1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

uwn
zay
e"dl
1116
mi kx a n
Third decade
Second thousand
d"ryz'd
`xa ziy`xa
elqk g"k
Dec 19-20 '14
OU Israel Center • 22 Keren HaYesod • POB 37015 • Jerusalem • (02) 560-9100
Thursday, 2nd day of Chanuka, December 18th, 8:00am
Festive Shacharit including Hallel
by Rabbi Neil Winkler, refreshments
on the occasion of the yahrzeit of Phil's father,
l"f ikcxn x"a wgvi dyn 'x
Friday, Erev Shabbat Chanuka, December 19th, 12:05pm
MINCHA GEDOLA, to facilitate davening
Mincha before candle lighting
see box on page 12
JERUSALEM in/out times for Mikeitz - Shabbat Chanuka
Candles 4:04PM • Havdala 5:19PM • Rabbeinu Tam 5:51PM
Pi x
ParshaP
Explanations further
Capacity
25 cars
Shabbat Chanuka, we bench
Rosh Chodesh Tevet, which is two days this year - MON & TUE,
the 6th and 7th day of Chanuka - December 22 & 23.
:daFh
¨ l§ l`¥ x¨U§ i¦ lM¨ l©re§ Epi«l¥ r¨ `¨Ad© iWi
¦ l¦ W§ mFiaE
§ i¦pW¥ mFiA§ d¤id§ i¦ z¥ah¥ ycŸ¤ g W`Ÿx
The molad is Sunday (Dec 21) 22h 31m 0p ( 10:10pm Israel time)
.xU¤
¤ r ix£
¥g`© zFwc© zg© `© e§ miWŸl
¦ W§ ,(Sun nite) i¦pW¥ li¥l d¤id¦
§ i c©lFOd©
In Rambam notation: gpwz:c 'a
Actual (astronomical) molad: Monday, 12:37am
Candles Parshat Mikeitz - Shabbat Chanuka Havdala Vayigash
Ranges are 11 days, Wed-Shabbat
4:04
Yerushalayim / Maale Adumim 5:19 4:07 5:23 25 Kislev - 5 Tevet • Dec 17-27
4:21
5:22 4:25 5:26
The Aza area (Netivot, etc.)
Earliest Talit & T'filin
5:38-5:43am
4:18
5:20 4:22 5:23
Gush Etzion
Sunrise
6:33-6:37½am
4:18
Raanana / Tel Mond / Herzliya 5:20 4:22 5:24
Sof Z'man K' Sh'ma
9:03-9:08am
4:19
5:20 4:23 5:24 (Magen Avraham: 8:25-8:30am)
Beit Shemesh / RBS
4:18
5:19 4:22 5:23 Sof Z'man T'fila
Netanya
9:54-9:59am
4:18
5:19 4:22 5:23 (Magen Avraham: 9:22-9:27am)
Modi'in / Chashmona'im
4:19
5:20 4:23 5:24 Chatzot
Rehovot
11:35-11:40am
(halachic
noon)
4:23
5:26
4:19
5:22
Be'er Sheva / Otniel
12:06-12:11pm
4:04
5:20 4:07 5:24 Mincha Gedola
Petach Tikva
(earliest Mincha)
4:17
5:19 4:21 5:23
Ginot Shomron
Plag Mincha
3:34½-3:39½pm
4:17
5:18 4:21 5:22
Gush Shiloh
Sunset
4:43-4:48pm
4:07
5:18 4:10 5:22 (based on sea level:
Haifa / Zichron
4:37-4:42½pm
4:19
5:20 4:23 5:24
Chevron / Kiryat Arba
OU Israel and Torah Tidbits do not endorse the
4:18
5:19 4:22 5:23 political or halachic positions of its editor, columnists,
Giv'at Ze'ev
advertisers, nor guarantee the quality of advertised
4:21
5:22 4:25 5:26 orservices
Ashkelon
or products. Nor do we endorse the kashrut
4:04
5:16 4:08 5:19 of hotels, restaurants, caterers or food products that
Tzfat
are advertised in TT (except, of course, those under
4:19
5:21 4:23 5:24 OU-Israel hashgacha). Any "promises" made in ads are
Yad Binyamin
the sole responsibility of the advertisers and not that
R' Tam (Jerusalem) - 5:51pm • next week: 5:55pm
of OU Israel, the Israel Center or Torah Tidbits

We must learn to distinguish
between calm and becalmed.
 We must some- times "blink" our
minds to clear them, just as we do
our eyes.
 Not many are able to prosper in
silence.
 There are too many things that we
must do just to prove to ourselves
that we are not missing anything
by not doing them.
from "A Candle by Day" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein z"l
by Benjy Caplan = xiW
¦ n§ gª
Now Joseph did well, it would seem
And knew how to size up a dream
Since Egypt was 'bout
To suffer a drought
They followed his 7-year scheme.
FRONT PAGE NOTES
For Jerusalem only, some suggest
lighting Shabbat candles 20 min.
after the official posted time and
Chanuka candles right before the
Shabbat candles. See Pull-Out from
TT 1115.
Chanuka stamps - left to right: This
year's Israeli stamp in honor of
Chanuka. The Chanuka stamp from
a few years ago. A joint issue of a
Chanuka stamp in Israel and the US
(1996). Over 100,000,000 were
issued in the US.
What do Yechizkiyahu and Amatziya have in common?
They dreamed of them; she gleaned them
Cucumber, tangerine, radish
Tigers, giraffes, hippos, and pandas - oh my!
Perspective on Victory and Oil Miracles
Picture a parent, grandparent, or
uncle or aunt walking in the street
hand-in-hand with a 5 year old child
- their son, grandson, or nephew.
All of a sudden, the kid pulls his
hand out of that of the adult and
runs into the street. Right into the
path a a car. The adult reacts
quickly, lunges for the child, grabs
him roughly by the arm and pulls
him out of harm's way... just barely.
Immediately thereafter, the father or
mother or grandfather or grandmother or aunt or uncle takes the
child into a fierce hug and whispers
in his ear, I love you.
Which of the two actions - the rough
grab and pull or the hug and whisper
is the more important one for the
survival of the child?
The rough pull - agreed?
Which of the two actions is both
unnecessary for the child's survival
and, at the same time the more
special and remembered action?
The hug and whisper - we assume
that you would agree here also.
MASHAL L'MAH HADAVAR DOMEH? (as is said when giving a
MASHAL, a parable, an analogy)
To what can this be compared?
The Chanuka story involves two
different events. The first was the
NEIS HANITZACHON, the Miracle
of the Victory. The victory of the few
over the many, the weak over the
strong... and other phrases which we
recognize from AL HANISIM.
OU Israel Center TT 1116

The second event is the Miracle of
the Oil - A one-day supply lasting
for eight days.
Which event was necessary for the
survival of the Jewish People? No
doubt it was the military victories of
the
Chashmona'im
over
the
Yevanim. We would have been gone
via death and or assimilation.
And which event was technically unnecessary? As the story goes, the
Chashmona'im entered to defiled
Mikdash and had a lot of work
ahead of them in order to get the
Beit HaMikdash up and running.
One of many of the functions of the
Mikdash was the lighting of the
Menorah. Can't find any usable oil?
No problem. It takes eight days to
get new usable oil, so we'll have to
wait. Can't light the Menorah if we
have no oil. No big deal, really. Wait,
there is defiled oil, but in a situation
of widespread state of ritual
impurity, Tamei oil is usable. Don't
want to use it? Keep looking. Wait,
here is a flask of untainted oil. Great
joy! Only a one day supply, so let's
do the best we can and we'll have to
wait for the new supply.
Miracle! The one day supply lasts for
8 days! A miracle that saved the
people from annihilation? No, but
maybe that's why it is extra special.
That miracle was G-d's hug of the
people. It was his whisper that He
loves us and approves of our
actions. We will always be thankful
to G-d for helping us in battle. But
His smile and nod of approval is
what gives us the greatest joy.
page 4
 Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Mikeitz
10th of 54 sedras; 10th of 12 in B'reishit
Written on 254.6 lines in a Torah, rank 6
Mikeitz is a one Parsha P'tucha (open)
(the longest parsha in the whole Torah)
146 p'sukim - ranks 8th (5th in B'reishit)
tied with B'reishit (the sedra)
2022 words - ranks 3rd (2nd)
7914 letters - ranks 2nd (first)
Mikeitz's p'sukim are unusually long for
a big sedra. That's why it is so high in the
rankings for words and letters. On the
other hand, with no parsha breaks, the
"number of lines" drops a bit.
None of the 613 mitzvot in Mikeitz - one
of 17 sedras without mitzvot
[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start
of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma. X:Y is
Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the
parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the
parsha.
Kohen - First Aliya
14 p'sukim - 41:1-14
[P> 41:1 (146)] Two years have
passed since Yosef had asked the
wine steward to put in the good
word for him to Par'o. Extra years
of languishing in prison, for
OU Israel Center TT 1116
putting too much faith in a human
at the expense of complete faith in
G-d (and possibly creating a Chilul
HaShem in Yosef's case, because of
who he was and the specific
circumstances being what they
were).
Let's clarify... In "normal" circumstances, a person in Yosef's
situation should take steps to get
himself out of prison by asking the
wine steward (or whomever) to help.
But in this case, we can see that the
Sar HaMashkim spoke condescendingly about Yosef, calling him a
NAAR IVRI. This probably means
that he relished the idea that the
"Jew boy" relied on him to get out of
jail. This, after Yosef's giving G-d
credit for the dream interpretation.
We can imagine that in Yosef's
particular situation, his asking the
Sar HaMashkim for help would not
be the right way to go.
Par'o has two dreams - 7
emaciated cows consuming 7 fat
cows without showing the effect of
their "meals", and 7 scorched ears
of grain consuming 7 fat, good
ears. These dreams upset him very
much. He summons his counselors
who fail to ease his mood with
their unsatisfactory interpretations.
