Parshat Miketz/8th Day of Chanukah
December 6th-7th, 2002
2 Teves, 5763

After lighting the Chanukah menorah last night with my family, I commented on how beautifully expansive the illumination of seven neros (candles) was [not counting the shamash, or "helper" candle]. My father-in-law responded that he felt a little bit sad at the sight: after all, the increasing number of lights signals the quickly approaching end of the festival. (No two people--especially Jews--think alike!)

In truth, we were both on the mark.

There is a special beauty and inspiration in the increase of candles each night. For as our commentaries explain, the nes (miracle) of the oil in the Beis Hamikdash [Temple] became more and more glorious (and immense) as each day passed. G-d’s reassuring message to the Jewish people ("I’m with you even in the darkness of exile and persecution…") became progressively sharper and clearer as the one-day supply of oil continued to burn on. Certainly by the eighth day, the revelation of a governing Hand above natural law--the Hand that formed that law in the first place, and continues to sustain its workings throughout time--was unambiguous. And for us, too, then, there is the potential each year to feel greater and greater delight as the number of candles (and the extent of the miracle they commemorate) increases with each day of Chanukah.

At the same time, though, I share some of my father-in-law’s sadness at the prospect of putting away the menorah for another year, and heading into the long, dark days of winter until another joyous rabbinical holiday (Purim) will clasp us in its inspiring (if inebriated) embrace!

WHICH MAKES IT THAT MUCH MORE INCUMBENT ON US TO TAKE SOMETHING WITH US FROM CHANUKAH ON THE LONG, UPCOMING JOURNEY. Each holiday we observe (and, indeed, each mitzvah we do) is supposed to leave a lasting impression on our souls, and strengthen us in our service of G-d. As the S’fas Emes [great Chassidic commentary on the Torah] writes, we need to receive the spiritual light of Chanukah into our selves, incorporating the insights and inspiration we gained into our personalities. In short, we are supposed to have something left over from these eight days.

The good news is that it is still not too late to gain some illumination from this special season. In fact, some sources (I believe) say that the amount of spiritual light accessible during a festival is greatest, and most potent, at its end specifically. (Just as the finale of every fireworks show has the most intense and brilliant display!) So here are a couple of special Chanukah perspectives that we can take with us as provisions on our journey into the rest of the Jewish year.

Renewal and Rededication.


What does the word, "Chanukah," even mean? It is related to the Hebrew word for, "dedication" or "inauguration," since this holiday was established after the Jewish people regained control of the Temple--circa 138 B.C.E.-- that had been in the hands of the Syrian-Greek forces for the previous few years (and converted into a site of pagan worship). The Divine service--including, famously, the lighting of the Menorah--was resumed, and the Temple as a whole re-dedicated to its original and holy purpose. The purity of our Jewish service unto G-d (symbolized by the one flask of pure olive oil that had escaped the defiling hands of the Syrian-Greeks) was re-established and renewed.

On a spiritual level, then, this is the enduring power of the days of Chanukah: to serve as an inspiration to renew our service unto G-d (especially through prayer), to aid us in regaining the purity of our desire to be more loyal and committed Jews--even in the face of powerful opposing forces in society (and in our own personalities). Through striving to better serve G-d--yes, some degree of effort on our part is involved--we can kindle the inspiration in our own souls to be true yehudim, those who thank and praise the Almighty in all the circumstances of life. We can be certain that our sincere efforts at "rededication" at whatever level will awaken a response from Hashem, just as the self-sacrifice of the Maccabees led to His responding with the miracle of the military victories over the stronger Greek forces and, ultimately, the miracle of the oil in the Temple.

When we strive to illuminate our souls through greater dedication to the Torah and mitzvos, Hashem brings more holiness and spiritual Light into the world (and our selves). In other words, if we try…we are guaranteed of success! (That’s how it is with spiritual matters.)

Light from the Darkness.

Chanukah teaches us that we can break through to find the spiritual light even in the darkness of personal, or national, exile. In fact, as our Sages teach, the very purpose of the darkness itself is to stimulate us to search for the illumination; G-d’s "hiding" serves as the precursor to the ultimate Revelation of His light and blessing.

This lesson is one of the unifying themes throughout all of the Psalms, including Psalm 30 ("a song of the dedication of the Temple—chanukas ha’bayis") that is said each morning after services during Chanukah. "I will exalt You, Hashem, for You have raised me from the depths, and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me…You have transformed my mourning into dancing…so that my soul might sing to You and not be silenced."

The nisyaonos (tests) we face, either personally or nationally, are meant to awaken in us a greater appreciation of our dependence on G-d and a greater dedication to seeking His closeness. When G-d "delivers" us, sending us the assistance we need (with ourselves making the proper initiative, of course, and not "relying" on miracles), we "see the Light" [forgive the foreign sound of that construction]. That is to say, we see that His light was behind the cloud cover all the time, that His guidance was not withdrawn, that (as King David says) "His anger," i.e., the withdrawal of His light, "endures but a moment." The result is a greater awareness of His constant presence, even in the seemingly "natural" events of daily life…and, ideally, a re-dedication (chanukah) to leading a Torah-centered life and a renewal (chanukah) of one’s commitment to Jewish ideals and practice. So that my soul might sing to you…

Whatever else they may accomplish (or whatever other Divine intentions they express), the dark times we experience are meant to spur us to cherish the blessings--and acknowledge the constant wonders, miracles and Illumination--that we enjoy even during the most "normal" times! It is no coincidence that the Hebrew word for miracle, nes, also means, "banner." The temporary disruption of a miracle (a miraculous deliverance from some tribulation, for example) is designed to announce--like a banner-- that the constant and ongoing reality we experience is also a miracle. The Lights are always there!

And we can see in this week’s Torah portion (not coincidentally) a particularly stunning divine deliverance: the sudden and dramatic turn of events in Yosef’s life that catapults him from the lowest level of Egyptian society to the de facto rulership of the whole empire! One minute, he is in a dungeon…and the next minute (after interpreting Pharaoh’s mysterious dream), he is the viceroy of Egypt, preparing the land to survive the divinely foretold years of famine ahead. When it is the right time, redemption happens in the blink of an eye.

In Yosef’s story, we see the paradigm of exile and deliverance. First, the darkness of his separation from his father, his sale down to Egypt, and all the subsequent tribulations he endured. Then, finally, the illumination of his ultimate elevation to power…and the revelation (of which he himself, in his great faith, was never in doubt) that his ordeal was all along part of G-d’s larger plan to prepare the way for the Jewish people to live in Egypt.

May we draw from this Torah portion…and from this last and most brilliant day of Chanukah (and Shabbos)…all the spiritual illumination we can.GOOD SHABBOS.

My e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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Rabbi Yosef Edelstein, Savannah Kollel. Phone: 912-351-0469; fax: 354-9923