Miketz

In most years, the holiday of Chanukah and Parashas Miketz coincide. We know everything in the Torah and the Jewish calendar is precise, therefore we need to understand the connection and the lesson HKB”H wants to convey to us in this juxtaposition. 

The root of the word Chanukah comes from the word Chinuch which is usually translated as “education” or “inauguration”. Chinuch is a mitzvah for the parents to educate their children in getting used to fulfilling the mitzvos of the Torah. Parents introduce the mitzvos to their children and help them to learn how to fulfill the mitzvos as they grow older. 

If a person thinks about this mitzvah for a short time he/she is left to wonder about the effectiveness of this mitzvah. Educating someone to get used to doing the mitzvos runs the person into the danger of doing the mitzvos as a habit, without thinking and attention to the meaning of the mitzvah. Is that something that HKB”H wants from us? We know that the Navi reprimands the Jewish people for fulfilling the mitzvos habitually, so what is the Torah demanding of the parents to educate their children to get used to doing the mitzvos? 

Sefer Shem Mishmuel gives the following explanation. The idea behind the mitzvah of chinuch is to educate our children to get used to adding and growing spiritually at all times. The parents should teach their children to strive to get closer to Hashem by adding a new experience in their service of Hashem every day. A Jewish child should learn early on that he/she needs to give him/herself a fresh start every day to grow from where he/she left off yesterday. With this mindset, every day of a Jew’s life has a new beginning, therefore Torah and mitzvos don’t become habitual, but rather a fresh experience daily to grow into the next phase. 

Based on this we can understand the meaning of the holiday of Chanukah. After the Maccabees were able to release themselves from the yoke of the Greeks they inaugurated the temple and made a new beginning in the service of the Bais Hamikdash. That is why every day of Chanukah we add a new candle to the Menorah to show that we need to add a new light to our service of Hashem every day.

And that is why the Holiday of Chanukah in most years coincides with Parashas Miketz. In this Parahah the Torah tells the story of Yosef Hatzadick who brought so much blessing and abundance to Egypt and his family. Our Rabbis tell us, that this is the meaning and the power of the name Yosef, to add abundance, as his mother Racheal proclaimed at his birth “So she named him Joseph, saying, May the Lord grant me yet another son" (Bereshis 30:24). Yosef is a catalyst for another son, more blessing. 

This is why Yosef is called Chai (alive) by his father Yaacov. once hearing the news that Yosef is still alive, his father proclaimed, “My son Joseph is still alive” (Bereshis 45:28). When a person adds something new to his service of Hashem daily he/she stays spiritually alive. Without this strategy, Yosef would not have been able to stay at his level of righteousness in Egypt for twenty-two years without any family and spiritual support. 

The Chazal in Sukkah 52b tell us “a person’s evil inclination renews itself on the person every day”, therefore if a person wouldn’t renew his/herself with a new spiritual life every day, the evil inclination inevitably overcomes him/her. 

May this insight into Chanukah and Parashas Miketz inspire us to embrace each day as an opportunity for spiritual growth, ensuring that our service of Hashem remains vibrant and alive.