The wine steward finally remembers Yosef and approaches Par'o
with his story. "With us there was
this Jewish kid..." Par'o orders
Yosef's removal from prison and
Yosef is prepared to meet Par'o.
 page 5 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Rashi points out (actually, he
curses) that wicked people, even
when they are acknowledging good
that was done for them, will belittle
those to whom they owe a debt of
gratitude. The Wine Steward refers
to Yosef as a NA'AR (connotation of
a fool), IVRI (a foreigner who doesn't
belong amongst us), EVED (a slave
unworthy of leadership).
There is a Tradition that
Yosef was "remembered" on Rosh
HaShana and removed from prison
to the palace of the king. What
happened to Yosef was part of the
Divine Plan for enslavement and
subsequent redemption of Bnei
Yisrael. Perhaps, this gives Rosh
HaShana one of its claims to be
called ZEICHER LITZI'AT MITZRAYIM, commemorative of the Exodus,
as we say in Kiddush. (Also, the
Plagues began on Rosh HaShana,
and actual slavery ended then).
When Yosef was brought
before Par'o, the Torah tells us that
he shaved. Rashi says that it was a
sign of respect to royalty. Some say
that Yosef was a NAZIR, and he did
not drink wine or cut his hair.
Nonetheless, he shaved for Par'o.
Levi - Second Aliya
24 p'sukim - 41:15-38
Par'o tells Yosef about his dreams
(making some significant changes
which Yosef corrects, thus signaling to Par'o the Divine origin of
Yosef's dream interpretations).
OU Israel Center TT 1116
Yosef tells Par'o that his two
dreams are in fact a single message
from G-d of His intention to bring
seven years of plenty which will be
followed by seven years of devastating famine. The years of plenty
will not even be remembered
(unless measures are taken to
properly prepare for the famine).
The doubling of the dream
indicates that the events are soon
to occur. Yosef suggests what to do
during the years of plenty to
prepare for the famine. Par'o is
highly impressed by the godly
person, Yosef.
There is an impressive list of
parallels between the story in this
sedra and Megilat Esther. Specifically, in Par'o's treatment of Yosef
and Achashveirosh's instructions to
Haman about how to parade
Mordechai through the street. E.g.
the king gives a special ring to
Yosef/Mordechai. Special gaments
for the parade. Proclaiming before
him... The textual similarities are
extensive and startling.
Shlishi - Third Aliya
14 p'sukim - 41:39-52
Par'o, convinced that Yosef is the
wisest person around, appoints
him as viceroy over all of Egypt.
Par'o gives Yosef his royal ring and
special garments (again garments!)
and parades Yosef through the
streets so that the Egyptians will
know of the authority that the king
 page 6 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
has given to Yosef. Yosef is given
A-s’nat as a wife. (Some say that
she was Deena's daughter - raised
in the house of Potifar.) At age 30,
Yosef is master over Egypt. A-s’nat
bears Yosef two sons, before the
years of the famine - Menashe and
Efrayim.
A note on the pronunciation of the
name of Yosef's wife. Many people
mistakingly break the name into
syllables of ALEF-SAMACH and
NUN-TAV. That would be the case if
the SH'VA under the SAMACH were
NACH (which it isn't). And that
would mean that the KAMATZ
under the ALEF is KATAN (which it
isn't). And that would make the first
syllable sound like the first syllable
of the words Austin or austerity
(which it doesn't).
The SH'VA is NA. This means that
the ALEF-KAMATZ is the first
syllable and that the KAMATZ is
GADOL and in Israeli pronunciation
of Hebrew is sounded like a
PATACH, making the first syllable of
her name like the first syllable of
A-VO-CA-DO. And in Ashkenazic
pronunciation, the first syllable is
sounded like the English word 'awe'.
The second syllable is S'NAT, with
the SAMACH sound separated from
the NUN sound. S - NAT, and not
like a consonant blend of English
which would render the second
syllable like... okay, we won't
mention the slang term for nasal
discharge, but it might explain why
Americans and other Anglos do not
choose the name of this exemplary
woman for their own daughters.
OU Israel Center TT 1116
Note that Par'o acknowledges that
G-d is the source of Yosef's wisdom.
Apparently, not all Egyptian rulers
had the disdain for the G-d of Israel
that a successor of this Par'o had
years later. We can say that the 'new
king arose who did not know Yosef',
chose not to know G-d either. This
phenomenon seems to be repeated
in Jewish History. Of relevance to
the Chanuka story is the attitude
towards G-d and the People of Israel
of Alexander the Great compared
with some of his successors.
R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya
23 p'sukim - 41:53-42:18
The seven years of plenty end and
the famine begins. All neighboring
countries are devastated by the
famine, but Egypt has prepared
well. Yosef manages the distribution (and sale) of food supplies and
amasses great wealth for Par'o.
Meanwhile, Yaakov, aware that
there is food in Egypt, sends "the
brothers" (but not Binyamin) to buy
provisions.
The Torah says that Yaakov
SAW that there was plenty... Rashi
asks: What is the meaning of SAW;
would not HEARD be more
accurate? (before CNN and FOX)
Rashi answers that Yaakov SAW in
a prophetic-like vision that there
was plenty in Egypt. Rashi adds that
this was not full, clear prophecy, as
Yaakov still did not SEE that Yosef
was on the scene. A prophet sees
 page 7 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
only what G-d wants him to see, and
understands only that part of a
vision that he does see.
The Gemara in Taanit says
that Yaakov was still well-supplied
with food at this stage in the famine.
Yet he sent them to Egypt, rather
than inflame the jealousy of others.
When others have not, don't flaunt
what you have.
Yosef sees his brothers, recognizes them, (they do not recognize him,) and remembers his
dreams. He treats them harshly and
accuses them of being spies. They
deny the charges and tell Yosef of
their family history and honorable
intentions.
Rashi says that the brothers
(unknowingly) uttered a prophetic
statement saying "WE are all the
sons of one man". Consciously, they
were talking about themselves. But
the statement is very true when
Yosef is included - We are ALL...
Yosef proposes a test of their
sincerity - they must bring their
younger brother down to him. He
locks them up for three days to
"think things over".
The Baal HaTurim points out that
the phrase VAYISHTACHAVU LO,
and they (the brothers) bowed to
him (Yosef) has the same numeric
value (772) as B'CHAN NIT-KAYEIM
HACHALOM, with this, the dream
(Yosef's) was actualized. TT adds
that VAYIT-NAKEIR ALEIHEM, And
he (Yosef) acted like a stranger to
OU Israel Center TT 1116
them (the brothers), is also 772. Part
of what Yosef did to complete the
Divine plan expressed by his
dreams, was to hold back in
revealing himself for a while. SHEVA
SHANIM, seven years, a significant
feature of this episode, is also 772.
B'ZOT, with this you shall be tested.
Yosef said that the children of Israel
will be tested B'ZOT. With ZOT. ZOT
= 7 + 1 + 400 = 408. The three major
"tools" to achieve forgiveness from
G-d are T'FILA, T'SHUVA, TZEDAKA.
This is what we say in Musaf of
Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.
Some machzorim have another set
of words printed above these three.
They are not said, but they are there.
Prayer = KOL (voice). Repentance is
aided by TZOM (fasting). And
TZEDAKA
is
performed
with
MAMON (money). Each of these
three words is numerically equal to
136. 100+6+30 = 90+6+40 =
40+40+6+50. The G'matriyas of
these synonyms being equal speaks
of an equality of significance in the
quest for Divine forgiveness. Add
them up and you find 136+136+136 =
408. B'ZOT TIBA-CHEINU - This is
how we are tested - with Prayer,
Repentance, and Acts of Kindness
are the Children of Israel tested.
Chamishi 5th Aliya
35 p'sukim - 42:19-43:15
Yosef tells them that one of them
shall remain as a hostage (Yosef
selects Shimon, so as to split the
dangerous team of Shimon and
Levi) and the others are to return
 page 8 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
to Canaan to bring "the little one"
down to Egypt. The brothers
express sincere remorse for what
they had done to Yosef (considering their present predicament as a
punishment for that). Reuven says
the equivalent of "I told you so". All
are unaware that Yosef is listening
and understanding their conversation. Yosef goes off on his own and
weeps (for what he is putting his
brothers through). Yosef commands that their bags be filled with
food and that their money be
returned to them too.
When each brother opens his sack,
he is frightened to find his money
there. They return to Yaakov and
report to him what has happened.
Yaakov laments the loss of Yosef
and now Shimon and announces
that he will not risk losing
Binyamin as well. He refuses to
permit his sons to return to Egypt,
in spite of (or because of) Reuven's
ridiculous suggestion that his own
sons be put to death if anything
happens to Binyamin.
The Gemara says that the
curse of a wise (righteous?) person,
even when made conditional, comes
true (in some way or other). Reuven
offered that his sons should die if
Binyamin is not returned. The offer
was refused. And Binyamin did
return to his father. Nonetheless,
Reuven said what he said. His "two
sons" can refer to two infamous
descendants of his who DID die OU Israel Center TT 1116
Datan and Aviram. One has to be
exceedingly careful of what one
says! (Not only did they die in the
wake of Korach's rebellion, but even
earlier, they are referred to as dead.
G-d tells Moshe to return to Egypt
because those who were after him
had died. Rashi says this means
Datan and Aviram, who became
poor and were considered as dead they died twice!)
The famine in Canaan intensifies
and Yaakov finally agrees to
entrust Binyamin into the hands of
Yehuda for the return trip to Egypt.
Yaakov gives them twice as much
money as they will need and sends
gifts of the finest spices to the
"Egyptian leader". Yaakov blesses
his sons; they return to Egypt and
present themselves to Yosef.
