What a special week it's been! Starting with Sunday's Pittsford Menorah Lighting and BillsMafia Menorah, and continuing to Menorah lightings in Penfield,Victor and Honeoye Falls, it has been a week of good vibes and light. May we all continue to add light the whole year long!
On a more personal note, I had a Torah 'Eureka Moment'.
As many of you might know, I have the great pleasure of teaching a daily class on each day's Aliyah. An Aliyah is the way the custom developed to divide the whole Torah portion into 7 sections.
In our class, we translate the verses and bring basic narrative commentary to have a working understanding of the week's Torah portion and stories (this class is live and zoom - if you want to join just text me 585-286-6147 and I'll add you to the list).
My moment was noticing something glaring. It might sound technical, but it struck me as off.
In the week's Torah portion, there is a very dramatic scene. After hiding his identity from his brothers, Joseph cannot bear it anymore and reveals himself. In the words of the Torah (Genesis 45:3-7):
"Joseph said to his brothers: “I am Joseph; is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified before him. Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please,” and they came near. He said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.”
The brothers are beside themselves with shame and remorse, and it is Joseph who comforts them. “It was not you who sent me here,” he says to them, “but G‑d.” It has all been ordained from Above: because you sold me into slavery, we will all be saved from the hunger which has stricken the entire region these last two years, and which is destined to continue for another five.
As the Torah ends off the Aliyah in verse 7 "But God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you survive in the land, and to sustain you in an act of great deliverance".
The weird thing is that Joseph isn't done talking. The next Aliyah opens up with him continuing his monologue in verse 8 "So now you can understand that it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me Pharaoh’s counselor, lord over all his household, and ruler over all Egypt".
Joseph's first feat, and legacy for us all, is that he was able to survive as a Jew and retain his Jewish identity in exile. Even with his busy life in Potiphar's house, in prison, or as Egypt's viceroy, he stayed connected to G-d. This helped the Jewish people back then, and for all time, have the power to keep their spiritual strength while in exile.
That is what he was referring to in the end of the Aliyah verse 7 "But God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you survive in the land, and to sustain you in an act of great deliverance".
But that is not the truly remarkable power of Joseph. He wasn't just sent to survive in exile, but to actually influence the Egyptian people, who at the time were a very pagan and anti-monothetic people.
Joseph's mission was not just to avoid the bad influences of Egypt but to make a positive impact on them and stem their corruption.
And that is why the next Aliyah opens with his continuation of his monologue, because it refers to an infinitely higher purpose for finding oneself in exile and in hardship. In Joseph's words again "So now you can understand that it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me Pharaoh’s counselor, lord over all his household, and ruler over all Egypt".
The message for us is apropos, especially right after Chanukah.
The Jewish didn't just weather dispersion and oppression for millenia only to survive. G-d's providence takes all of us wehrever we might find ourselves ultimately to be influencers of goodness and morality.
May we keep that attitude of looking to spread light all throughout 2025, no matter what comes our way, and through all the acts of transformation may we bring the Ultimate translation of Moshaich and Redemption.
Good Shabbos/Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yitzi Hein