Words spoken by The Rav shlit"a nearly 20 years ago on the yahrtzeit of Reb Nosson, 5766, reveal a little of how far the Tzaddik sees.

"The Ya'aros Dvash is cited here regarding Joseph the Tzaddik, stating that everything he merited, he merited in prison. The Ya'aros Dvash continues and says, 'And Hashem placed thirteen [years] in the prison; Abraham was in prison for ten years, and everything Joseph merited, he merited in the merit of being in prison. In this merit, he attained all his spiritual levels—thirteen years in prison.'"

"It is written, 'And he was a Gever Kapoz (a leaping man)' (Bereishit Rabbah, Parsha 86), meaning that he would dance and see Hashem right before his eyes. He did not think about being his father's son, a grandson of a grandfather, or a great-grandson of an alter zeide (great-grandfather); he simply danced in the prison. He danced there day and night. Joseph danced day and night in prison, and in this merit, he merited to be the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), for the Kohen Gadol enters into the innermost sanctum." "And this is the matter of Reb Nosson; he merited to be a flame, the aspect of the Kohen Gadol. Reb Nosson merited to be the Kohen Gadol who enters into the innermost sanctum. The Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer says that for forty years Joseph was the Viceroy to the King, and for forty years he was King. For eighty years he was in the royal palace. Pharaoh passed away after forty years, and Joseph merited to be the King. Joseph was one of the ten kings who reigned over the entire world, for at that time, Egypt ruled over the entire world." "The Ya'aros Dvash continues and says: This is the concept that Joseph merited what no one else merited—'And the House of Jacob shall be a fire, and the House of Joseph a flame'—in the merit of the ten years he was in prison, the twelve years. Everything he ascended, he ascended upwards—like Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai). Rashbi was also [in the cave] for thirteen years."

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"He was in the pit for twelve years and then another year, because Rashbi came to rectify the flaw of Joseph who spoke [negatively] about his brothers, so he also needed to be inside a pit for thirteen years, as brought in the introduction to the Zohar. Rashbi came to rectify Joseph's flaw in completion, because Joseph had not yet merited to rectify the entire flaw, therefore he was impregnated [spiritually] within Rashbi. Rashbi is the ibur (spiritual impregnation/reincarnation) of Joseph, of Moses, of all the Seven Shepherds. Rashbi came to rectify the flaw of 'Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?' (Genesis 15:8)—all the flaws of all the Patriarchs; this was Rashbi's role." "Rashbi was inside the pit for thirteen years, and the sand ate away all his skin, his entire body, and through this, he ascended to the level of Pinchas ben Yair, for the highest level was Pinchas ben Yair. In the merit of being in the sand, and the sand eating him for thirteen years, he merited the level of Pinchas ben Yair; he merited, and the entire generation merited with him." "The Zohar relates in many places that every time they would walk in the deserts, Rashbi's students would suddenly arrive at some cave and hear people sitting and learning—learning the Torah of Rashbi. Walking on the mountains, going from city to city, from country to country, suddenly they arrive at a cave and hear voices. They were afraid it might be bandits or robbers, but suddenly they hear words of Torah; they hear by the melody that it is words of Torah. They saw people sitting with candles; merchants left their homes, their wives, and went for several months into the deserts. The Ya'aros Dvash explains that in the time of Rashbi, the light of Rashbi shone throughout the entire world, because when we include ourselves within the Tzaddik and decide to learn Torah, it illuminates the entire world." "Joseph the Tzaddik was chosen to sit in prison, and Hashem brought it about that Joseph would reach all the levels, all the virtues. Afterward, the angel Gabriel came and taught him seventy languages. Joseph attained all these levels in prison. Today, in every prison in the world—in the USA, in Eretz Yisrael—there are synagogues with books, and a person need not be confused that he is in prison. He needs to utilize this to finish the Shas (Talmud) several times, the Shulchan Aruch several times. One can bring in discs of the Daf Yomi, of Gemara, of Likutey Moharan, as it is written, 'And Hashem was with Joseph in every place.' Joseph saw Hashem; he did not think that he came from a father, that he came from a mother—he was [in the aspect of] 'And Hashem was with Joseph,' and Hashem specifically arranged for Joseph to be in prison for 13 years." "A person must make a prison for himself on his own [i.e., create a space of spiritual seclusion]."