I want to share a Chassidic story with you called, ‘The Vanishing Flame’.
It was the first night of Chanukah, and the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, Rebbe Baruch of Mezhibuz lit the menorah and sang Maoz Tzur with his Chassidim, his students. Suddenly, the candle flickered, as though dancing or struggling, and then the flame disappeared. The candle had not gone out-- there was no smoke. The light had just vanished. All of the students despaired and worried, ‘Should we relight the menorah?’ But the Rebbe insisted that they continue singing. Later that evening, a traveler came to the Rebbe and his Chassidim and said that he had been lost in the dangerous woods trying to get back in time to light the menorah. Suddenly, a single flame appeared in the darkness and guided him home, protecting him up until he arrived at the Rebbe’s Chanukah table. After the traveler finished his story, the Rebbe and his Chassidim turned and looked at the menorah to find that the flame that had vanished was now burning brightly, as though it had never disappeared.
We often speak of the great miracle of Chanukah as the fact that the oil did not run out for eight days. But in this Chassidic story we are challenged to uncover a miracle of Chanukah that is all too often overlooked. This is the miracle of faith. In the Chanukah story, the miracle is that the Jews had enough faith to search for the cruse of oil in the first place. They did not give up on themselves or on God; they did not give into uncertainty and doubt. Instead they returned to the Temple to rebuild and reconnect in the midst of destruction.
In our Chassidic story, we see Rebbe Baruch act out this very message. He models for his Chassidim his faith that the flame will return and his commitment that the absence of light is not enough of a reason to stop singing, praying, and engaging with God and his people. Every Chanukah, we celebrate our miraculous capacity to have faith and hope and to persevere in the midst of uncertainty-- an ability that is forged in the cauldron of the Jewish soul. And we are encouraged to find a way, as Rebbe Baruch did, to remind ourselves that despite destruction and loss, our lights will not go out and our hearts will not despair.
(8) Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy in my care, and let us be on our way, that we may live and not die—you and we and our children. (9) I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible: if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I shall stand guilty before you forever. (10) For we could have been there and back twice if we had not dawdled.” (11) Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your baggage, and carry them down as a gift for the man—some balm and some honey, gum, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds. (12) And take with you double the money, carrying back with you the money that was replaced in the mouths of your bags; perhaps it was a mistake. (13) Take your brother too; and go back at once to the man. (14) And may El Shaddai dispose the man to mercy toward you, that he may release to you your other brother, as well as Benjamin. As for me, if I am to be bereaved, I shall be bereaved.”
Rabbanit Thomas- Newborn, cont.
God gave the miracle of the oil that burned for eight nights. But we bring the miracle of faith to life by kindling the the lights ‘al hasafek’, even when we are uncertain of what will be, even when we or those whom we love are struggling or wandering. As we say every Friday night in Kabbalat Shabbat, ‘Veemunatecha baleilot’, ‘May we have faith in God at night, at the time of darkness’. It is through faith in the midst of darkness and the choice to never see the absence of light as a reason to stop singing that we will bring about the return of the vanishing flame, the realization of the ultimate redemption.
(6) And Israel said, “Why did you serve me so ill as to tell the man that you had another brother?” (7) They replied, “But the man kept asking about us and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still living? Have you another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How were we to know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
(ב) ונגד לו. שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ אָב וְאָח: (ג) על פי הדברים האלה. עַל פִּי שְׁאֵלוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר שָׁאַל, הֻזְקַקְנוּ לְהַגִּיד:
(2) ונגד לו AND WE TOLD HIM that we had a father and a brother. (3) על פי הדברים האלה ACCORDING TO THE TENOR OF THESE WORDS — we were forced to tell him according to the tenor of the questions he put to us.
וכן "שאול שאל האיש לנו ולמולדתינו" (להלן מג ז) התנצלות לאביהם או כאשר אמרו לו "כלנו בני איש אחד נחנו" (מב:יא) אמר להם "לא כי באמת ערות הארץ באתם לראות" (מב:יב) והגידו לי אם אביכם חי ואם יש לכם עוד אח כי אחקור עליכם ואדע מה אתם
Similarly, their saying "The man persisted in asking about ourselves, and our family," constitutes a motivating plea to their father, [but the event never actually took place]. It may be that when they told Joseph, "We are all one man's sons" (Genesis 42:11) he said to them "Not so, but you have truly come to find out the condition of the land" (Genesis 42:12). Now tell me if your father is alive, and if you have another brother, for I will investigate you and know what you are."
לנו ולמולדתנו CONCERNING OURSELVES AND CONCERNING OUR KINDRED — concerning our families. A Midrashic comment based upon the meaning of מולדת, “birth” — He asked of us concerning the circumstances of our birth — is: he could even tell us of what kind of wood our cradles were made (Genesis Rabbah 91:10).
אפילו עצי עריסותינו גלה לנו. ר"ל אפי' הילדים קטנים השוכבים בעריסה מדכתיב ולמולדתנו שפי' העריסות שהילדים מונחים בהם:
Even the type of wood of our childhood cradles he revealed to us. I.e., even the small children lying in a cradle. [Rashi knows this] because it is written מולדתנו, which alludes to the cradles in which the children (ילדים) lie.
