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Parshat Miketz - Chanuka

And, look, another seven cows came up after them,

lean and very foul-featured and meager in flesh,

I had not seen their like in all the land of Egypt for foulness.

(Bereishit 41:19)

 

The Dream and Its Telling

It is interesting to compare the dream as related here by Pharaoh [to Joseph] with the dream as it actually occurred, as related above. There the dream is described objectively, but here Pharaoh's description reflects the impression the dream has made upon his soul. The helps understand how the soothsayers were led astray even though they may have been wise men. Every story - except those told by the Torah - contains a subjective coloring, and reflects the impression the event made upon the narrator. When God reveals something to somebody through a dream, He does not tease them by giving them a riddle to solve. His language - even though it be visual - is clear. But Pharaoh blurred important details... in the dream, the cows were "fair to look at and fat in flesh", both go together and describe them at once with reference to their value to men. But Pharaoh says only "fair of form". But no butcher looks at beauty of form; he leaves that to artists and poets. That is why the soothsayers could have guessed at all sorts of possibilities, seven daughters, seven provinces, etc. (See Berishit Raba 89:7). And similarly with the lean cows. In the objective description, they are "bad to look at and lean of flesh", bad to look at, giving prospect of very little meat. Here, in Pharaoh's account, they are "dalot" - needy, miserable, "badly-formed", lacking in beauty and "rakot basar". "Rok" is not only "reyk" - empty, but as "rok" - only - is a limiting preposition, is accordingly, limited in flesh... that is to say, little flesh; all epithets which refer more to the nature of the animal itself than to its utility for human purposes. Furthermore, Pharaoh does not relate that the bad cows at first stood alongside the good ones on the banks of the Nile, and therefore, they [the soothsayers] concluded that they only consumed the good ones because there was no pasturage left in the meadow.

                                                             (Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, Commentary on Bereishit 17-22)

 

 

For the miracle - and "for the miracles"

Gil Nativ

This dvar Torah is dedicated to my granddaughter, Ayala Shaul,

who is celebrating her Bat Mitzvah on this Shabbat of Hanukkah

The prayer "Al HaNissim" ["For the miracles"] is recited on Hanukkah and Purim. Forty years ago, Hakibbutz Hadati, the Religious Kibbutz Movement, published a version of "Al HaNissim" for Israel Independence Day. Even though it did not receive Rabbi Goren's approval, the prayer is said on Yom Haatzmauth in many places*. The vast time gaps between Purim-Hanukkah and Yom Haatzmauth make it difficult to consider the three festivals as a single unit, but this is only an optical illusion. It may well be that a hundred years from now this 'trio' will raise question marks among our great-grandchildren...

On Hanukkah, Purim, and Yom Haatzmauth, we mark the salvation of Israel from the hands of its enemies thanks to a "historic miracle" - the Jewish people gathered to defend itself, took up arms, and defeated its enemies. The victories in those wars were true miracles, for they contradicted cold reason and conclusions based on "objective" balance of forces, or, in the language of the prayer: "You delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, many into the hands of the few…" The Maccabean Wars faced off an untrained volunteer army against the professional forces - astride horses and elephants-of the Syrian-Hellenists regime (for the sake of historic accuracy, it was not the "Kingdom of Greece", but rather "a Greek kingdom"). As is known, the story of "the miracle of the vial of oil" was composed many years after the fall of the Hasmoneans; there is no mention of it in more ancient, pre-Talmudic, sources, such as "The Scroll of Taanit". Purim is not celebrated on the date on which Ahasuerus suffered insomnia and ordered Hama to parade Mordecai on horse-back through the streets, nor on the date on which Haman was strung up on the hanging tree, and Mordecai was promoted to higher station in the king's palace, but rather on the two days on which the Jews celebrated their victory over their enemies (a war in which 75,000 fell was not simply 'a punitive raid'). Did a miracle occur in the War of Independence? The answer is simple: It was the same miracle thanks to which we celebrate Hanukkah and Purim. Following the breach of the siege of Yerushalayim, Natan Alterman wrote: "Logic said: "In vain". Fear declared: "Our sentence has been decided"/ the old military considerations spit contemptuously in our faces... and we had but a few rifles, but we completed the journey."

The generation of Yehuda the Maccabi had no need for a legend about a vial of oil. It witnessed the miracle with its own eyes. Only after the passage of years, after the generation which had seen the astonishing victory and the dedication of the temple and the altar had passed on, did there arise a need for a story to demonstrate to coming generations how incredible was that victory; thus came into being the story about the vial of oil that sufficed for eight days. Will a similar process occur with Yom Haatzmauth? It is difficult to say, because already in the previous century there existed almost immediate, on-the-spot historical and media documentation of events - but this did not prevent the generation of 'legends' about this war, such as the story of the flight of the Arabs of Safed (who numbered much more than the city's Jews) only because of a rumor about the Jews having 'an atomic bomb'. (This rumor was the result of a misunderstanding of an acronym "Aleph-bet' used by the Palmach; its real meaning was not "atomic bomb" but "Ayn bereira" - "we have no alternative").

