Mystery Man

This week was the anniversary of the release of the Alter Rebbe from prison in Russia and was celebrated worldwide, including hundreds of places in Russia itself.  One of the questions asked to the Alter Rebbe by one of the officials while he was in prison, was what is the meaning of Hashem's question to Adam (Berashis 3:9), "where are you", איכה, Hashem knew where he was?  The Alter Rebbe told him the explanation of Rashi, but the official persisted that he wanted the Alter Rebbe's own explanation.  The Alter Rebbe told him that Hashem was asking Adam, where are you holding in life, where are you going?  This is a lesson for every individual, there are times where Hashem asks where are you going, are you on the right path?  Of course many of us don't have God appearing to us directly but there are many messengers of God.  My sister was once asked on a Shabbos morning by someone "where are you going?"  She responded "from the kiddush to lunch."  My father said that this man (of unidentified character) may have been no other than Elijah himself asking this very question "where are you going."  Obviously this might be a stretch, but you get the point.
In this week's parsha, Yosef is met by the mysterious man who asks him "what do you want?"  The mysterious man is in essence asking the same question, what are you searching for, what is occupying your mind, are you searching for riches or Godliness.  This question I believe, goes hand in hand with the question posed to Adam.  Where one is going is defined by what they are searching for.  If one is searching for the right thing, s/he may stumble along the way, but they are traveling along the right road.  If however, one isn't looking for what they should be, then they are obviously not headed in the right direction.