MIKETZ 41:1-44:17, CHANUKAH
Is there a connection between the Parshah and Chanukah? I think so.
It has to do with the danger of assimilation when a person lives outside the Land of Israel.
Consider the renaming of Joseph and his marriage to Asenath:
The marriage of Joseph and Asenath
וַיִּקְרָא פַרְעֹה שֵׁם-יוֹסֵף, צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ, וַיִּתֶּן-לוֹ אֶת-אָסְנַת בַּת-פּוֹטִי פֶרַע
כֹּהֵן אֹן, לְאִשָּׁה
“And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath Paaneah and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On.” (41:45).
This marriage sends a message to Egyptians that Joseph is now “one of them.” It indicates that Pharaoh fully accepts Joseph and he was to be integrated into the Egyptian court as well as the Egyptian way of life.
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Egyptian Goddess Neith
What does Zaphnath Paanea צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ and Asneth mean?
Zaphnath Paanea צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ possibly means "the god speaks [and] he lives".
נַת may be a reference to the Egyptian deity Neith. She was an early ancient Egyptian deity who was said to be the first and the prime creator, the creator of the universe.
Aseneth’s name is derived from the Ancient Egyptian meaning she belongs to Neith".
There are some other renaming occurring in the Chumash other than the renaming of Joseph:
· Early on, Hashem changed Sarah’s and Abraham’s names.
· Joseph’s father Jacob was renamed by the Angel that he wrestled with.
· Much later on, Pharaoh’s daughter will give Moses an Egyptian name.
· Moses changed Joshua’s name.
I think that the name changing as a connection to the destiny of the individual. What do you think?
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Was this Pharaoh a Hykso?
I think so. The Hyksos were Semitic people who invaded Egypt, maybe as far back as the 18th century BCE. They conquered northern Egypt and established a kingdom there in the Nile delta. The illustration above was adapted from an Egyptian mosaic. It shows Hyksos to have a distinctive dress that differed from ethnic Egyptians. They carry weapons.
The Hyksos period in Egyptian history marks the first time in which Egypt was ruled by foreign rulers.
One of the earliest kings was named Khyan and he is thought to have Amorite roots. We are familiar with the Amorite kings Og and Sichon who were defeated by Moses. Khyan may have been the Pharaoh that released Joseph from prison, but that is conjecture.
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Think about this:
One of the reasons that Chanukah, a Festival initiated by the Rabbis, is so very special is that of all our Festivals, Chanukah is the only one that took place in the Land of Israel. All the others initially took place outside of Israel in either Egypt, Jordan, or Iran.
The Chanukah revolt started in the village of Modi’in where Mattathias and his five sons lived. A Senior Citizens can travel to Modi’in from Nahariya by train for a round trip fare of 48 shekels. Travel is direct, no changing, and takes 2 ½ hours. Go back to your roots. Modi'n has the highest IDF enlistment rate of any city in all of Israel.
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CHANUKAH NATIONALISM
On Chanukah Jews the worldwide, usually children but not always play a game with a 4-sided spinning top called a Dreidel דרײדל in Yiddish and Sevivon סביבון in Hebrew.
There is a Hebrew letter printed on each of the dreidel's four sides.
These four letters form the acronym of the phrase:
נס גדול היה שם
“Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”
"a great miracle happened there," a reference made by Jews living outside of Israel to the Chanukah miracle that transpired within the Land of Israel.
In Israel, however the reference is modified to “a great miracle happened here, substituting the Hebrew letter Pay פ for the letter Shin ש on the Sevivon…not there, but here.
There is something special about being here and not there.
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A special commemorative section is added to the Amidah prayer and the Grace After Meals during the eight days of Chanukah and also during Purim. Both Festivals are extra-Biblical holidays. The added special section has the effect of commemorating the Festival.
However on Purim we read the Megillah of Esther and we also have a festive meal. On Chanukah we light candles, but we do not read from a special Book nor do we eat a festive meal.
I wonder why? My guess is that when the Maccabees were fighting against the Greek-Syrians they were also fighting against fellow Jews…Jews killing Jews, something not to celebrate.
