In the
end of Chanukah - Chanukah -
in the ongoing story of Joseph and his brother, which spans fourteen chapters in the book of Genesis, the Makech affair marks the most significant turnaround in Joseph's status: from the Egyptian prison, where he is thrown out as a slave following a false plot , He is led in running - after a haircut and changing clothes - to face the king of the Egyptian empire, Pharaoh. After successfully resolving Pharaoh's dreams, Pharaoh exclaims, "No wise and wise of you," and gives Joseph the royal ring. Thus Joseph became the second most important figure, after the king, in Egypt.
Such an upheaval, when we throw it away from our lives, shows that even in the heaviest darkness, there is a chance that light will hurt; Even the darkest night ends at sunrise; Even in the worst distress, there are those who hang hope - in the Creator of the world.
Joseph is the example of a person who has been in the most difficult situations: as a child he was sold into slavery; Even when he was relatively successful in his duties as a slave, hope crashed when his master's wife implored him to be seduced - while the truth was the opposite: she tried in every way to seduce and failed - and he was thrown into prison; After twelve years in prison, he was abruptly executed and in no time became one of the most influential figures in the Egyptian empire.
During all this time, in all the highs and lows that befell his life, Joseph held the belief that God was leading his life, and that there was intention and trend in every event that visited him. After years, he realized that the past march had prepared the possibility for his extended family to go down to Egypt and live there during the famine years. But even before he realized - he believed, he trusted God with all his heart.
Perfect timing, every year, is called the Macch episode during Chanukah. We celebrate Chanukah's days by lighting candles and saying the 'Halel' prayer, in memory of the victory of a handful of Jews who fought against a foreign government - the Seleucid-Greek kingdom - who sought to force idolatry and forbid the Jews from observing the Torah. This victory, which took place some 2200 years ago, signaled an exit from the darkness in the spiritual sense: the Jewish people in Israel gained political independence and could have a Jewish lifestyle; And he expressed a departure from the darkness of the light in a practical way as well: the darkened and defiled temple was once again illuminated by the holy lamp.
The handful of Hasmonean priests who went to war against the Saluki-Greek army believed that dark reality should be enlightened. They believed that God would save them from their grief. This belief gained strength in them and led them to victory.
Symbolically, Chanukah days are the darkest days of the year: the shortest hours of light and the long hours of darkness. And even in the dark hours of the moon, we are almost invisible - both because it is the end of the Hebrew month and the beginning of the next month, and because of the cloudy weather.
In this darkness we light candles. We declare - to ourselves, to our family and to all who wish to hear - the Jewish belief in the triumph of light over darkness.
By lighting the Chanukah candles, we will illuminate the street, illuminate the house, illuminate the hearts in the light of faith.
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