Why is Hanukkah celebrated for eight days? Perhaps because the model for the re-dedication of the temple in the days of Hasmoneans was the dedication of the Tabernacle which lasted eight days. Perhaps the Hasmoneans were unable to celebrate the Sukkoth festival because of the war, and they instituted eight days of Hanukkah as "reparations" for the festival they could not celebrate at its appointed time.

Without entering the academic dispute about whether our Sages chose to forget the Hasmoneans and their victories on the battlefield, we can read the Talmudic story about the miracle of the vial of oil as an expression of a moral. Military victories should be judged by what follows them. The liberation of Yerushalayim and the return of the Temple Mount to Jewish sovereignty in the days of he Hasmoneans was followed by a flowering of Oral Law activity. The Pharisees grew from a small and marginal group into a leading force in the Jewish nation. Even when in conflict with the political leadership of the Hasmonean dynasty, the influence of the sages on the daily lives of the people grew. It was the victory of the Hasmoneans which opened the way for the spiritual-religious leadership of the 'pairs' to function in the spirit of the Prophet Zacharia's vision: "Not by might and not by power, but by My spirit, said the Lord of Hosts." The very term that sounds to us so militaristic - "Elohei tsvaoth" (ordinarily translated as "Lord of Hosts" would translate today as "Lord of the armies") - is woven into the verse which proclaims the pre-eminence of the spirit over the power. The story of the vial of oil expresses the passage from the victory of power and strength to the victory of the spirit.

In the Amida prayer we give thanks for "Your miracles which are with us daily". These are 'miracles primarily in the life of the individual, but on Hanukkah, Purim. and Yom Haatzmauth, we give thanks for the national miracle: May He who "Trains my hands for battle, my fingers for warfare" give us strength and daring to defend ourselves and to create conditions for the cultivation of our religious and cultural sovereignty.

* On "Al Hanisim" on Yom Haatzmauth, see Shelomo Rosner's article on the "Neemanei Torah VaAvodah" site.

My thanks to Pinchas Leiser and Zeev Keynan for their important remarks on my article.

Gil Nativ, rabbi of Congregation "Magen Avraham" (a Mesorati congregation) in Omer

 

 

Dreams that put in danger and dreams that heal

Joseph was only sold because of his dreams, as it says 'Behold, this dreamer comes. Come now therefore, and let us slay him.' (Gen 37:20), yet also he was healed by a dream:' And it happened at the end of two years that Pharaoh dreamed'. It is written 'For I will restore health to thee and I will heal thee of thy wounds,' (Jeremiah 30:17).

            (Midrash Aggadat Bereshit Chap 67)

 

Rabbi Hanina said: If one sees a well in a dream, he will behold peace, since it says: And Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of living water.'

(Talmud Brachot 56b.)

 

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi" If one sees a river in his dreams, he should rise early and say: Behold I will extend peace to her like a river, before another verse occurs to him, for distress will come in like a river.

(ibid)

 

Stereotypical Vision and Alternative Exegesis

A hebrew youth was there with us, a servant of the chief steward; and when we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us, telling each of the meaning of his dream.

(Bereishit 41:10-12)

 

Youth - a fool

Hebrew - who does not even know our language

Servant - and it is written in the laws of Egypt that a slave may not rule nor wear the clothing of an official.

(Rashi ad loc)

 

A Hebrew youth... a servant - Each detail adds more astonishment: he was an unschooled boy; a Hebrew - so he did not use the power of magic; a servant - who is not allowed to enter the houses of wisdom. In that case, it is Divine perception, for it is known that the family of the Hebrews is above the nature of other human beings, and things more exalted than the common way of the world are not beyond them, and so the matter has no end or boundary

(Ha'amek Davar, ad loc)

 

Memory of Sin - the Internal Punishment - is the Worst Punishment

And I shall sin to my father all of my days (Bereishit 44:32): This is a very precious phrase, since it clearly points to a notion which is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah, which is: There is no punishment but sin; from the perspective of Divine justice, only the sin itself serves as a punishment, which is why Judah said, and I shall sin to my father all of my days.

(R. Eliyahu ben Amozeg, Eym Lamikra)

 

The hanukkah lamp publicizes the miracle, but the lamp of the home takes preference

If he has before him [sufficient funds to purchase either] a house light [a lamp lit for the Sabbath eve] or a Hanukkah light, or [enough for either] a house light or [wine] for the Sanctification of the Day [Kiddush] , the house light takes preference because [it brings] peace to his home, for the [Holy} Name may be erased to make peace between man and his wife. Great is peace, because the entire Torah was given in order to make peace in the world, as is written: "Its ways are the way for pleasantness, and her paths are those of peace {Proverbs 3).

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah Laws of Megilla and Hanukkah, 4:14)

 

Who Gives Light to Whom?

Thus Scripture says, for you light my lamp (Proverbs 18:29). Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He: "Sovereign of the Universe! Do you ask us that we should give light before You? You, surely, are the Light of the universe, and brightness abides with you, as is written, The light dwells with Him (Daniel 2:22)! Yet You say, The lamp shall give light in front of the candlestick (Bamidbar 8:2)!" This explains, For You light my lamp. The Holy One, blessed be He said to them, "It is not because I require your service, but in order that you may give Me light even as I have given you light. For what purpose? That you may rise in the estimation of the nations, who will say: 'See how Israel give light to Him who gives light to the whole world!'" This may be illustrated by a parable. To what may it be compared? To the case of a man who could see and a blind man who were walking on the way. Said the man who could see to the blind: "When we enter the house, go and kindle this lamp for me and give me light." The blind man replied: "Will you be good enough to explain? When I was on the road you supported me. Until we entered the house you accompanied me. Now, however, you tell me: 'Kindle this lamp for me and give me light!'" The man who could see answered him: "The reason why I asked you to give me light is in order that you might not be under an obligation to me for having accompanied you on the road." Thus, the man who could see represents the Holy One blessed be He, as it says, The eyes of the Lord, that run to and fro through the whole earth (Zechariah 4:10); and the blind man is Israel; as it says, We grope for the wall like the blind (Isaiah 54:10). The Holy One, blessed be He led them and gave them light; as it says, And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud... and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light (Shemot 13:21). When the Tabernacle was erected, the Holy One, blessed be He, called to Moses and said to him: "Now give you light to Me," as it says, When you raise the lamps; implying; in order that you may be elevated.

 (Bamidbar Rabbah 15:5, after the Soncino translation)

 

Faith "for It's Own Sake" and Faith "Not for Its Own Sake"

The faith of one who knows God in terms of what appears to him to be divine intervention in processes of nature or history is "faith-not-for-its-own-sake"; for such a person the belief in God in terms of His divinity is foreign to him. Opposed to this is "faith-is -for-its –own-sake", faith that is not conditional upon natural or historical events and not upon Godly ("miraculous") intervention in their ordered course {"the world according to its custom"). We read in our prayer book: "You were the same before the world was created; you have been the same since the world has been created" - God's divinity is within Himself, not in relation to the world whose existence and all its phenomena are contingent and add nothing to the divinity of God. Similarly, "Master of the world who reigned before any creature was created" - over what did He reign? You must conclude: His reign is His essence, and has no need for the world or for history. The Lord is the King, even if He has no world over which to rule nor history in which his rule is revealed.

Only this faith in the Lord and His rule which are not contingent upon world and history - only it can lead the believer to awareness of his obligation to serve the Lord unconditionally, for "He alone is worthy of being worshipped"; only this decision to accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven can withstand all the trials Man may face  - be they caused by the nature of reality or historical development. But acceptance of God based upon what is perceived to be His revelation in nature or in history, makes it "love-dependant-on-something" and must eventually weaken.

Yet more, belief in the Lord rooted in "His involvement in the world" (either in nature or in history) cannot bring Man to decide to serve the god whom he knows from this category alone. Even if a man believes with complete faith in the miracles performed, even if he were able to find notarized testimony to the creation of the world by the will of God, to His freeing our fathers from Egypt, to His revelation upon Mt. Sinai and the giving the Torah from heaven - it is still possible that this man would refuse to serve the Lord.

In contrast to atheist scholars of religion (and, although he not be one, Prof. Schlesinger) who see the source of religious belief in an imagined explanation which man gives to unexplained natural phenomena or to amazing historical events, our Sages knew the great psychological truth, that a person may recognize God through His acts - yet refuse to serve Him. Biblical history, in particular, teaches us that events in which "the finger of God" is patently observed cannot lead one to belief in the Lord and to His service. That generation which witnessed signs and wonders in Egypt and on the sea, to whom the Divine Presence was revealed - did not believe; those who heard "You shall make no graven image" from the All-powerful accompanied by thunder and lightening and smoke-covered mountain - fashioned the calf forty days after witnessing sights of God. Prophets who rose for Israel, the Shekhina speaking though their throats, and their prophecies realized, did not success in returning a single soul to the right path. On the other hand, masses of men, women, and even children, cleaved to God and His Torah and gave up their lives for them, even they belonged to generations which never saw the revelation of the Shekhina, and had no prophets to teach them, and no miracles were performed for them, and they were not even rescued - yet they believed! And let no one argue that they believed because of the miracles done for our fathers; Maimonides has already said: "The truth of these miracles is clear only to those who witnessed them, but in the future these memories will become tales, and it will be possible to refute them" - all the more so is this true for those "who witnessed them" but their "truth was not clear."   

In the end we find that there is no correlation between what happens in nature or in history - even if the finger-of-God is manifest - and between Man's faith in God and his willingness to serve Him. Faith and service are the decision and determination of Man to serve God - this is Judaism in its entirety.

 (Y.Leibowitz: On History and Miracles in: Faith, History and Values p. 165 etc.)

 

 

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