The Temple Institute Jerusalem Rabbi Chaim Richman says:
His brothers were in shock when Yosef said “I am Yosef,” thereby removing from their eyes the blinders preventing them from seeing G-d’s presence in every moment and in every action. So startled were they that they could not respond, they could not comprehend. Their souls left them. How much greater would be the shock were G-d to reveal His presence to us in one single moment. Therefore He reveals His great light one glimpse at a time, even as the Geula redemption marches ever forward.

Shabbat Shalom

Abstract of Commentary by Michael Schneider, Jerusalem:
In Chapter 41 we read about Joseph’s divine gift of interpreting dreams, including Pharaoh’s nightmare of the seven healthy cows and seven weak cows, which represented seven prosperous years and seven years of drought and famine.

GSI: On Shabbat Hanukah – this year the Mikez / or Miketz Shabbat within Festival of Lights – the Haftarah reading from Zechariah is inserted, “behold, there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps [eight on →Hanukkah – Change the World] with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees are by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other at its left”, this year it falls together with Christmas → Nittel Nacht weekend:

Now, after two years in prison, Joseph was transferred from the dungeon to the Royal palace. This was out of the ordinary, but that’s the way the LORD works when He intervenes. Just like during Exodus, after hundreds of years in slavery, the Hebrews went from being mistreated slaves to a victorious nation in less than 24 hours.

When Joseph was called he made it clear from the beginning that he was a vessel of the Almighty God of Israel (41:25). Do we give God the credit he deserves or take it for ourselves?

With Joseph’s interpretation, Egypt could prepare for the years of drought and so the ‘abundance became the reserve’ (41:34-36).

Joseph was then given the name ‘Zaphenath-Paneah’, meaning ‘Bread of Life’ in ancient-Egyptian. He saved the entire Egyptian empire. Salvation was found in verse 55: “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.” Bread today is His Word!

Joseph became a Savior to the Gentiles first and then to the Jews because his brothers rejected him. We read in verse 40, “… Only the throne (of Pharaoh) would be greater than you.” Now when the dream the hated Joseph was telling them came true, his brothers bowed down to him as foreseen. Joseph’s time in Egypt, from the beginning was in God’s hand. Not only from saving Egypt, but also – in the end – his father Jacob (Israel) from death of famine.

Joseph like his father Jacob was separated for more than 20 painful years from his father’s home to accomplish a godly task. This Torah portion teaches us that we need to see things through God’s eyes as part of the ‘big picture’ in his plan of Salvation. Even smuggling money and the ‘goblet of the king’ in the sacks of the brothers and blaming them are sadly still anti-Semitic waves, making the Jewish people the scapegoat.

All things served one goal and purpose and that is drawing them closer to Him and protecting them from assimilation and returning home to the land of their forefathers symbolized by sitting at the table of Joseph. In our Torah portion we learn of Joseph’s second weeping (first was in the ditch) when he ‘lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son… Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred (origin in the Hebrew: overwhelmed with mercies – rahamim) over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there’ (43:29-30).

Shabbat Shalom and Hanukkah Sameach

Once a year
heavenly light will be close to us.
Meant is not the Christ but in a very different way Jesus of whom a Jewish tradition says:
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication [Hebrew: Hanukkah] in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.” (Gospel of John 10:22). To make a long story short, Jesus was a regular rabbi coming from Nazareth who refueled on the Temple Feast of Dedication and was about – like every other rabbi around the globe till the time being – to bring The Light into the world because “I [the LORD] have called You [Israel] in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes” (Isaiah 42:6).
Sh’ma Israel:
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart:”
Change the world, You, who are chosen! Bring My Light to the Gentiles, O Israel! That is what – like Jesus – the Lubavitcher Chassidim today do on Hanukkah on behalf of His Israel in U.S. cities and all over the nations.

