“Then Pharaoh sent and called Yosef… and he came to Pharaoh.” (Bereishis 41:14)

Y

osef knew why he received additional years of imprisonment — because he placed his confidence in the chief butler asking: “But remember me and make mention of me to Pharaoh.”

Through this punishment he learned the parameters of bitachon. A person must realize that within every situation the cause itself has no power; all the power is exclusively in the Hands of the Source of all causes Hashem.

We see that Yosef internalized this lesson when Pharaoh praised him: “I’ve heard said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Yosef responded clearly “It is not in me.” Meaning I myself don’t have this ability adding “G-d will give an answer about Pharaoh’s welfare.”

Yosef completely denied his own role asserting that all his knowledge came from Hashem. In doing this he placed himself in jeopardy as it was possible that Pharaoh would lose confidence in Yosef’s ability to interpret dreams and return him to jail. Yet he still persevered in acknowledging Hashem as the source of his abilities. (Michtav MeEliyahu vol. 4 pg. 30)

Family Chanukah parties are a lot of fun. Usually. This one started out smoothly. We invited our extended family second cousins and more. To keep the kids occupied I put together a box of props and gave them 15 minutes to turn the props into a Chanukah skit.

It should’ve worked out great. However one of my cousins is not yet frum and his kids go to a non-denominational Jewish school. His son took the main part. While his cousins tried to reenact how Hashem performed miracles for the Maccabim he acted out the modern Israeli version lauding the miracles that the mighty Maccabim rendered.

Watching him act I felt stricken. Did he really believe that the Maccabim were mighty enough to perform miracles? Had no one informed him that they were a few bearded men who learned Torah in caves and who weren’t trained in combat strategies? Someone clearly neglected to fill in the details of the tale: that there was no might and no soldiers — only Heavenly miracles.

It’s sad to think that because the young State of Israel needed a few legendary heroes with muscles and might they roped in the Maccabim and the story of Chanukah for their agenda.

Mattisyahu and his sons understood that all man’s successes — both physical and spiritual within nature and beyond nature — are gifts from Hashem. According to the laws of nature their battle seemed doomed from the start. Yet they persevered with mesirus nefesh the few against the many understanding that victory is only from Hashem. (Sifsei Chaim Rav Chaim Friedlander)

I stared at the dairy spread on the table wondering how it was possible to celebrate a holiday without understanding what it’s really about.

A holiday of light joy and songs. Gifts. Dreidels. Menorahs glowing in the window and family gatherings. But bottom line the entire celebration is encapsulated in the words “For the miracles and wonders that You did for our fathers in those days at this time.”

That You did for our fathers. Not that our fathers did. You fought their battle and avenged their wrongs. You alone. And only afterward did they come to the Kodesh Hakodoshim make the Mikdash pure and ignite the lights.

The Maccabim’s moment of truth came when they faced a tremendous army with elephants and spears. They said “It’s not in me.” We’re here to do the best we humanly can. But success belongs only to Hashem.

Al hanissim describes “...the many in the hands of the few... the resha’im in the hands of tzaddikim.” The fact that they were tzaddikim and the fact that they were few were both reasons to bestow victory. They understood that they were weak and that victory isn’t dependent on their strength only on Hashem. In that merit Hashem saved them. (ibid.)

The Maccabim won because they knew they were weak and that success only comes from Hashem.

We warm ourselves with this fire of emunah in the middle of the cold winter when winds of heresy howl throughout the world. We stand in the light of the menorah to get warm ourselves. This is the best Chanukah gelt we can give our children. Golden coins of emunah that glow with the fire of knowledge that we are always in His Hands.