Shishi - Sixth Aliya
14 p'sukim - 43:16-29
Yosef sees Binyamin and tells his
attendant (probably Menashe) to
prepare dinner for them all. The
brothers fear the summon to Yosef,
convinced that it has to do with the
returned money from the previous
trip. They tell Yosef what had
happened in order to forestall his
anger. Yosef asks them about their
aged father.
The brothers bow to Yosef, thus
again fulfilling the essence of his
dreams (and this time it includes
Binyamin). Yosef sees Binyamin,
asks about him and blesses him.
 page 9 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Sh'VII Seventh Aliya
22 p'sukim - 43:30-44:17
Yosef is having a hard time
controlling his emotions. He cries
in private again, washes his face
and returns to the brothers. At the
dinner, he seats his brothers in age
order (which alarms them - "How
could he know?"). He gives them
gifts, more to Binyamin.
Yosef was creating the potential for
jealousy so that the brothers would
be put into a similar situation as
previously. This sets the stage for
"complete" repentance. Was he
acting consciously, subconsciously,
divinely guided...?
He next orders that food and their
money be put into their respective
sacks and that his (Yosef's) special
cup be placed among Binyamin's
baggage.
He sends the brothers on their way
to Canaan, and then sends his
"man" after them to accuse them of
stealing the cup. The brothers are
appalled by the accusation and
pledge that if the cup is found with
them, the "guilty" party shall be put
to death and the others would
become slaves to Yosef. Yosef offers
to enslave only the guilty one; the
others would be free to go. The
search reveals that Binyamin has
the cup. Yehuda, as spokesman,
offers that all should become
slaves. Yosef insists that only
OU Israel Center TT 1116
Binyamin should be; the others
should ret urn to their father.
Deja vu all over again! Once again,
the brothers can go to Yaakov without one of Rachel's sons and
claim extenuating circumstances.
And this time, it would be true! Not
contrived, as it was with Yosef. This
sets the stage for the possibility of
real T'shuva. [Rambam, in his
Hilchot T'shuva, presents various
components of T'shuva. He then
introduces the concept of T'shuva
G'mura - complete T'shuva, which he
says can only be achieved (or at
least, recognized) if the same (or
very similar) conditions exist as
when the original sins were
committed.] Will the brothers see
this as an opportunity to save
themselves and claim that they were
powerless to do anything, or will
they stand up to this enigmatic ruler
of Egypt and be prepared to fight for
Binyamin? And this time, it would be
easier to just leave, because they
did nothing wrong.
In "cliffhanger" style, the parsha
ends with this question. Stay tuned
to the same station, same time next
week, for the answer.
Maftir 2nd Torah
6 p'sukim
Bamidbar 7:24-29
When Shabbat Chanuka is not the
first and last day of Chanuka - in
other words, when there is only one
Shabbat Chanuka, then Maftir is the
6-pasuk portion of the gifts of the
tribal leader of the day to the
 page 10 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Dedication of the Mishkan. (The
readings for the first and last day
include more. When Shabbat is also
Rosh Chodesh, the maftir is in the
third Torah, but still a 6-pasuk piece.
For day 4 of Chanuka (ours and
Chanukat HaMizbei'ach the first
time around), the leader of the
tribe of R'uven offered his gifts.
Elitzur b. Sh'dei'ur brought exactly
what each of the other Nesi'im
brought, but the Torah repeats the
details, so that each tribe "has its
day", so to speak. Some commentaries describe different significances to the same items, for each
tribe, further highlighting the
individual natures of the tribes.
Haftara 21 p'sukim
Zacharia 2:14-4:7
The special Haftara for Shabbat
Chanuka is "borrowed" from
B'ha'alot'cha, the Menora being the
obvious connection. Chanuka has
parallels throughout history.
The opening words of the Haftara
are G-d's promise to dwell among
us. This is the purpose of having
built the Mishkan and the Beit
HaMikdash in the first place, and
this is the purpose of rededicating
it, as we did on Chanuka.
The Haftara contains the vision of
olive oil miraculously flowing into
the gold menora flanked by olive
trees. This vision matches so much
of the Chanuka story.
OU Israel Center TT 1116
It is also the basis of the emblem of
the State of Israel. This is particularly significant in light of the
meaning of the vision. The message
to the king, to Jewish leaders in
general, is that our success is not
measured by might and power, but
rather by the spirit of G-d. This
was an important message for the
Chashmona'im and it remains a
vital message for the leaders of
today's Israel.
Aside from the obvious connection
between Chanuka and the original
Chanukat HaMizbei'ach of the
Mishkan - as in Dedication and
Rededication of the Mikdash, there
is another, more specific connection,
which tightens things up neatly.
It is said that... The original Mishkan
was completed and "ready to roll" on
the 25th of Kislev, more than 8
months out of Egypt. The dedication
was post- poned until the first of
Nisan, in honor of Yitzchak Avinu,
who was born during Nissan. To
inaugurate the Mishkan in honor of
Yitzchak, is a good choice, because
he was actually placed on a
Mizbei'ach and was to be offered as
an Olah. Yitzchak is like the parton
of the Mikdash.
Over 1100 years later, Kislev 25
finally got its Chanuka. So the Torah
reading of Chanuka is particularly
appropriate. And there is also a
connection to 25 Kislev from the
original building of the second Beit
HaMikdash. Chanuka is a perfect fit,
just where it is in the calendar.
 page 11 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
mgpn ixac
Divrei Menachem
[email protected]
Often we are challenged to distinguish
between two pivotal concepts contemporaneous in our in Jewish way of life,
namely, Emunah and Bitachon - Faith in
G-d's existence and Trust in G-d. It seems
that it is one thing to know Hashem, but it
is an entirely different matter as to how
and when we put our trust in Him.
Our parsha opens with the very precise
statement that two years to the day that
Pharaoh's chamberlain was released from
prison the Egyptian king had a dream
(which led to Yosef's release from jail).
Rashi, citing the Midrash, already noted
that the incarcerated Yosef was forgotten
by the king's cupbearer for this precise
length of time because he put his trust in
the chamberlain, rather than in G-d, to
secure his freedom.
Now, on the one hand, the Psalmist tells us
that one who puts his trust in G-d is praiseworthy (Tehillim 40:5) but, on the other
hand, our rabbis teach us not to depend on
miracles (Yerushalmi; Ramban). After all,
even our Yaakov Avinu made provision for
his family and appeased Eisav before his
reunion with his wicked brother.
Notes the Netziv of Volozhin: There is no
contradiction. A Jew should do whatever's
necessary to achieve his goals - but he
should also pray to Hashem for help and
success. Yosef was different, however: He
is known as "Yosef HaTzadik" for his extraordinary Bitachon and ability to overcome
every obstacle and temptation. And,
according to the Talmud, a Tzadik who is
extremely scrupulous in a certain behavior
trait is meticulously judged on that account
(Sanhedrin 24a). Surely a sobering message
for those striving, hopefully, to adhere to
the highest standards. gny dkepge mely zay
OU Israel Center TT 1116
Vebbe Rebbe
Chanuka Candles / Havdala
Question: I never got a clear answer as
to whether, on Motzaei Shabbat, we light
Chanuka candles before or after Havdala.
Can you clarify the matter?
Answer: In terms of practice, we
can clarify only a few things. The
minhag in shuls is to light Chanuka
candles first (based on T'rumat
HaDeshen 60, Shulchan Aruch and
Rama, Orach Chayim 681:2).
Regarding the home, S'fardim do
Havdala before Chanuka candles (Kaf
HaChayim, OC 681:4; Yalkut Yosef;
Mikraei Kodesh (Harari), Chanuka
11:10). Among Ashkenazim, some
schools of thought have clear rulings
(which vary one from another); we
will not provide lists of the opinions.
However, the standard approach, to
which we subscribe is that this is a
case where one may follow the
approach he wants (see Mishna
Berura 681:3). We note that not only
are both approaches well grounded,
but also the question is only of
preference; following the "incorrect"
approach is not a "violation". We will
survey some of the indications
presented by prominent protagonists.
The T'rumat HaDeshen's reason for
lighting Chanuka candles first is the
gemara's (Pesachim 105b) concept
that we delay Havdala (i.e., put it at
the end of the series of b'rachot) and,
thereby, the exit of Shabbat, so that
Shabbat not appear as a burden. The
Taz (OC 281:1) counters the T'rumat
 page 12 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
HaDeshen's assumptions on two
fronts. First, he argues that TADIR - a
more common b'racha is recited
before a less common one - is a
stronger factor than delaying the end
of Shabbat. Additionally, argues the
Taz, doing Chanuka candles before
Havdala is not even a correct
application of delaying the end of
Shabbat. This is because lighting
candles itself contradicts the continuation of Shabbat, for if it were still
Shabbat, lighting a candle would be
forbidden.
The following discussion in Tosafot
(Shabbat 23b) can shed light on the
relative strength of the factor of
TADIR. The gemara says that if one
has enough money only for Chanuka
candles or wine for Kiddush (which is
more tadir), Chanuka has precedence
because pirsumei nisa (publicizing the
miracle) is more important. Tosafot
asks why, regarding Rosh Chodesh on
Chanuka, we read the haftrara of
Chanuka, yet read the Torah portion
of Rosh Chodesh before that of
Chanuka. Tosafot's first answer,
which the Taz cites as support, is that
the advantage of pirsumei nisa
prevails when only one of the mitzvot
can be fulfilled, whereas TADIR is
the key factor regarding the order
when both are done. However, points
out the Eliyah Rabba (681:1),
Tosafot's other two answers diminish
the importance of pirsumei nisa only
regarding the Torah/haftara readings.
This implies that when pirsumei nisa
applies, as it does to Chanuka candles,
it has order precedence over the more
OU Israel Center TT 1116
common Havdala.