It is the Jews who were chosen to open the blind eyes of the Gentiles / nations, not visa versa! Even if the church wants us to do the opposite credible – the decision and love of God, baruch HaShem, is eternal: “I will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). The victory is Me – not the church. That is the story behind, that a small group of Jews (Maccabees and Jews in total compared to the world and the church) were victorious over the hundred times larger Syrian-Greek conversion heer in 164 BCE (→ Seleucid Empire), but after all in the devastated temple of God in Jerusalem was only a single pot of kosher oil for the eternal light to find. Not more than one day, this amount would have been enough oil, but by a heavenly miracle, the light burned for eight days. Which is precisely the time it took to complete the procedure for obtaining new kosher oil. Since that time celebrated all the faithful believers, religious and non-religious one, these eight days a year as Hanukkah (Hebrew: consecration / dedication), till our Second Temple was destroyed . . . by the Romans!

The same Romans had financed with the spoils of the 66 – 70 CE wars against Israel and the destruction of God’s Temple, the construction of the Colosseum from year 72 on (see German Wikipedia which is obviously not allowed to be translated in the American Wikipedia considering tourism collapse from Overseas might be) and later on founded their new religion against God, His Temple, His People, His Shabbat . . . and not least against the teachings of Jesus. . .

• Was it Jesus who – as one of His People a model of all mankind – put Satan to flight with the words of the Holy Scriptures (Deut. 6:13): “You shall worship the LORD your God, and HIM ONLY you shall serve.” Rome made Jesus himself, of all warnings to the contrary, the God, their own Lord.
• Did Jesus warned, “Moses [Torah] and the prophets [Neviim] to hear and obey” in order not to arrive at “the place of eternal torment” instead of eternal life (Luke 16:28), then Romans cultured their own scriptures, which they sanctified and in them is to read to this day, that ” therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech – unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded [instead of that Jews shall open the eyes of the Gentiles – see above]. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [such as to murder Israel in Jewish-Roman Wars, Crusades or Luther’s Reichskristallnacht] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. “(2 Cor. 3:12 ff).

But Adonai, Adon Olam, remains the same (Isaiah 60), He yesterday . . .
. . . and You One in Him today on Hanukkah? . . .
“Arise, shine; for Your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon You. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over You, and His glory will be seen upon You. The Gentiles shall come to Your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
. . . wherever You are!

Hag Hanukkah Sameach
Eric C. Martienssen

Abstract of the Commentary byMichael Schneider, Jerusalem:
In our Torah portion, ‘Va‘Yeshev,’ last year, we discussed Joseph as a prototype of the Messiah. We saw the parallels between Messiah Ben-Joseph and the Joseph’s life. Through Joseph’s brother’s rejection, he was sent to Egypt where he attained status of being second to Pharaoh and regarded as a deity. The Egyptians also used the concept of the trinity with three Pharaoh’s. He became a stranger to his brothers because he was now ‘Egyptian’ and they could not recognize him.

Hanukkah Sameach

David, like Joseph has a similar story. Both were shepherds and despised by their brothers. Samuel anointed David as king at 17, but it wasn’t until age 30 when he reigned over Israel. Joseph’s life in Egypt began at 17, but he didn’t sit ‘at the right hand’ of Pharaoh until 30. Both, Joseph and David, were sons from another mother, which Jewish scholars claim was the reason for David’s ‘red’ look and why “Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons…”

Chapter 38 interrupts with a different story: the deceitful affair between Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law. Judah, in the chapter before intervenes and saves his brother’s life (37:26-27). One interpretation says it’s the reason his descendants are of the royal line in the kingdom of Israel. Judah (where the word ‘Jew – yehudi’ comes from) desired for his sons to produce offspring so they could continue his forefather’s blessing.

When Judah’s oldest son, Er, passed away, his wife Tamar was given to Onan. “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother” (38:8). But, after Onan died, Judah told Tamar to go back to her father’s home until the third son Shela grew up.