העוד לכם אח: למה נכנסתם בענין זה להגיד לו אם יש לכם אח אם אין. לא אמר שהיה להם לומר שקר, אך לא היה להם להכנס בענין זה. למה הרעותם לי: אין זו שאלה אלא תרעומת,
That you had another brother: Why did you raise this issue? You didn't need to lie to him, but neither did you need to raise it. Why do you serve me so ill! [This is not a question, but Jacob's complaint/grievance against his sons]
Why did the brothers tell Yosef about their brother who was back at home?
(יג) וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ שְׁנֵ֣ים עָשָׂר֩ עֲבָדֶ֨יךָ אַחִ֧ים ׀ אֲנַ֛חְנוּ בְּנֵ֥י אִישׁ־אֶחָ֖ד בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וְהִנֵּ֨ה הַקָּטֹ֤ן אֶת־אָבִ֙ינוּ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם וְהָאֶחָ֖ד אֵינֶֽנּוּ׃
(13) And they replied, “We your servants were twelve brothers, sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more.”
(יב) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם לֹ֕א כִּֽי־עֶרְוַ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ בָּאתֶ֥ם לִרְאֽוֹת׃
(12) And he said to them, “No, you have come to see the land in its nakedness!”
כי ערות הארץ באתם לראות. שֶׁהֲרֵי נִכְנַסְתֶּם בְּי' שַׁעֲרֵי הָעִיר, לָמָּה לֹא נִכְנַסְתֶּם בְּשַׁעַר א'? (בראשית רבה):
כי ערות הארץ באתם לראות BUT TO SEE THE NAKEDNESS OF THE LAND YE ARE COME — I still insist that you are spies, for what you have just said bears this out for you have entered by ten different gates of the city; why did you not all enter by the same gate if you are really brothers and travelled together? (Genesis Rabbah 91:6).
למה לא נכנסתם בשער א'. שיוסף היה יודע שאחיו באין לשבר אוכל והיה מצוה לשומרי השער שכל מי שיבא לעיר יכתוב שמו ושם אביו ויבאו ויראו לו ועשרה שומרי שער באו ובכל פנקס הי' מוצא בזה ראובן בן יעקב ובזה שמעון בן יעקב ובזה היה יודע שבעשרה שערים נכנסו. וא"ת למה לא פירש"י זה לעיל גבי (פסוק ט) לראות את ערות הארץ וגו'. ויש לומר דבכאן מוכח שפיר מדכתיב אחר כך ויאמרו שנים עשר עבדיך וגו' מה עניין תשובה זו על מה שאמר להם מרגלים אתם אלא על כרחך צריך לומר שיוסף מתחילה אמר להם שהרי נכנסתם בי' שערי העיר והם השיבו לו לא כי אלא כלנו בני איש אחד וגו' והאחד איננו ובשביל אותו אחד נתפזרנו:
Why did you not all enter through one gate? Yoseif knew his brothers would come to buy food, and he told the guards of the gates to write the name and father’s name of whoever came to the city, and show it to him. Ten guards came and he found here, “Reuven son of Yaakov,” and there, “Shimon ben Yaakov,” and so in every record book. Thus he knew they entered through ten gates. You might ask: Why did Rashi not explain this before, on: “You have come to see where the land is exposed” (v. 9)? The answer is: The proof for it is here, because it is written in the next verse, “Your servants are twelve brothers... and one is no more.” How did this refute his assertion that they were spies? Perforce, Yoseif had said, “[You are spies,] for you entered through ten different gates of the city,” to which they replied, “No, rather we are all the sons of one man... and one is no more.” And it was because of the one who is no more that we scattered throughout the city in order to search for him, [as Rashi explains on v. 9].
Composed in (c.1660 - c.1680 CE). Siftei Chachamim is a supercommentary on Rashi’s commentary on Chumash. Written by Shabbetai ben Joseph Bass (1641–1718) in Amsterdam, it is mostly a collection of other commentaries, in addition to the author's own insights, meant to give a basic understanding of Rashi. It is printed in almost all editions of "Mikraot Gedolot". An abridgement of this work, entitled "Ikar Siftei Chachamim", appears in many editions of Chumash with Rashi.
ויאמרו שנים וגו'. פירוש טעם שנכנסנו בסדר זה כי אנחנו שנים עשר והאחד איננו לזה נתפרדנו וכל אחד נכנס בשער אחד אולי ימצא אחד ממנו את האחד שאיננו, ואומרו הנה הקטן את אבינו זה מופת חותך כי צדק יהגה חיכם כי אמרו דבר שיכול ליבחן:
ויאמרו שנים עשר עבדיך אחים, They said: "Your servants are twelve brothers, etc." They explained that they had split up in order to locate the missing brother. They added that the youngest brother remained at home with his father. They volunteered this information as it was something that could be proved and would help establish their credibility.
ויאמרו, אמרו עוד בני איש אחד להחזיק בלבו כי כנים הם וחברתם אינה אלא לפי שהם בית אחד והם שנים עשר אחים.
ויאמרו...בני איש אחד, they now felt the need to assert further that they were in fact honest and forthcoming by revealing that actually there were twelve of them, all sons of the same father, etc.
ויאמרו, אמרו עוד בני איש אחד להחזיק בלבו כי כנים הם וחברתם אינה אלא לפי שהם בית אחד והם שנים עשר אחים.
ויאמרו...בני איש אחד, they now felt the need to assert further that they were in fact honest and forthcoming by revealing that actually there were twelve of them, all sons of the same father, etc.