The Flame - Miketz (Chanukah)

The Flame
Parshat Miketz-Chanukah

Have you ever gazed at the flame of your Chanukiya? The to and fro, the strange mystic, orange glow within the flame? What secrets does it reveal to you? What if the flame could speak? What would it say to you?

This week's parshah Miketz, speaks of Pharaoh's dreams; the seven skinny cows and seven fat cows and then, seven skinny ears of corn and the seven fat ears of corn. The skinny cows and ears swallowed up the fat cows, and they remained as skinny as if they had eaten nothing at all. The Torah also tells us, how Yosef was finally released from bondage as he stood before Pharaoh.

We also celebrate this week Chanukah- the holiday of lighting flames.  What possibly, is the connection between these dreams, freedom and flames?

Let us try to imagine Yosef's thoughts and feelings while he languished in prison. Let us put ourselves in the shoes of the Chashmonai family-the Maccabees, greatly outnumbered, with practically no chance of survival, against a superior and might Greek army.

The despair, pain, depression, and feeling of hopelessness. The sense that life is bleak, and will never get better, and "what's the point of it all anyway?".

Can you relate?

In life, we all have our good times, "the fat cows". We also have our difficult moments, "the skinny cows". In fact, it usually seems that the bad times are so crippling, so destructive, that we almost forget that good times ever existed, just like the fat cows that were swallowed up in the dream.

That's probably how Yosef felt all those years in prison. That's how the Maccabees felt for so long. And that is how you and I may feel at times.

But then, there is the flame. It never stops. It moves back and forth. It changes color. It tell us, don't give up! Don't throw in the towel! The "fat cows will reappear" and freedom and redemption will be yours.

"Listen to the flame" said Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, Its actually quite inspiring.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach