Why did Hashem engineer Yosef's coming down to Mitzrayim ahead of the rest of his family? Answers the Zohar: "So he would be a Merkava for the Shechina (a "chariot" for the Divine Presence) deep in the ervas ha'aretz (most immoral part of the world) and somewhat neutralize the filth of the land's populace."
His 22-year exile became a veritable textbook when our nation was forged in the iron crucible of Egyptian slavery. Every Jew had the ability to stay pure, strengthened by the kedusha of that tzaddik yesod olam who triumphed over all that Mitzrayim could throw at him.
What noble deeds were necessary to achieve this noble mission of preparing the ground for the Jewish people's 210 year stay? None. Only a refrain from action - Yosef's never beholding the forbidden. And this paved the way for a whole nation to live in Mitzrayim for generations and not be totally swept away by the destructive forces of impurity.
Just as their role model Yosef Hatzaddik affected all B'nei Yisrael later in Mitzrayim and in all generations to follow, so too, our heroes today - those stalwarts from whatever age or background - raise the global kedusha level as the echoes of their purity reverberate around the "civilized" world.
To this very day we draw strength from the blessings and rewards that the Torah lavishes on Yosef and his descendants.
Hundreds of people's fortitude in kedusha, cutting across continents and spanning generations, can sometimes have its source in a single self-disciplined individual.Who knows how many people will stand firm and strong as a result of our personal self-control? Orienting ourselves towards screening out the inappropriate brings a strong presence of moral purity into the world, fortifying hundreds of other people out there.
The uncompromised holiness of Yosef's eyes was unique and immortal - a solitary, homeless Jewish boy in a country uncontested for, and unashamed of, its deplorable lifestyles. Very few of us, perhaps one or two in a whole generation, will ever have to endure the excruciating trials of Yosef. And yet, everyone can earn himself the title tzaddik yesod olam, writes the Taharas Hakodesh (ma'amar shmiras einayim ch. 2, 4). How so? When one has for a second seen something enticing and is burning to look for just another millisecond yet he stands firm, refusing to put his purity on the line - there and then he is crowned a tzaddik yesod olam.
Maybe he is a teenager with an easily excited nature, suddenly finding himself throbbing with fiery passion, and yet he holds fast onto the reins - then, in those glorious moments, he becomes a Yosef Hatzaddik. In real terms, though in 21st century garb. He suppressed those raging sensations and turned his eyes and mind away; the Shechina comes to this great hero and lights up his soul with holiness.
Rav Yitzchok Silberstein heard from the Taharas Hakodesh that simply turning one's eyes away from the unsuitable welcomes in the Shechina. This person's essence now comes close to Hashem, so to speak. Utilize this golden moment of eis ratzon and whisper a tefillah for all the things one wants in life. This is hinted at in the words, ישועת השם כהרף עין - The help of Hashem comes swiftly like the blink of an eye.