Lead Tidbit
In Every Generation
Remember what we said in Al HaNisim - 26 times in davening and a bunch more in Birkat HaMazon. The wicked Greek empire attempted to make us forget the Torah and foresake mitzvot. But we had victories and miracles that brought us out from under the Greek thumb and we were delivered from Greek oppression and free to learn Torah and keep mitzvot.

The Pesach concept of B'chol Dor vaDor is applicable for Chanuka too. In the Hagada, there are two "in every generation" reminders. In every generation, someone arises to vanquish us. And in every generation, we must see ourselves as if we came out of Egypt. This is no less true of Chanuka. In every generation, some people, nation, culture arises and attempts to assimilate us and enlighten us. Sometimes they want to physically destroy us, and sometimes they "just" want us to be like them, not so different all the time.

And because bad things happen - or try to happen - in every generation, therefore it is very important that we personalize the Pesachs, Purims, and Chanukas of Jewish History. Just as we must see ourselves as having come out of Egypt, we must also see ourselves as having lived through Greek oppression, struggles and Divinely assisted victories and the miracles of Chanuka.

As Jews who lived in the time of Chanuka (k'ilu), we rededicate our- selves to Torah and Mitzvot, help others do the same, and proceed towards the Geula Sh'leima, or we can (G-d forbid) make some of the same mistakes that lead to the destruction of the second Beit HaMikdash. It seems that they (ah, but it is "we", since we are taking "In every generation" seriously) had the possibility of the Complete Geula.

Or maybe they didn't. We are taught that the second Beit HaMikdash had a shaky foundation, so to speak, because so few Jews answered the call to return to Eretz Yisrael. We hear that call in our time. We have the potential to build the solid foundation upon which the third Beit HaMikdash can and will be built. Commitment to Torah and Eretz Yisrael.

Parshat HaShavua and the Calendar provide us with tools to work on the post-Chanuka challenge. We see how Yehuda and Yosef, and the other brothers handled to reunion, and the tense time leading up to it. We should see the value and the way to unifying the Jewish People and find ways to handle the many differences and splits within our society. We have the 8th, 9th, and 10th of Tevet coming up with their lessons about the Written and Oral Law (8 Tevet - Translation of the Torah into Greek), the return to Eretz Yisrael after exile (9 Tevet - yahrzeits of Ezra and Nechemya), and the many lessons of the Churban (first and second). Let's learn from it all and help bring the Geula, BIMHEIRA B'YAMEINU, AMEN.