to be subordinate to the Ten Tribes (see Parashat Vayeshev).

Before redemption, there must be a stage of humility and descent. Joseph’s submission enabled later elevation; likewise Jacob’s descent into Egypt set the groundwork for Israel’s future liberation.

כמו כן מ"ש ויחי יעקב בא"מ פי' חיות א"מ עצמו הי' ע"י יעקב.

So too with the verse “And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt”: its meaning is that the life of the land of Egypt itself was through Jacob.

“Jacob lived” does not merely describe his survival; it describes his imparting life to the land, turning spiritual darkness into a vessel for divine vitality.

וזהו בורא עולמות שנותן חיות בתוך ההעלם.

And this is the meaning of “creates worlds” — giving life within concealment.

Creation involves infusing hidden realms with vitality. Jacob’s role in Egypt exemplifies this: placing divine life into the depths of concealment.

The Sefat Emet teaches that Jacob’s presence sustained Egypt spiritually, preparing the ground for redemption. Just as God creates by inserting life into hidden realms, Jacob infused divine vitality into a place of darkness, enabling Israel’s future emergence.