Actually, we do have a special book. It is called the Book of the Maccabees. It has several volumes. In it we learn that through bravery and determination militaristic Jews through off the yoke of a foreign government. Not through passivity but through open rebellion we regained our independence.
During the ensuing long years of exile Jews did not want to arouse the ire of their overlords by showing that we are able to fight and to win.
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RAV KOOK ON CHANUKAH (Adapted from Chanan Morrisson)
The Jewish Home
The conflict between the Maccabees and the Hellenists was not just a military struggle for political independence. The essence of the conflict was ideological, a clash between widely divergent cultures. Greek culture emphasized the joys of life, physical pleasures, and the uninhibited expression of human imagination in art and literature. As a result, the Hellenists fought against the Torah of Israel, with its focus on purity and sanctity.
One aspect of the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah lights is quite unusual. Unlike most mitzvot, the obligation to light is not on the individual but on the home (איש וביתו). Only if one wishes to fulfill the mitzvah more fully does every member of the household light. Why is this?
The average Jew may not exemplify the ideals and beliefs of the Torah in his everyday life. But in his family life, one may sense the special light of Israel. Purity, modesty, and other holy traits are manifest in every Jewish home faithful to a Torah lifestyle. Therefore, the basic obligation of Chanukah lights — which represent Judaism’s victory over the corrupting influences of Greek culture — is not on the individual, but the home: ish uveito, איש וביתו.
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To question whether Jewish nationalism is a genuine Torah value reveals a superficial knowledge of Torah. The real question is whether the ultimate Divine goal is quantitative — the elevation of all of humanity through Israel and its Torah — or qualitative — the incomparable segulah quality of Israel.
In a metaphor Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi’s sees Israel as the “heart among the nations". Is the heart subservient to the other organs of the body, as it provides them with life-giving blood? Or is the heart the central organ, protected and sustained by the rest of the body? Both of these positions are legitimate; “Both views are the words of the Living God” (Babylonian Talmud Eiruvin 13b).
This is the basis for a true understanding of nationalism in Israel. It transcends the usual form of nationalism as it is found among other nations. This unique national love is based on the ultimate Divine goal that can only be fulfilled through the Jewish people. While Jewish nationalism contains elements common to regular nationalism, it is of a completely different order.
(Silver from the Land of Israel. pp. 120-125)
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THE NEGLECT OF JEWISH HEROINES
Are Women obligated to light the Chanukah Menorah? After all they played a major role in making the Chag happen.
First, the Halachah (adapted from Reuven Spolter, Women and Chanukah Lighting):
· Single women and widows who do not live in a household with an adult must certainly light Chanukah candles on their own.
· If one's husband is not home to light, a woman must light for the household.
· Regarding married women lighting for themselves, I'll leave you with Rav Aaron Lichtenstein's (Rosh Yeshivah and Halachic authority) words:
In the house of Rav Soloveitchik of blessed memory, it was the custom that the women did light, and that is how I practice in my house. As we have seen, according to the simple Halachah, women have the identical obligation to light as men. He who is of the opinion that the law is different – let him bring proof to support his position.
Women have a connection to Chanukah because of Judith, the heroine of the Book of Judith. This is an apocryphal book. It has exactly the same status as the Books of the Maccabees. Judith is a Jewish woman who single-handedly saves her people by killing an enemy general, Holofornes. She is part and parcel of the victory of the Maccabean revolt. Judith represents the heroism of women throughout Jewish history. By celebrating her, we remedy the neglect of Jewish heroines.
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Chanukah in Auschwitz https://youtu.be/4ywifg9DJY8?
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Before lighting the Chanukah lights, we recite the blessing, “Who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.” Why does the blessing refer to a single light?
The lights of Chanukah are a metaphor for the blessings of enlightenment that the Jewish people bestow to the world. When you light, you advance that specific light which corresponds to the inner makeup of your soul. When this happens, the entire people of Israel are enriched. However, your specific light may be different from mine. Sometimes they may be in conflict.
But these conflicts will not exist forever. In the future it will become clear that all of the different lights share a common root, and are really one single light. Therefore, the blessing of Chanukah, which also encompasses the future potential, speaks of a single “Chanukah light.”
(Adapted from Rav Kook).
Happy Chanukah, חג חנוכה שמח