R. Yaakov Emden (Mor U'ktzi'ah
681) rejects the Taz's claim that
lighting Chanuka candles contradicts
the idea of delaying Havdala (end of
Shabbat). He points out that after
Havdala in davening or Hamavdil, we
are allowed to do work (including
Yom Tov candles and Borei M'orei
Ha'eish) before doing Havdala over
wine, and yet we delay the b'racha of
Havdala.
Some cite a proof that Chanuka
lighting precedes Havdala from the
Yerushalmi (cited by the Shulchan
Aruch, OC 581:1), that one should not
use the Chanuka candles for Borei
M'orei Ha'eish. This implies that the
Chanuka candles are lit first.
Is there any logic, other than minhag,
to switch the orders in shul and at
home, as S'fardim and some
Ashkenazim do? The Maharal (Ner
Mitzva, p. 28) cites, as a reason to do
Havdala first, the concern that one
who one did not say Havdala in
Shemoneh Esrei will light in violation
of Shabbat. The Eliya Rabba points
out that in shul, we trust that the
person appointed to light will be a
diligent person who will not forget. It
is also possible that since pirsumei
nisa is a heightened element and
exists for a shorter time in shul, we do
it as soon as possible. The Kaf
HaChayim (681:4) claims that after
men have heard Havdala in shul,
delaying the one at home is less
important.
Rav Daniel Mann, Eretz Hemdah Institute
 page 13 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Rabbi Weinreb's Weekly Column:
Shabbat Chanuka
"...But By My Spirit..."
It is a common scene in the United
States at this time of year. The
shopping malls, television commercials, and all public venues are
transformed visually. As December
25 approaches, we see the
evidence that we do indeed live in a
predominantly Christian country.
Images of Santa Claus and his
reindeers, evergreen trees with
dazzling decorations, crucifixes
illuminated by bright lights, and
depictions of the Nativity are
everywhere and are inescapable.
The sounds of the songs of the
season fill the air.
True, in recent times, and especially
in cities where Jewish people are a
significant presence, consideration
is given to Chanuka. Symbols of our
holiday and its music are also in
evidence. We are thankful for that.
It is also true that many of our
Christian friends, including the
gentleman I am about to introduce
to you, find all this public fanfare
objectionable. They think of it as
garish, commercially motivated, and
inconsistent with the spiritual message of their faith.
But the reaction of many to this
situation is similar to the one that
my gentile friend Paul, with whom I
worked closely during the years I
was employed by the public school
system, expressed to me some
time ago. It was on a day in the
OU Israel Center TT 1116
middle of December, and we were
walking around one of the malls in
suburban Washington, D.C. He
remarked, "Don't you and other
Jews feel a bit outnumbered and
overwhelmed at this time of year? It
seems to me that your Chanuka
candles make little impression in
contrast to the lights on our trees
and the jingle of our bells." I told
him that I appreciated his candor,
and that he gave me cause for
reflection.
At the time, I did not think that it
would be tactful for me to tell him
the truth; namely, that I had long
ago reflected upon this phenomenon. And I had long ago concluded
that the relatively modest manner in
which Judaism celebrates Chanuka
is nothing less than the essence of
our religion.
This week is Shabbat Chanuka, and
the weekly portion is Mikeitz, which
we supplement with verses from the
book of Bamidbar that relate to the
Chanuka, or inauguration, of the
Mishkan. But for me, the highlight of
the scriptural readings for this
Shabbat has always been the
words of the prophet Zechariah
which constitute this week's haftara.
Zechariah was a man who saw
many mysterious visions. He would
typically ask either the angel to
whom he had access, or he would
inquire of the Almighty Himself, to
tell him what these visions meant.
And so we find, near the end of the
passage we read this week, the
following vision:
 page 14 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
"I see a lamp stand full of gold, with
a bowl above it. The lamps are
seven in number; each has seven
pipes above it, and by it are two
olive trees..."
Characteristically, Zechariah asks
the angel who talked with him,
"What do these things mean, my
lord?" The angel, like a good
psychotherapist, asks him what he
thinks the dream means. But the
prophet confesses that he has no
clue.
The angel finally responds, "This is
the word of the Lord: 'Not by might,
and not by power, but by My spirit,
says the Lord of Hosts.'"
This is the lesson of Chanuka. The
mighty are subdued by the weak,
and the many by the few. As a
public demonstration of our holiday
and its miracle, we eschew lavish
displays and extravagant celebrations. Instead, we kindle humble
chanukiyot in the windows of our
homes.
It is true that the mitzva requires
pirsum haneus, a public ceremony,
and that the candles be lit for all
passersby to behold. To that extent,
our celebration is not totally modest
and discrete.
However, as the Talmud tells us,
when the outside world is especially
hostile, we are permitted to take the
menorah "and place it on our table,
indoors, and that is sufficient." For
many centuries, Jews did just that,
so that their celebrations of
Chanuka were painfully private.
OU Israel Center TT 1116
But even today, when most of us
can practice our religion publicly, a
few modest candles suffice. We
wish to make the point, to ourselves
if not for the rest of the world, that
"a little light can drive away much
darkness."
We are content to let other religions
celebrate their holidays as they
wish; colorfully, dramatically, and
publicly. We understand the power
of the ubiquitous symbols and of
the songs loudly sung. But for
ourselves, we prefer the softer
sounds of the spirit and the quiet
environment of our own homes.
The mitzva is ISH UVEITO, every
man and his house, each person
with his family.
The lesson of the power of the
single little candle is especially
important in this day and age. We
are bombarded by the images and
sounds of cyberspace, and their
message is often pernicious and
malicious. The negative effects of
most of what we hear and see on
the internet and via other media are
typically devastating to our hearts
and souls, if not to our minds.
How do we counteract the immense
influence of such overwhelming
forces? We can only do so if each
of us is committed to use the power
of modern technology to assert
tolerance, kindness, morality, and
ethical behavior. Our voices may be
soft, but they will be heard. The
positive images that we present
may be dim, but they will be seen.
 page 15 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
The year after my encounter with
my gentile friend, we met again and
wandered through the same mall in
the middle of December. This time I
decided to put my inhibitions aside.
I openly shared my reflections
about the discrepancy between the
commercially motivated displays of
the symbols of his faith and the
softer, smaller, and gentler displays
of our tradition's symbols. He heard
me, although I cannot say that he
fully agreed with me.
He did agree with me about one
thing, though. "A little light can
dispel much darkness."
Happy Chanuka
the Festival of Lights 
Chanuka: Religion or Nation;
Spirituality or Materialism?
by Dr. Meir Tamari
Even today, both Jews and non-Jews
often fail to recognize that Judaism is
a nation that is a religion, and a
religion that is a nation. This failure to
recognize what is unique and special
to Judaism is evident also in Israel's
political world, both internal and
external. In the early years of our
return to Eretz Yisrael there were
consistent attempts to make Shalosh
Regalim into purely agricultural
celebrations and Rosh HaShana a time
of financial accounting. By the same
thought process, the religious world
talks today about Pesach, not as
national freedom from physical
OU Israel Center TT 1116
slavery and living in Egyptian exile
but as freeing ourselves from our
spiritual bonds; Mitzrayim becomes
Meitzarim-straits.
Chanuka is perhaps the most extreme
example of these attempts to separate
the twin concepts inherent in our
chagim. One Israeli Chanuka song
tells of the miracles wrought by the
Maccabees. There is also one about
"in those days Maccabees saved and
redeemed and in our days Am Yisrael
arose and redeemed". Religious
teachers consider Purim as our deliverance from material and physical
danger while seeing our religious and
spiritual values endangered by the
Greeks at Chanuka. The celebration of
Purim with material things - seuda,
mishlo'ach manot and matanot
laEvyonim is contrasted to Chanuka's
Menorah and its lights, clear symbols
of spirituality. There is a detailed
account in Megillat Esther of the Jews
battling and killing their enemies.
Similarly, the wars of the Maccabim
are clearly documented in our sources.
Nevertheless, there is a nusach of Al
HaNisim without any mention of
milkhamot. Despite these examples of
the attempted separation of religionspiritual from national-material, our
sources demonstrate that both Purim
and Chanuka reaffirm the unity of
these four concepts.
The villain of Purim, HamanAmalek-Eisav, is the spiritual contradiction to Yaakov-Israel, so that the
struggle and deliverance in the
Megila, even when expressed as
 page 16 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
physical-material, must also be seen
as spiritual-religious. The Books of
the Maccabees, the authoritative
record of what actually happened on
Chanuka, make it clear that the
Syrian-Greek kings threatened the
Jews materially, physically and
spiritually. Their decrees were aimed
at promoting a foreign value system,
forbidding Torah study and the observance of mitzvot, and defiling the Beit
HaMikdash. These decrees were
equally aimed at stealing Jewish
wealth, oppressing them severely and
sexually exploiting their daughters.
"Then Hashem saved us through the
saintly Chashmona'im Kohanim who
battled and defeated the army of the
Greeks. This [military] victory on 25
Kislev was a Neis and not achieved
through natural causes [given the
numerical and physical disparity
between the armies]. The second Neis
of Chanuka was that of the cruse of
oil" (Orekh Hashulchan, Hilchot
Chanuka 670:1-2).
The Al HaNisim that we recite during
all the days of Chanuka, gives thanks
to G-d for fighting our battle,
avenging us and for judging our
enemies. It acknowledges the Neis of
the victory of the warrior kohanim;
"the many given to the few, the strong
to the weak, the wicked to the
righteous, t'mei'im to t'horim and the
scoffers to the followers of Torah. The
lights lit by them in the holy
courtyards were expressions of their
praise of His Name. The lights in our
Chanukiot are in memory of the 2nd
OU Israel Center TT 1116
Neis, that of the cruse of oil and a
testament to the spiritual aspects of
the purification and rededication of
the Mikdash by the same warrior
kohanim. These two Nisim of
Chanuka, unite the national-material
to spiritual-religious.
