MIKETZ 1984
 
The rabbis have always arranged it so that during Chanukah we always read the Torah portion Miketz.  Why should it be that we should read this Torah portion always during Chanukah? What's more, this whole Torah portion makes us uncomfortable.  In this Torah portion we see how Joseph manipulates his brothers, how he pretends not to know them, how he forces them to bring Benjamin down to Egypt, how he then frames Benjamin, all in an effort to see whether his brothers would defend Benjamin or not.  It does not seem 100% right.  Perhaps for this reason, we do not have the same warm feeling in Jewish life to Joseph as we have to King David or even his brother, Judah.  Joseph comes across as being too brilliant, a person who is always able to manipulate others, a kind, forgiving, good man, but a manipulator nonetheless.  We do not quite trust him.  On Chanukah we light lights, but this is not the only time in the Jewish calendar when we are commanded to light lights.  On Pesach we are commanded to light a candle to search for the chometz. Before Shabbos and all holidays we light candles, and after Shabbos we make Havdallah on a braided candle.  Also, when someone dies we light a shiva candle, a candle which burns for seven days.  Obviously, when we light these candles we are lighting them for different reasons.  The candle for Pesach is a candle which allows us to see things, to search out chometz.  It is a candle which speaks about acquiring knowledge, focusing it on a problem to the exclusion of all others.  We can only use one candle when we search for chometz.  The Shabbos candles stand for “Sholom Bias", the family.  In order to have Judaism you must not only have knowledge, but you must have a family.  The candles of Havdallah must be a braided candle.  You cannot just have one flame.  We must learn how to apply knowledge in life, how to balance conflicting rights and conflicting good concepts.  When we apply knowledge it is very difficult, because we cannot just focus on one problem like a scientist, but must weigh how this knowledge will affect all of us.  The candle of shiva stands for passivity.  We do not continually light and relight it.  It stays burning for seven days.  There are some things in life we cannot understand. We just must accept them, like death.  All these candles are necessary for Judaism. We must have knowledge and family.  We must know how to apply our knowledge and know when to be quiet and just accept things, but these qualities are not enough.  We also
 
 
need the Chanukah candles.  The Chanukah candles stand for sincerity.  Matathias and
Judah were able to gather a band of dedicated people to their side because of their
sincerity.  They believed in their cause.  That's why they were called Maccabees.  "Me
Kamocha....", "Who is like You among the G-d’s of G-d" or as Matathias said as he started
the revolt, "Me Adoshem Elai, Who is for G-d come to me."  It was their sincerity and
dedication and devotion which allowed them, with G-d’s help, to overcome.  Today, unfortunately,
this dedication, devotion is lacking.  Many times our schools fail because the teachers,
themselves, really do not believe in Judaism, and many times the parents, themselves,
do not believe in it.  If you do not believe in it, if you do not have that sincerity
you cannot transmit it.  Chanukah teaches us the importance of sincerity.  Without this
inner light all the other lights fall away.  Perhaps that's why the rabbis always had
us read Miketz on Chanukah.  Joseph was a good man, forgiving man, a brilliant man,
but he was a manipulator.  People could not really trust him.  That's why he was not
really fit to be the leader of the Jewish people.  Judah became the head of the Jewish
people not Joseph.  In life, too, we find many people who are good people but they are
manipulators.  They do good things, but, because they are not always sincere, it is
hard to trust them.  Because they do not have that spark of sincerity they really cannot
be leaders.  Chanukah teaches us how much can be accomplished when there are true leaders.
Joseph was quickly forgotten in Egypt after he died.  He, himself, did not have a big
following.  After he died it was easy to forget him.  He did not elicit that warmth
and trust which can only come from sincerity.  The other candles are important, but
the Chanukah candle is what allows all the rest to continue.  Sincerity is a very important
virtue.