Many years passed and the agreement was forgotten. But, when Tamar saw her father-in-law she sought revenge. She took off her widow’s clothes (38:14), which were a sign she was waiting for Judah to fulfill his promise, and covered her face so he couldn’t recognize her. Once protected from evil she was now covered with the mask of sin and deceit. Out of rage and revenge she dressed like a prostitute and Judah fell into ‘her snare’ (Proverbs 7).

Once her sin was made known, Judah confessed, “She is right, I am to blame.” Tamar went on to give birth to – again – twins, Peretz and Zerach (38:25 – 26). Again, the younger (Peretz) struggled to be born first, like with Esau and Jacob.

Another similarity we find is that Tamar shows Judah his three belongings: his ring, cord and staff. She says, “Recognize please…” (Hebrew haker-na; 38:25), which reminds us of the same words used in the chapter before as Judah himself deceived his father with Joseph’s coat and said: “Recognize please…” (37:32). What Judah did to his father through deceit Tamar did to him.

We can ask ourselves why the LORD allowed the marriage to be ‘legitimate’ even though it was incest and allow the heirs to be a part of the Messianic line of David? God allowed it to happen! Tamar even became one of the four ‘non-Jewish’ mothers along with Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba.

Hag Hanukkah Sameach (Hanukkah →Erev Hanukkah is 2011, December 20)

Commentary by Michael Schneider, Jerusalem:
This week’s Torah portion (And he sent) begins with Jacob returning to the land of his parents after working for his father-in-law Laban. Upon his return, Jacob meets Esau who 20 years earlier sought to kill him.

Even though, Jacob had excess riches he was lacking one thing: peace with his brother. Once again he attempts to create his own way of avoiding conflict with Esau. He heard that 400 men were escorting Esau and “he was scared” (32:8). He divided the camp into two, using a typical military strategy, so that one camp would survive. This tactic is still used by Israel, the sons of Jacobs, today. This happens when we fear because we do not fully trust the Lord.

Jacob reminded God of his promise (32:10-11, 13): “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother…” he pleads. “But you have said… my descendants will be like sand of the sea…”

– much of sand – much of love – much of confidence –

– so how come that Jacob is standing now before a great danger? Are these not similar situations believers face?

Jacob tried with all his wealth and riches to flatter his brother. He didn’t know God also had blessed Esau and changed his heart. Jacob sent his wives and children to the back of the camp for safety, but he stood up front all alone. It was when he thought everything was ‘under control’ that he had an encounter with the Lord that night. Jacob wrestled with a Man who said. “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (32:26).

Every believer needs to have this experience otherwise he will wrestle and struggle all his life. Man needs to let go of his life and allow the Lord to take control. Jacob needed to come to this point so God could rename him to ‘Isra-El,’ God will strive (for you). “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed (32:28).”

The deceitful and manipulative characteristics of Jacob turned into Fear of God. He was released from the fear of man and was able to meet his brother through trusting God.

The site was called Peniel, because “he saw God face to face” (panim means face and also refers to internal; 32:30). At the meeting with Esau the term ‘VaYera’ (and he feared; 32:7) changed to ‘VaYare’ (and he saw; 33:1).

In chapter 34, we read about Jacob’s daughter Dinah who was “violated” by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who then wanted to marry her (34:9, 21). The brothers of Dinah sought revenge, murdering the sons of Hamor after the men of Hamor had submitted to Jacob’s son’s wishes and were pain as they were circumcised.

Chapter 35 speaks about the cleansing of all idols influenced by pagan nations surrounding them in Bethel and of the death of Rachel during the birth of her second child, Benjamin. Isaac, Jacob’s father died at the age of 180 and was also buried by his two sons, Esau and Jacob, at Hebron.

Jacob and Esau, like Abraham and Lot, also had an abundance of flocks and herds, which became so great they needed to go their separate ways. Later we will see that one of Esau’s descendants, Amalek, will become Israel’s biggest enemy (36:12).

Shabbat Shalom