Chazal were clearly not very
favorable to the Hasmonean kings,
descendants of the Maccabees or of
their political mistakes and religious
errors. Yet Rambam cites as part of
the Chanuka miracle that "the
Maccabim appointed a kohen king
and thereby renewed kingship in
Israel which lasted for over 200 years"
(Hilchot Megila v'Chanuka, 3:1). A
similar honor given even to a sinful
king out of regard for Jewish statehood is shown by Eliyahu running
before the chariot of king Achav who
is regarded as unsurpassed evil.
The unity nation-religion rests upon
the intrinsic sanctity of the Land on
which it was destined to come to
fruition. The sanctity of Eretz Yisrael
effects the ritual of Chanuka in two
ways.
"Why is there no prophecy in the
golah? The kedusha that exists in the
inanimate soil of Eretz Yisrael
elevates the materialistic body of
mankind thereby making possible
prophecy, whereby the material body
and spirituality become connected.
Since no other country possess such
intrinsic kedusha, that connection can
never exist outside Eretz Yisrael"
(Shem MiShmuel, Vayeitzei).
 page 17 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Perhaps that can explain why Hallel is
said on Chanuka but not on Purim
which occurred in the galut.
"The Beit Din of the Maccabim sat in
Lishkat HaGazit in Yerusalyim, so
they had the power to make decrees
which are Torah obligations, whereas
Mordechai and Esther were in galut
where the Beit Din does not have such
powers. Therefore the mitzvot of
Chanuka did not need popular consent
whereas the Megila tells us that they
wrote to all the Jews to accept those
of Purim and only then did these
become obligatory" (Shem MiShmuel,
5th night of Chanuka, 5672).
The following is from
Sapphire from the Land of Israel
A New Light on the Weekly Portion
from the Writings of
Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook
by Rabbi Chanan Morrison
Waiting for the Dream
Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 268
It took a long time, but Yosef’s
dreams eventually came to pass.
How long did it take? Yosef became
viceroy of Egypt at age thirty, and
nine years later (after seven years of
plenty and two years of famine), his
brothers came to buy food. So
Yosef’s dreams that his brothers
would one day bow down before
him and recognize his greatness
were fulfilled when he was 39 years
old. Since he had dreamt those
dreams of future greatness at age
17, we see that his dreams took 22
years to come true!
OU Israel Center TT 1116
Rabbi Levi taught: One should wait
as long as 22 years for a good
dream to come true. This we learn
from Yosef (B'rachot 54a).
What is special about the number
22? In what way is it connected to
the fulfillment of dreams?
Rav Kook noted that the Hebrew
alphabet
contains
22
letters.
Through myriad combinations and
permutations of these 22 letters, we
are able to express all of our
thoughts and ideas. If we were to
lack even one letter, however, we
would be unable to formulate
certain words and ideas.
The ancient mystical work Sefer
Yetzira offers an intriguing insight
into the functioning of the universe.
Just as hundreds of thousands of
words are formed from a small set of
letters, so too, the vast array of
forces that govern our world are in
fact the result of a relatively small
number of fundamental causes. If 22
letters are needed to express any
idea, then 22 years are needed for
the universe’s elemental forces to
bring about any desired effect. Thus
it is reasonable that we should allow
a dream as long as 22 years to be
realized.
Rabbi Levi is also teaching a second
lesson: nothing is completely
without value. One should not be
hasty to disregard a dream. In every
vision, there resides some element
of truth, some grain of wisdom. It
may take 22 years to be revealed, or
perhaps its potential may never be
realized in our world; but it always
contains some kernel of truth. 
 page 18 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Maharal on the Sedra
Aliya and Yerida
B'reishit 42:2 - And he said, "Behold,
I heard that there is food in Egypt.
Go down there and provide for us
from there, and we will live and not
die."
Rashi: The verse says R'DU [go
down] rather than L'CHU [go],
hinting at the 210 years that they
served Egypt, corresponding to the
gematriya of R'DU.
Gur Arye: It would be more appropriate for the verb to be the more
positive "go" than the negative "go
down", a language that means
descent. Yaakov, signaling the
inception of a new stage of the
history of his people, might have
chosen a more positive verb.
Hashem's first utterance in the
Torah is "Let there be light!" and
David tells us, "The introduction of
your words illuminate" [T'hilim
119:130], interpreted by the rabbis
[Sh'mot Rabba 50:1] to mean that
the righteous begin their speech
with light. Yaakov's term R'DU must
be telling us something that
supercedes the principle of the
illuminating, positive introduction.
Rashi's midrash supplies the
message - 210 years.
The Land of Israel is the highest of
all the lands, and the Holy Temple
is the highest point in the Land of
Israel. How can this be? Surely Mt.
Hermon is taller than Mt. Moriah,
and Switzerland has more altitude
OU Israel Center TT 1116
than the Land of Israel! This can be
understood in terms of spirituality.
Consider that the Earth is a sphere,
say, a rubber ball floating on top of
the water. If there is a spot on the
surface of the ball that is lighter
than the rest of the ball, that spot
will rise to the top. Spirituality has
no linear dimension and no mass,
and the place it is concentrated is
lighter and rises to the top.
Therefore, anywhere you come from
on the face of the Earth, you are
making aliya [rising] when you
come to the Land of Israel. This is
what is meant in the Mishna
[Kidushin 69a], "Ten genealogical
classes rose [ALU] from Bavel", on
which Rashi comments "the Land of
Israel is higher than all the other
lands.
Column prepared by Dr. Moshe Kuhr
TOWARDS GREATER
CALENDAR AWARENESS
Last week, in the Word of the Month
box on page 2, we began with some
details of one aspect of the Jewish
Calendar. We said we'd continue
this week, and we are. But let's first
put an important Chanuka spin (pun
very definitely intended) on it
Chanuka is the celebration of the
victory of the Jewish People - via the
partnership between G-d and the
Chashmona'im - over the Greeks,
thereby ending the very oppressive
Greek decrees against Jewish Law
and Life.
One of the main 'targets' of the
Greeks was the Jewish Calendar. By
 page 19 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
banning
Kiddush
HaChodesh
(among other mitzvot, such as
Learning Torah, Shabbat, Brit Mila),
the Greeks hoped to destroy the
hold of Torah Judaism on our people
and ease our Hellenization and
assimilation into Greek culture.
It is with this in mind, that we
present this piece about the
Calendar specifically in the Chanuka
issue of Torah Tidbits. The first part
of what follows is repeated (with
modifications) from TT 1115.
There are 385 dates possible on the
Jewish Calendar. 353 of them occur
in every year. If we add the variable
dates (the ones that occur only in
some, but not all years) - namely, the
30 days of the additional Adar, the
30th of Marcheshvan and Kislev that's 32 more dates, bringing the
total number of dates to 385.
The 295 dates from 1 Adar Alef
through 29 Marcheshvan are
governed by the LO ADU ROSH rule
of Rosh HaShana, which results in
those 295 dates being able to fall on
four days of the week and not on
three days of the week.
LO ADU ROSH means that in our
fixed calendar, Rosh HaShana
cannot fall on a Sunday (ALEF),
Wednesday (DALET), or Friday
(VAV).
There are 7 variations to LO ADU.
Just as an example, if the first day of
Tishrei cannot be on Sunday, then
the second day of Tishrei cannot be
on a Monday. Nor on a Thursday nor
on Shabbat. So the 'rule' for 2 Tishrei
would be LO B'Ha"Z. So it goes for
OU Israel Center TT 1116
the five other variations, until we get
to the 8th of Tishrei, which have the
same day of the week yes or no as 1
Tishrei.
Because of the variable situation
with 30 Marcheshvan, it can only fall
on 3 days of the week, Sunday,
Tuesday, Thursday (and not on four
days - the only date of the year so
restricted). But, the on/off status of
30 Marcheshvan, results in 1 Kislev
being able to fall on any of 6 days of
the week. And 2 through 29 of
Kislev follow suit and each has one
day of the week they cannot fall on.
As a result, the first day of Chanuka
can be on any day of the week
except Tuesday. That means the
first candle can be on any night of
the week except for Monday night.
And so it goes for all of these 29
days of Kislev.
Which brings us to 30 Kislev, which
exists in most years, but not all. The
30th of Kislev (which we have this
year), because of its on/off status, is
not as 'free' as the other 29 days of
Kislev. It happens to follow LO ADU
- but not one that's connected to the
295 dates that are part of the same
series of dates.
And a further result of the on/off
situation of 30 Kislev, is that 1 Tevet
can occur on any of 5 days of the
week, but not on only two days.
Specifically, for 1 Tevet, it cannot fall
on Thursday or Shabbat. So too for
8, 15, 22, and 29 of Tevet. It follows
that the other Tevet days have two
impossible days of the week each.
Again, as an example, 2 Tevet
cannot be on Friday or Sunday
 page 20 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
(since 1 Tevet cannot be Thursday or
Shabbat. And so on.
The and so on pattern continues not
just for all of Tevet's 29 days, but
also for Sh'vat's 30 days. Those 59
dates each have a variation of a day
of the week and two days later, that
they cannot fall on.
Which brings us to the first of Adar.
Here's the tricky part. 30 Sh'vat can
fall on 5 days of the week - Sunday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday, but not on Monday or
Shabbat. The day that follows 30
Sh'vat should also be able to occur
on five days of the week. We would
expect Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Shabbat as possible
days of the week for 1 Adar.
However, the 30th of Sh'vat in a
12-month year cannot fall on a Wednesday. For that to happen, RH
would have to be on a Thursday
AND the year would have to be
CHASIER (missing 30 Kislev). THU &
CHASEIR only happens in a Shana
M'uberet, a 13-month year. So the 1st
of Adar in a one-Adar year can only
be on Monday, Wednesday, Friday,
and Shabbat - but not on Sunday,
Tuesday, of Thursday - thus putting
1 Adar and all the days that follow it
until 29 Marcheshvan, back into the
LO ADU ROSH system - which is
what we started with.
And the 30th of Sh'vat in a 2-Adar
month can fall only on Sunday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday (but
not on a Thursday, which would be
possible only in a year that begins
on Thursday and both Marcheshvan
and Kislev would have their normal
OU Israel Center TT 1116
29 and 30 days respectively. But
that happens only in a Shana
P'shuta - a 12-month year. so the
first of Adar Alef (in a 2-Adar year)
can only fall on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Shabbat - but
never on a Sunday, Tuesday, or
Friday - thus putting the calendar
dates back into the LO ADU system
(until 30 Marcheshvan).
It you have a headache, don't worry.
Just know that our Calendars (both
during the time of Sanhedrin, as well
as between Sanhedrins) are imbued
with Sanctity and are the very
special gift from G-d to His people
from before we came out of Egypt.
Appreciate and value it. Happy Chanuka!
OzTorah
Ten Brothers
There was a famine in the land.
Yaakov sent his sons to Egypt to
buy grain. Food supplies in Egypt
were in the hands of their own
brother Yosef, but they did not know
it. Long before, they had sold him as
a slave, and there had been no
communication with or from him for
years.
In due course they were to discover
his identity and to see the family
reunited, but not yet. In the
meantime, the delegation set off
from Canaan on the shopping
expedition that would hopefully
enable the family to eat. What does
the Torah say? "And Yosef’s ten
brethren went down to buy grain
from Egypt" (B'reishit 42:3).
But why only ten of them? Where
 page 21 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
was the eleventh, Binyamin? And
why are they described as "Yosef’s
brothers" and not "Yaakov’s sons"?
To answer the first question, Yaakov
would not let Binyamin accompany
them for fear that some danger
would befall him (verse 4). Rashi
makes the important point that
harm can befall a person at home
too. (Don’t we know it in our own
generation, when more accidents
happen at home than on the
roads?). However, adds Rashi, the
"Satan" is especially ready to make
mischief when people are on the
road, where there are many outside
forces that one cannot predict or
control.
Another way of looking at the
number ten is to link it with the
concept of the minyan; a minyan
brings together ten otherwise
separate individuals and unites
them for a common purpose. Here,
as Rashi also points out, there were
ten separate people who had found
it difficult to agree on family policy
such as their feelings for or against
Joseph, but when an economic
challenge faced them they were able
to make common cause.
Perhaps this is why they are called
"Yosef’s brothers"; there is something sarcastic about the phrase,
because the one thing on which
they had hitherto not been united
was their brotherliness towards
Yosef.
Reprinted (with permission) from
Shabbat Shalom
Parsha Booklet (4) by
Rabbi Berel Wein
Yosef's dramatic ascent to power in
Egypt is recorded for us in this
week's parsha. What is noteworthy
is that Yosef does not appear to be
at all surprised or amazed by the
sudden turn of events in his
fortunes. A person who lives by
dreams is never surprised when the
dream turns into reality.
Yosef always expected his dreams
to come true in this world. So did
his father Yaakov. And in truth so
did the brothers and that is why he
discomfited them so deeply. Had
they felt the dreams of Yosef to be
utter nonsense they would not have
reacted as strongly when he related
the dreams to them. They were
threatened not because the dreams
were nothing but rather because
they were something.
Their apparent blindness and stubbornness, at not recognizing Yosef
standing before them, stemmed
from their necessity to deny the
validity of his dreams. When Yosef
will reveal himself to his brothers
they will instinctively believe him
because of the stock they subconsciously placed in his dreams all
along.
Practical people are afraid of
dreamers not because of the
dreamer's
impracticality
but
OU Israel Center TT 1116

page 22
 Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
because the dreamer may turn out
to be right after all. This has been
proven time and again in Jewish
history. The holiday of Chanuka,
that we are currently celebrating,
proves the dreams of the Maccabees overcame the practicalities of
the Hellenist Jews who chose to
survive by becoming more Greek
than Jewish.
Jews over the ages could have
reasonably quit and given up the
struggle to survive as Jews
countless times. It was always the
dreamers that persevered and they
have always been proven to be
right and practical.
The Torah attributes the success of
Yosef to the fact that he remembered his dreams. It is one thing to
remember dreams of grandeur
when one is poor and imprisoned.
Then the dream provides hope and
resilience to somehow continue.
Yosef's greatness lies in his ability
to remember and believe those
dreams when he has risen to
power. He could easily have
ignored his brothers and put all of
his past behind him. He was now a
great success. So why continue to
pursue his dreams, which could
ultimately sorely endanger his
position and achievements? But
Yosef doggedly pursues the full
realization of his dreams.
Many times in life we are frightened
of advancing because we think we
might risk what we already have.
Judaism preaches caution in tactics
and how to achieve certain goals,
OU Israel Center TT 1116

both spiritual and physical. But it
never advocates compromising the
great Jewish dreams as outlined in
our Torah and tradition.
We are bidden to be prudent about
life's decisions but the goal of
ascending the ladder of Yaakov is
never erased from our consciousness. When seeing his brothers
before him, Yosef has the choice to
leave everything as it is. But he
chooses to pursue his dreams to
their fateful end. That has become
a lesson for all later generations of
Jews as well. The full realization of
Yosef's dream is the catalyst for
reuniting all of Israel as a nation. 
EvA§ w§ i¦ e§
Part of Yosef's plan to handle the
years of plenty so they would be
able to survive and even thrive
during the years of famine
included their gathering the food
and grain from the years of plenty...
The above word means, And let
them gather, or And they shall
gather... The word YIKB'TZU is
future tense - They shall/will
gather. The VAV prefixed to the
word is the conjunctive VAV (VAV
HACHIBUR) and is NOT the tenseflipping VAV so common in the
Torah.
The SH'VA under the conjunctive
VAV stays - or becomes a
SHURUK - but does not change to
page 23
 Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
a PATACH, as the tense-flipping
VAV does. Therefore, this word and others like it - calls for caution
not to say VA- but keep it at V'-.
winery,
then,
translates
VAYEISHEV's 112 p'sukim.
TtRiDdLeS
This is one of the RJJ schools. RJJ
stands for Rabbi Jacob Joseph, or
Yaakov Yosef. We find the phrase (if
we
play
around
with
the
punctuation) in the beginning of
Vayeishev:
EILEH
TO-L'DOT
YAAKOV YOSEF...
Previous (Vayeishev) TTriddles:
[1] Snow in the Torah: Vayeishev,
Sh'mot, B'haalot'cha
The Hebrew word SHELEG occurs
twice in the Torah, both as a
description of ZORAAT, which
includes the skin turning white. In
Sh'mot, it is Moshe's hand which
turns TZORAAT like snow and then
back to normal, when Moshe puts
his hand inside his robe on his chest
and then a second time. In
B'haalot'cha, it is Miriam who is
afflicted with TZORAAT, and again,
its coloring is compared to snow.
There are 19 other occurrences of
the word SHELEG in the rest of
Tanach, most often referring to the
white fluffy percipitation or a white
color like snow. So what does this
have to do with Parshat Vayeishev?
Not a thing. In Vayeishev, we find
the Hebrew word S'NO - twice - in
describing the growing hatred that
the brothers had for Yosef. The word
occurs nowhere else in Tanach.
[2] Eliezer's winery (we mistakenly
used the word vineyard elsewhere)
ELIEZER = 1+30+10+70+7+200 = 318.
VAYEISHEV = 6+10+300+2 = 318.
YEKEV (which means winery KEREM is a vineyard, sorry for the
mix-up) = 10+100+2 = 112. Eliezer's
OU Israel Center TT 1116

as
[3] Yeshiva Merkaz Hatorah
of Staten Island
[4] Yosef, Yaakov, R'chav-am,
Y'hoshafat, Y'ho-achaz b. Yeihu,
Pekach b. R'malyahu
Search a Tanach database for 17
years (Yosef's age at the beginning
of Vayeishev), and you will find 5
other occurrences. Yaakov was in
Egypt for 17 years until his death.
R'chav-am,
son
of
Shlomo
HaMelech, was 41 years old when he
began his reign, which was 17 years
long in Jerusalem. Achazyahu son of
Achav reigned over the kingdom of
Israel for 2 years; he began his reign
in the 17th year of Y'hoshafat's reign
over Judah. Y'ho-achaz b. Yeihu was
king of Israel for 17 years. In the 17th
year of the reign of Pekach b.
R'malyahu (Kingdom of Israel),
Achaz b. Yotan began his reign over
Judah. BTW, Every occurrence in the
Tanach of SH'VA ESREI (17, feminine
form) refers to 17 years. There are
seven occurrences of SHIVA ASAR
(17, masculine) referring to different
things.
[5] Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov,
Yosef, Moshe... and Eisav
Not
page 24
as
easy
as
the
previous
 Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
TTriddle. One would assume that
there are many actions these six
people did. The hard part is finding
that which only these six did. On the
other hand, if you think about for a
moment, you might come to the
'obvious' answer. VAYEISHEV. The
word occurs many times in the
Torah, but it is followed by the name
of a person (not the nation) only for
these six people. The word refers to
KAYIN, YISHMAEL, and LOT, but
these names do not follow the word
VAYEISHEV in the same phrase.
That's how we cut down on the
number of people in a TTriddle
presentation.
