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 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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MAX’S PARSHAT MIKETZ & CHANUKAH QUIZ QUESTIONS
Max has come up with a quiz that relates
to the Parshat Miketz Torah portion and the Festival of Chanukah. Here are his questions. Did you do your best?
Answers are found at the end of this post.
Stay Inside; Stay Safe and Stay
Healthy. Wear your mask.
Chodesh tov, Shabbat shalom and Chag Sameach,
1-Why was Yosef originally imprisoned for 10-Years ?
2-How are the miracles of CHANUKA hinted in Prashas MIKEITZ ?
3-How are the Sar Hamashkim (Chief Bartender) similar to Haman ?
4-What motivated the Chief Bartender to speak up to Pharaoh ?
5-what did the Fat Cows being eating symbolize ?
6-What was significant about Pharaoh dreamed repeatedly?
7-How did Pharoah know that Yosef had Ruach HaKodesh?
8-What does Yosef Name "Tsafnat Panayach" mean ?
9-How many years did Yosef reigned in Egypt ?
10-What did Pharoah mean by referring to Yosef as an Avreich?
11-What did Yosef require Egyptians to do before buying Grain?
12-What is significant of using REDU, instead of LECHU by Jacob ?
13-What pretext did Yosef use to accuse Brothers as Spies ?
14-Why did the Brothers use the 10-Gates to enter Egypt?
15-Who was the interpreter used between Yosef and his Brothers ?
16-Why did Yosef put only Shimon in prison ?
17-How did Reuven try to persuade Jacob to send BINYAMIN with him ?
18-Why did Yosef call his first son "Menashe"?
19-Why was Shevet Menashe split into two upon entering the Land ?
20-In what way did Yosef hold like Beis Shamai rather than Beis
Hillel ?
21-How do we see that ignoring Kibud AV V'Eim shortens one's
lifespan?
22-Why did all Ten Brothers have to go to Mitzrayim?
23-Which other famous TZADDIKIM were imprisoned and Why ?
24-Why did Yosef first arrest all ten Brothers for three days ?
25-Which other slave other than Yosef rise to Royalty ?
26-How old was BINYAMIN when his brother Yosef was taken away ?
27-What did Jacob send to the mighty ruler Tzofnas Paneiyach ?
28-What warning did Jacob give his sons about Wealth ?
29-why are Yosef's descendants protected from Ayin Hara ?
30-Why does Parashas MIKEITZ is read during CHANUKA?
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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.
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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.
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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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MAX’S PARSHAT MIKETZ & CHANUKAH QUIZ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Max has come up with a quiz that relates to the Parshat Miketz Torah portion and the Festival of Chanukah. Here are his questions and answers. How did you do?
1-Why was Yosef
originally imprisoned for 10-Years ?
Speaking Lashon
Hara about his ten Righteous Brothers, 1-Year each
> 2-How are
the miracles of CHANUKA hinted in Prashas MIKEITZ ?
Just as weak thin
cows & wheat overcame the fat ones, Jews will overcome
> 3-How are
the Sar Hamashkim (Chief Bartender) similar to Haman ?
Neither the Chief
Bartender nor Haman wanted Jews to be promoted
> 4-What
motivated the Chief Bartender to speak up to Pharaoh ?
For security
reasons, he wanted to protect his Job.
> 5-what did
the Fat Cows being eating symbolize ?
That the all the
Joy of The plentiful years will be forgotten.
> 6-What was
significant about Pharaoh dreamed repeatedly?
It showed that
the seven good years to start immediately
> 7-How did
Pharoah know that Yosef had Ruach HaKodesh?
Yosef knew all
the real facts about the two Dreams
> 8-What does
Yosef Name "Tsafnat Panayach" mean ?
He who explain
things that are hidden and obscure
> 9-How many
years did Yosef reigned in Egypt ?
Yosef reigned for
80-Years, longest in history
> 10-What did
Pharoah mean by referring to Yosef as an Avreich?
Young in years
but old in Wisdom
> 11-What did
Yosef require Egyptians to do before buying Grain?
Become
Circumcised
> 12-What is
significant of using REDU, instead of LECHU by Jacob ?
The Gematria of
REDU 210 , the amount of years Jews will
stay in Egypt
> 13-What
pretext did Yosef use to accuse Brothers as Spies ?
The Brothers
entered Egypt through 10 gates
> 14-Why did
the Brothers use the 10-Gates to enter Egypt?
To search for
Yosef
> 15-Who was
the interpreter used between Yosef and his Brothers ?
Yosef's son
Menashe
> 16-Why did
Yosef put only Shimon in prison ?
Because Shimon
was the one to cast Yosef into the Pit
> 17-How did
Reuven try to persuade Jacob to send BINYAMIN with him ?
He said
"kill my 2-sons if I fail to bring BINYOMIN back safely"
> 18-Why did
Yosef call his first son "Menashe"?
To thank HaShem
for making him forget his suffering and loneliness
> 19-Why was
Shevet Menashe split into two upon entering the Land ?
Menashe caused
the Shevatim to tear their cloth in grief when arrested
> 20-In what
way did Yosef hold like Beis Shamai rather than Beis Hillel ?
Yosef held like
Beis Shamai that you fulfill Piryah V'riyah with 2-Boys
> 21-How do we
see that ignoring Kibud AV V'Eim shortens one's lifespan?
During dialogue
with the Brothers , Yosef did not defend honor of his father
> 22-Why did
all Ten Brothers have to go to Mitzrayim?
To form a Minyan
so they could pray to HaShem for His Help
> 23-Which
other famous TZADDIKIM were imprisoned and Why ?
Avraham, Moshe,
Akiva, Ma'Haram M'Rotenberg, & Baal HaTanya
They could not be
swayed from the service of HaSHem
> 24-Why did
Yosef first arrest all ten Brothers for three days ?
Kaparah for
3-things:,undressing him, throwing him into pit, selling him
> 25-Which
other slave other than Yosef rise to Royalty ?
Haman was also a
slave before being raised to royal position
> 26-How old
was BINYAMIN when his brother Yosef was taken away ?
BINYAMIN was nine
years old when Yosef was kidnapped
> 27-What did
Jacob send to the mighty ruler Tzofnas Paneiyach ?
A letter warning
The Viceroy not to distress his Family, protected by G-d
> 28-What
warning did Jacob give his sons about Wealth ?
Jews to live
humbly & modestly, do not flaunt your wealth
> 29-why are
Yosef's descendants protected from Ayin Hara ?
Yosef did not sin
with his eyes, his descendants are spared from evil eye
> 30-Why does
Parashas MIKEITZ is read during CHANUKA?
There are 2,025
words in this Parsha, 250= נר xtimes 8= 2,000
And the date of
CHANUKA is 25th of Kislev
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