Hayom Yom 18 Teves - Yaakov's best 17 years were in Egypt

גַּם הָעוֹלֶה לַתּוֹרָה אוֹמֵר חֲזַק חֲזַק וְנִתְחֲזֵק[Like all the other congregants,] the person who receives the [final] aliyah [at the end of any of the Five Books of the Chumash] says Chazak, chazak, venis’chazek.בַּאֲמִירַת וִיהִי נוֹעַם בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ כּוֹפְלִים פָּסוּק אוֹרֶךְ יָמִים גו[At Maariv] on Motzaei Shabbos, when reciting the passage that begins Viy’hi noam [and continues with the following chapter of Tehillim, which begins Yoshev beseiser], we repeat the final verse, which begins Orech yamim.אֲבָל לֹא בִּתְּפִלַּת שַׁחֲרִיתThat verse is not repeated [when this chapter is recited] in the [Shabbos] morning prayers.בִּהְיוֹת הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק יֶלֶדWhen the Tzemach Tzedek was a childוְלָמַד אֶת הַכָּתוּב וַיְחִי יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָהand learned the verse, “And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years,”תִּירְגֵם לוֹ מוֹרוֹ — עַל פִּי פִּירוּשׁ בַּעַל הַטוּרִיםhis teacher translated it for him according to the commentary of Baal HaTurim:יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ האָט געֶלעֶבּט דִי זִיבּעֶצעהן בּעֶסטעֶ יאָהרעֶן אִין מִצְרַיִםYaakov Avinu lived his seventeen best years in Egypt.כְּשֶׁבָּא הַבַּיְתָה מֵהַחֵדֶר שָׁאַל אֶת זְקֵנוֹ אַדְמוּ"ר הַזָּקֵןWhen [the Tzemach Tzedek] came home from cheder he asked his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe:הֲיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ, בְּחִיר הָאָבוֹת, יִהְיוּ מִבְחַר שְׁנוֹת חַיָּיו “How could it be that the best years in the life of Yaakov Avinu, the most eminent of the Patriarchs,יז שָׁנָה שֶׁגָּר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עֶרְוַת הָאָרֶץwere the seventeen years that he lived in Egypt, ‘the obscenity of the earth’?”וַיַּעֲנֵהוּ אַדְמוּ"ר הַזָּקֵןThe Alter Rebbe answered him:כְּתִיב וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו אֶל יוֹסֵף לְהוֹרוֹת לְפָנָיו גֹּשְׁנָה“It is written that ‘[Yaakov] sent Yehudah before him to Yosef, to show him (lehoros lefanav) the way to Goshen.’וְאִיתָא בְמִדְרָשׁ — מוּבָא בְּרַשִׁ"יThe Midrash, as cited by Rashi, relatesאָמַר רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה לְהַתְקִין לוֹ בֵּית תַּלְמוּדthat R. Nechemiah said, ‘[Yehudah’s task was] to prepare a House of Study for him,שֶׁתְּהֵא שָׁם תּוֹרָה וְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ הַשְּׁבָטִים הוֹגִים בַּתּוֹרָהso that the Torah would be [studied] there, and [his sons] would meditate upon its teachings.’ “לְהוֹרוֹת לְפָנָיו גֹּשְׁנָה[The Alter Rebbe added: “This is implied by the above-quoted phrase,] lehoros lefanav Goshnah — ‘To show him the way to Goshen.’אַז מעֶן לעֶרעֶנט תּוֹרָה וועֶרט מעֶן נעֶהנטעֶר צוּם אוֹיבּעֶרשׁטעֶן בָּרוּךְ הוּאThrough Torah study, one draws closer to G‑d.אוּן אוֹיך אִין מִצְרַיִם אִיז געֶוועֶן וַיְחִי געֶלעֶבּטIn such circumstances, even in Egypt, there was life and vitality.”Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English