[6] All but SHIN and PEI
This was the TTriddle in the
upper-left of the front page. With
SHIN and PEI in the pre-Chanuka
issue, one's immediate association
would be to the letters on the dreidel
and sivivon respectively. Even,
master TTriddler MM/Bklyn, who
got all the others, assumed this one
was about Chanuka. No, sorry. Not
at all. If you add up the numeric
values of the 22 letters of the
ALEF-BET, you get 1495. (Challenge
the right children with finding the
gimatriya of the ALEF-BET - don't
make it easy for them.) If you add up
all the letters besides SHIN and PEI,
which you can do by adding the
other 20 letters together, or by
subtracting 380 from 1495, you will
get 1115, the issue number of the
Vayeishev 5775 Torah Tidbits.
Parsha Points to Ponder
by MK Rabbi Dov Lipman
Mikeitz
1) Why did Par'o tell Yosef that in his
dream he was standing ON THE
BANKS OF THE NILE (41:17) when in
the dream he was was standing ON
THE NILE itself (41:1)?
2) Why did Yosef present it as a
given that the famine would come to
Egypt and advise to take drastic
steps to prepare for it (41:33) if we
know that prayer and repentance
can undo a negative decree as we
see in the story of Yonah with the
people of Ninveh?
3) Why did Yosef choose to accuse
his brothers as being spies and not
some of committing some other
criminal offense (42:9)?
Suggested answers
1) The Chatam Sofer teaches that
Pa'ro was concerned that Yosef
would not believe that he had this
dream if he related that something
completely impossible happened
(consistent with the teaching in
B'rachot 55 that dreams that contain meaning are not related
through
dreaming
about
the
impossible). Thus, he changed it
from standing on the water which is
impossible to standing along- side
the water. Pa'ro did not realize that
his standing on the water was
because of the water rising and
coming to meet his feet on dry land.
2) The Meshech Chochma answers
OU Israel Center TT 1116
 page 25 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
that according to our tradition
positive decrees are never undone
and in this case, with Yosef's plans
for Egypt to be well-prepared for the
famine, the famine would actually
lead to great prosperity for Egypt
and turned into a positive decree
which cannot be undone.
3) The Kli Yakar explains that Yosef
feared that his brothers would start
searching all around Egypt for clues
regarding what had happened to
him. To prevent this, he accused
them of spying and now, to make
sure they did not appear as spies,
they would stay away from traveling
around and searching for him.
The Menora: Symbol
of the Jewish State
by
Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher
Dean of Students, Diaspora Yeshiva
Our Chanukiya has 8 lamps to
commemorate the 8-day miracle of
Chanuka. However, in the Beit
HaMikdash, the Menora had only 7
lamps. What is the significance of the
7 branched Menora and why is it the
symbol of the State of Israel?
The Torah commands Aharon, the
Kohen Gadol, "When you light the
lamps, towards the center of the
Menora shall the seven lamps cast
light" (Bamidbar 8:2). Why must the
6 lights bend towards the center light?
According to the Maharal and Rabbi
Yonatan Eybishuts, the 7 branches of
the Menora in the Mikdash represent
the 7 pillars of secular wisdom,
OU Israel Center TT 1116

knowledge and science. The Rambam
in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, ch. 2,
states that when you study nature and
the natural sciences, you fall madly in
love with the One above. In fact in his
Moreh Nevuchim, the Rambam
explains that if you want to see G-d,
study the incredible wisdom, found in
nature. Thus, the word for nature in
Hebrew, HATEVA, has the same
gimatriya of ELOHIM (G-d).
That is how the Rambam explains the
verse in Parshat Ki Tisa when Moshe
asked G-d, "Show me Your Glory."
G-d answered him, "I will make all
My goodness pass before you…, and
you will see My back…" The
Rambam explains G-d's answer. "If
you want to see G-d, it's only by an
indirect way through the study of
nature and the natural sciences. That's
how one comes to know and love G-d,
as the popular song goes, "To know
Him is to love Him."
Ed. note: song written by Phil Spector, 1958,
was inspired by words on his father's tombstone,
"To Know Him Was To Love Him".
Rabbenu Bechaye explains the 7
sciences as follows: (1) the Wisdom
of Logic and Language, (2) the Study
of Mathematics, (3) The Study of
Physics and Chemistry, (4) The
Science of Geometry and Trigonometry, (5) The Study of Music, (6) The
Study of Astronomy, (7) The Study of
Divine Wisdom and Theology.
The center lamp of the Menora
represents the light of Torah which all
the other branches face. Rabbenu
page 26
 Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
Bechaye explains that the central shaft
of the Menora that holds all the other
branches together is the knowledge of
the Wisdom of G-d. The other
branches of the Menora are only the
offshoots of that Divine Wisdom. As
T'hilim 111 states, "Reshit Chochma
Yir'at HaShem" - "The source of all
wisdom is the fear of G-d."
The Vilna Gaon's disciple, Rabbi
Yisrael of Shklov, writes in Pe'at
HaShulchan, "The Vilna Gaon
explained that all secular wisdom is
essential for our Holy Torah and is
included in it. He indicated that the
Vilna Gaon had mastered all the 7
branches of secular wisdom and
knowledge, including algebra, trigonometry, geometry and music."
The Talmud has many examples of
how our Sages used science and
mathematics to assist them in their
understanding of Torah. To cite an
example, in Sanhedrin 5b, it states
that the great sage, Rav, spent many
months among the shepherds studying
the types of blemishes on animals,
which heal and which do not, for the
purpose of determining the Sanctity of
the firstborn kosher animals. The
Talmud in Shabbat 75a also criticizes
one who knows how to calculate the
calendar and positions of the constellations but does not do so.
The message of the Menora is that the
light of Torah and the light of secular
knowledge complement each other, as
long as the Torah is the central focus,
foundation, and basis of all secular
OU Israel Center TT 1116
wisdom.
Therefore, perhaps, this is the reason
why the Menora was chosen as the
symbol of the State of Israel, because
the light of Torah has to beintegrated
into all aspects of daily life, including
technology and science.
MACHON PUAH
Eight Days of Miracles
There is a famous question posed by
Rabbi Yosef Karo in his book Beit Yosef.
He asks why Chanuka is eight days and
the usual answer is that the oil lasted
for eight days, but in fact the
Maccabees found oil that was
sufficient for one day and so the
miracle lasted "only" seven days. Really
Chanuka should be 7 days, not eight.
There are many answers to this
question and one of them is that the
first day we celebrate the fact that the
Maccabees found the jug of oil. This
was itself a miracle and it should be
celebrated.
On Chanuka we light candles and
speak about the grand miracles, but we
need to recognize the simple, daily
miracles that we take for granted. We
are so used to them that we call them
nature and forget that they are no less
miraculous.
Today we can use technology to
achieve a pregnancy in cases where
there is a genetic abnormality that
until recently would have been fatal.
This is a wonder and amazes us. But is
a natural pregnancy where a child is
born healthy any less miraculous? Even
 page 27 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
the doctors or nurses who work in the
delivery room and are used to seeing
births every day still retain the wonder
of childbirth.
I have been privileged to be involved
with helping couples who face huge
challenges getting pregnant. With
medical intervention and a lot of
Divine assistance these couples have
realized their dreams of becoming
parents. It really is a zechut to attend
their celebrations on the occasion of
the birth of their children and we tend
to use the term "a precious
pregnancy". But the truth is that every
single pregnancy is precious and the
birth of one child is not really any more
remarkable than the birth of any other
baby.
When we study biology and realize the
complex path of human reproduction
we are amazed and see the hand of
God in each and every conception and
birth. As I often say to many audiences,
"It is a wonder that any of us are here."
On Chanuka when we light the candles
and spend time with our families we
should take a moment to consider the
many miracles and blessings that
surround us; both the supernatural
events and the obvious miracles, as
well as the mundane natural miracles
that we have got so used to that we
forget that they are no less miraculous
and no less wonderful.
We thank God and celebrate for both
types of miracles on all eight days of
Chanuka.
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, Director, Puah Institute
OU Israel Center TT 1116
CHIZUK ! IDUD
Divrei Torah from the weekly sedra
with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim
A person's life trajectory can assume
many shapes and forms. For some, life
swings back and forth like a pendulum
constantly changing direction and
speed. Such an individual will find that,
totally unannounced, he is forcefully
propelled in the opposite direction than
that he had been accustomed to.
Sometimes this change will be a
positive one, while on other occasions
the opposite is the case…
Perhaps no one could have attested to
this more than Yosef HaTzadik: From
beloved darling - the apple of his
father's eye - he was thrust without
warning into the ignoble and mute
existence of slavery. He had become a
commodity passed on without hesitation to the highest bidder. Thus he
moved from one master to another until
he finally began to slowly make his
mark. Having earned his master's
respect , and having achieved a place of
distinction within Potiphar's household
- he must contend once again with
disaster…
Twelve long years later, after having
languished in the dungeon as a result of
not having succumbed to Potiphar’s
wife’s allurements, the pendulum has
wildly swung around in a new
direction.
In Bereishit 41:14 we read: “Pharoah
sent for Yosef and he was hurriedly
(Vay'ritzuhu) brought from the
dungeon.” Moments later after having
 page 28 
Mikeitz - Chanuka 5775
been shaved and his clothes changed,
he stands before Pharoah!
A Breslov Chassid would no doubt
learn from this, never to be "mitya'esh",
never despair. Even when there seems
to be no hope left things can change
with dramatic suddenness.
The Midrash Tanchuma (Mikeitz 3), as
quoted by Rabbenu B’chayei, says that
this Biblical episode teaches us that out
of despair comes deliverance - out of
darkness emerges the light, out of being
downtrodden, the righteous emerge
elevated. Thus, Daniel who was thrown
to the lions was saved and elevated;
Mordechai went from wearing sack
cloth to donning royal garments. So too
Yosef as the verse in Kohelet 4:14
states: “From the dungeon he emerged
to rule.”
