VOLUME 118 NUMBER 10
Kislev 29, 5786
December 19, 2025
Parshas Mikeitz/Special Chanuka Edition
Candlelighting Time 4:20
BE ENLIGHTENED
As we near the end of this wonderful Yom Tov of Chanukah what will we take with us? After the last lights go out we will be left in the darkness or can we carry the torch further and embrace our future with brightness?
Customarily we read on Chanukah the parsha that deals with the inauguration of the Mishkan and what the heads of the tribes brought in celebration of that momentous occasion. The parsha concludes with the word “V’zos,” referring to the summary of the donations that were made by the tribes. S’fas Emes focuses on the use of that word and what is its significance. He explains that “V’zos” which literally means “And this” alludes to the Kingship of Hashem. The point is that His Rulership is all inclusive. The entire cosmos and galactic formations far beyond the scope of our knowledge and perception are all creations reliant upon Hashem’s continuous resolve for their existence. And bringing that down to our situational dilemma of exile with all its dramatic implications and complications, the realization is that all that we encounter, confront and combat is undeniably and incredibly all at the behest of Hashem. Although this requires elucidation which we will now present.
The message of Chanukah is that we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in Hashem despite the obvious and often devastating challenges that we meet in life. The Hasmonean army were handed a seemingly abysmal undertaking. Destroy the enemy that is ravaging and obliterating the very tenets of our religion and therefore razing our nation. The task appeared to be beyond the reach of this ragtag militia that was outgunned, outnumbered and untrained in warfare. Yet, Matyisyahu, the son of the High Priest, clearly understood that if Hashem had presented them with this unfortunate dilemma then it was indeed within their ability. How were they to, practically speaking, accomplish this impossible goal? The answer was and rings true in the present that when we team up with Hashem, the ultimate source of power and salvation, then, of course, nothing is out of reach. And that, as we know, occurred then and continues to be our mandate for what has transpired in the past and hopefully we will not again need to wrestle with future predicaments. However, if need be, we are prepared to tackle any adversities that plague us.
S’fas Emes adds that not only was Matisyahu and his sons aware that they could really meet this challenge, but Hashem truthfully consistently places us in situations, sometime dire, in order that we should extricate ourselves from our difficulties. And that is the true definition of what it means to be a nation of Hashem. This is the theme of Chanukah, that the Beis Hamikdash was defiled, the focal point of our service to Hashem, and we annihilated the enemy forces and then proceeded to reestablish the sanctity and integrity of the Beis Hamikdash, including reigniting the Menorah which brings luminosity and radiance into our nation representing the most spiritual gift that we have received from Hashem, the Torah. Our forbears have shown us the path to success and we must imbibe that lesson and carry forth that torch for our generation and onwards.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS AND CHANUKAH
The main thrust of the Greeks assault on our religiosity was to eradicate the division that the Torah creates between our nation and the rest of the world. Of course, circumcision is a decisive reminder of our connection to Hashem through Avrohom, the original Patriarch that introduced monotheism to the world. Celebrating the new month emphasized our striving to always renew and enhance our relationship with Hashem. And of course, the study of Torah our strongest point of division between our people and the rest of the world. They wanted to secularize our nation and we fought to maintain our distance from their ideology and lifestyle. MAHARAL
GOOD SHABB0S AND HAPPY CHANUKAH