It is not only great Biblical figures who
experience such a quick change of
status, for as the S'forno tells us (on the
word “Vay'ritzuhu”), the Divine salvation always comes speedily.
This ancient pattern has famous
modern day exemplars. They too went
from a BIRA AMIKTA to an IGRA
RAMA, from the lowest depths of
imprisonment to unbelievable elevation. Anatoly Sharansky was whisked
out of solitary confinement in the
Gulag, to suddenly find himself visiting
the Kotel which thronged with a
multitude of well-wishers. From a
taunted prisoner he became a world
celebrity feted by the leaders of the free
world.
However there are other less well
known examples as well. I am
reminded of the story of the personal
salvation of an anonymous Syrian Jew,
related to me some twenty years ago
when I met him at a Merkaz Klita. He
had attempted to flee Syria bound for
Eretz Yisrael, when he was captured
and imprisoned for five years. While in
prison he never forgot his goal, and
once he was released he again
attempted to realize his dream - this
time he was successful. When I met
him and heard his story, I asked him
what it was that motivated him to be
willing to put life at risk. His answer
was as simple as it was inspiring: "My
whole being longed to be in the Holy
Land - how could I not try again."
I wish all such stories had a happy
ending. Jonathan Pollard has been
imprisoned for thirty years now for
helping the State of Israel. Reportedly,
back in 1993 shortly after President
Clinton's inauguration, his release was
almost finalized. Pollard had agreed to
the condition of signing a letter in
which he would clearly express his
remorse, but the deal fell through since
he would not declare that he had
violated Jewish Law. I pray that we
will shortly see the day he too will be
let free and be allowed to come home.
Sadly there are many others today who
hope and dream of Aliya but feel that
they too are imprisoned against their
will. These self-imposed "Prisoners of
Zion" are entrapped by the exigencies
of life in the Diaspora. To these I say:
It is time to make the pendulum swing
around in a new direction. The
examples cited above go to prove that if
you will it, it is no dream. It is time to
break free and come home!
Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness, Ramat Shiloh, Beit Shemesh
Portion
Chanuka and
Jewish Sovereignty
Chanuka is the anniversary of the
rededication of the Beit HaMikdash
during the time of the Greek ruler
Antiochus Epiphanes. It celebrates
not only the military victory and the
restoration of Jewish self-government against the mightiest power at
that time - but it also celebrates a
spiritual victory, the victory of Jewish
faith over enforced assimilation. But
not until the miracle of the flask of oil,
were the Rabbis willing to decide that
these military and political events
were worthy to justify declaring an
eight-day yearly holiday in memory of
those special events, Chanuka.
We as religious Jews put more
emphasis on the spiritual aspect of
the holiday - the small cruse of oil
lasting for the 8 days of the
rededication of the Temple. But we
mustn't forget the other aspect of the
holiday. Having Jewish self-government is something we must be
thankful for. Our Rabbis taught us
that even though the Macabees rule
over Israel was short-lived, it was
something to give thanks for. We
must not take it for granted that we
are able to live in Israel now and are
able to elect our own leaders.
Every Chanuka, I read something
from the book xe`d `xp jxe`a, a
compilation of articles published in
memory of Danny Cohen HY"D, a
soldier who was killed on 11 Kislev
5763. I always learn something new
from this lovely book - this year it
was especially moving learning from
it - since I was reading it in Hevron,
where Danny was killed. Although he
is not physically alive, his spirit lives
on through the words of Torah
inspiration people are able to learn
from the book written in his memory.
This year I chose to read a drasha
written by Harav Yitchak Nissenbaum HY"D, who was a Rabbi in
Europe before the war and actually
delivered his drashot in Warsaw in
Hebrew. In his drasha he writes that
Yehuda the Maccabee went out to
"save the Torah from destruction and
the nation from annihilation - this
type of victory is eternal.
Rav Nissenbaum, who lived under
the Nazi persecution and was
murdered by them, felt that Yehuda
the Maccabee fought for Jewish
Sovereignty
because
without
national freedom for the nation and
the land there is also no freedom of
religion.
He also felt that the battles of the
Maccabees gave us national pride.
This ties in to a story I recently heard
on the radio (I turned on the radio in
the middle of the story so I don't
have all the names) - I believe it was
about Netanyahu. During an election
campaign where he was a candidate
he went to meet a big Rabbi in Bnei
Braq. Before Netanyahu arrived at
the Rabbis house, the Rabbi took off
his weekday coat and put on his
Shabbat coat. The Rabbi's students
could not understand this behavior
and they asked him what he was
doing. He answered that Netanyahu
as the prime minister of Israel was
similar to a Jewish King, therefore
the Rabbi wanted to show him
respect by dressing up to greet him.
A Jewish leader deserves respect
and brings honor to the nation.
The Rabbi's behavior is in dire
contrast to certain people in the
Knesset who choose to berate
Netanyahu - e.g. the speeches given
when the Knesset was disbanded
where everyone said how bad
Netanyahu is as a leader - are just
one example. And in the current
elections the theme seems to be
Netanyahu bashing. While each of
us might have complaints about
Netanyahu as a leader, that doesn't
mean we should insult him and put
him down. As a Jewish leader we
should still respect him and hold him
with a bit of awe. I for one don't envy
him his job. Although not all the
Maccabees remained holy we refer
to them as HaKohanim HaK'doshim we sing their praises. We should try
our best to find positive things to say
about our leaders today as well and
not just try to cut them down with our
words. Having Jewish sovereignty is
one way that God "gives God great
and holy renown in His world". If we
can't show our leaders respect - who
else will?
SINCE CHANUKA is a holiday of
lighting candles, here is a recipe for
something that is also burning flamed apples. They are also fried
and
can be served with dairy
whipped cream in keeping with the
custom to eat dairy on Chanuka.
FLAMED APPLES
6 apples
¼ cup oil or butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp brandy
Whipped cream
Peel and core the apples and cut into
½" slices. Saute the apple slices in
butter or oil for 1 minute on each
side. Sprinkle with brown sugar,
cinnamon and lemon juice and
continue frying, basting with the
syrup until apples are soft. Arrange
on a serving dish. Warm the brandy
in a small saucepan. Set alight and
pour over the apples. Serve the
apples with syrup from the dish and
whipped cream.
PPx
Top-left is the Davka Judaica graphic of
Paro and his dream(s) • Mickey Mouse,
the sorcerer's apprentice, for the wizards
of Egypt who were unable to
satisfactorily interpret Par'o's dreams •
When the Wine Steward finally told Par'o
about Yosef, he (Yosef) was brought up
from the dungeon and cleaned up.
Tradition tells us that it was Rosh
HaShana when he came before Par'o hence, the Shofar... • and he shaved for
the occasion - hence the electric shaver
with the Shofar • To the right of the
Shofar & shaver is a scarab ring, like the
one Paro gave Yosef when he decided to
appoint Yosef "over Egypt" • 20% was
part of Yosef's plan for Par'o, to take a
fifth from each producer during the years
of plenty, so that there would be enough
to go around during the famine • 10+1+?
was the brothers' answer to Yosef's
question about their family. We are 10
brothers, son of one man. Plus one other
brother who is at home, plus another
who's whereabouts are unknown •
Botnim (now peanuts but originally
pistachio - Biblical Hebrew and modern
Hebrew differ on occasion) were part of
Yaakov's gift package. Today, pistachios
are called FISTUKIM in Hebrew. It
obviously is not a Hebrew word, since no
Hebrew word can start with an F sound •
The silver cup is Yosef's (did he get it as
a Bar Mitzva gift?), used to frame
Binyamin • The sack of coins is for the
double portion of money the brothers
found returned to their sacks • At the
bottom is a scene from Megilat Esther,
with Haman leading Mordechai through
the streets. There are many similarities
between that Megila scene and what was
done with Yosef. This one is particularly
obvious - parading him... calling before
him... Then there is the king giving a ring...
and more • The bell (under the two
items whose names start with SH) is for
the word VATIPA'EM RUCHO, his (Par'o)
spirit was troubled. The word appears
only one other place in Tanach, in the
book of Daniel, where it has the same
context: being troubled as a result of a
dream. Rashi in Mikeitz explains it as
having the feeling of a bell ringing inside
(one's chest or heart, perhaps) • The shirt
with the 6 on it is a play on BIGDEI
SHEISH, garments of linen, that Par'o
clothed Yosef with • Club 365 is
associated with the department store
HAMASHBIR. That is what Yosef was for
the Land of Egypt - HAMASHBIR (B'reishit
42:6) • The key with the picture of ET
stands for the pasuk in which Yosef
instructs his people that the brothers will
eat with him, the words are KI ITI
YOCHLU HA'ANASHIM • The emblem of
the State of Israel comes from the
haftara, which comes from the prophecy
of Zechariya • Part of Zechariya's
message is LO B'CHAYIL, not with military
might - hence, the Xed out soldier. This is
not to say that we shouldn't have the
best army possible. That is our Hishtadlus.
But we must understand that our
greatest weapon, so to speak, is G-d's
spirit on our side - something we get
when we are faithful to Him. The leaders
of the State whose emblem comes from
the Navi should learn the lesson of the
prophecy of the same source • Hess logo
is for the similarity to the words in the
haftara: Hass kol basar. Hess, meat - get
it? • Tide is recommended for Yehoshua
KG's soiled garments • The guitar-like
stringed instrument is an OUD, a word
from the haftara (with a different
meaning) • Lower right is a play on
Yaakov's telling his sons that there was
Shever b'Mitzrayim (SHEVER means
'provisions' and also fraction - the
particular fraction has no significance •
Kettering University is in Flint (Michigan).
Flint is TZUR. With the LE you get one of
the Nesi'im: ELITZUR • Olive Oyl is a
give-away • Parking sign with max. of 25
cars is CHANU-KAF-HEI, i.e. CHANUKA and the MazalPic