A Thought on Parshas MiKetz
A Thought On Parshas MiKetz
"...mi'ketz shana'sayim yamim..."
"...at the end of two years..." (41:1)
Our parsha, which always falls out on Chanukah, sets the time frame for Pharaoh's dreams which resulted in Yosef being released from prison and ascending to a position of power in the land of his exile.
This week, Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel takes us for a spin in a new direction. He is interested in the words "shana'sayim yamim" which mean literally "two years of days." The Torah might have written the expression without referencing "days." The Torah might have written "shtei shanim" which would mean two years. The mystery word seems to be shana'sayim. It connotes the same meaning as "two years" but is a slight variation from the typical term used in the Torah.
On this point, Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel observes that there must be a significance to the word. He zooms in on the letters. Shana'sayim is spelled shin, nun, tof, yud, mem. There is a remez here, a hint at something.
We all know the halacha of lighting the Chanukah menorah. The Talmud instructs us to place the menorah to the left of the doorway, with the mezuzah set on the right side. This way we "surround ourselves" with mitzvos. If we take the letters from our word in sequence, we see this law spelled out: smoel ner tadlik yemin mezuzah - light the candle on the left with the mezuzah on the right. The Torah's use of this word hints at the parsha coinciding with Chanukah.
* * * * * * * *
"...ha'tzara ha'zos..."
"...this trouble we are in..." (42:21)
When the sons of Yakov are confronted by the viceroy of Egypt (who is their long lost brother Yosef in disguise), they have a moment of chilling realization that the trouble that they are in is not a coincidence. They worry over their fate, seeing the handiwork of HaShem appearing to mete out retribution for their having abandoned their young brother years before. They call their plight ha'tzara ha'zos.
Our sages have handed down the tradition that the apparent treachery of brother against brother in our ancestral past has played out in great tragedy during key times in our history. Twice yearly we recount the martyrdom of the asara harugei malchus - the ten pious sages who were executed during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel shares another remez with us. The two-word expression "ha'tzara ha'zos" catches the eye and ear, for it is made up of two words, tzara and zos yet both of the words begin with the prefix "hae" which means, of course, "the." Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel takes the two hae letters and notes their numerical value. Each equals five. There are two of them. That is a total of ten. It is a hint at the ten martyred sages whose lives seem to have symbolized the tragedy of great loss among Jewish brethren. The Torah alludes to the unfolding of later events in our history which paralleled and echoed the troubling saga of Yosef and his ten brothers.
Wishing you a joyous Chanukah. Blessing you with a peaceful Shabbos, brothers and sisters of the Jewish nation. D Fox
"...mi'ketz shana'sayim yamim..."
"...at the end of two years..." (41:1)
Our parsha, which always falls out on Chanukah, sets the time frame for Pharaoh's dreams which resulted in Yosef being released from prison and ascending to a position of power in the land of his exile.
This week, Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel takes us for a spin in a new direction. He is interested in the words "shana'sayim yamim" which mean literally "two years of days." The Torah might have written the expression without referencing "days." The Torah might have written "shtei shanim" which would mean two years. The mystery word seems to be shana'sayim. It connotes the same meaning as "two years" but is a slight variation from the typical term used in the Torah.
On this point, Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel observes that there must be a significance to the word. He zooms in on the letters. Shana'sayim is spelled shin, nun, tof, yud, mem. There is a remez here, a hint at something.
We all know the halacha of lighting the Chanukah menorah. The Talmud instructs us to place the menorah to the left of the doorway, with the mezuzah set on the right side. This way we "surround ourselves" with mitzvos. If we take the letters from our word in sequence, we see this law spelled out: smoel ner tadlik yemin mezuzah - light the candle on the left with the mezuzah on the right. The Torah's use of this word hints at the parsha coinciding with Chanukah.
* * * * * * * *
"...ha'tzara ha'zos..."
"...this trouble we are in..." (42:21)
When the sons of Yakov are confronted by the viceroy of Egypt (who is their long lost brother Yosef in disguise), they have a moment of chilling realization that the trouble that they are in is not a coincidence. They worry over their fate, seeing the handiwork of HaShem appearing to mete out retribution for their having abandoned their young brother years before. They call their plight ha'tzara ha'zos.
Our sages have handed down the tradition that the apparent treachery of brother against brother in our ancestral past has played out in great tragedy during key times in our history. Twice yearly we recount the martyrdom of the asara harugei malchus - the ten pious sages who were executed during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel shares another remez with us. The two-word expression "ha'tzara ha'zos" catches the eye and ear, for it is made up of two words, tzara and zos yet both of the words begin with the prefix "hae" which means, of course, "the." Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel takes the two hae letters and notes their numerical value. Each equals five. There are two of them. That is a total of ten. It is a hint at the ten martyred sages whose lives seem to have symbolized the tragedy of great loss among Jewish brethren. The Torah alludes to the unfolding of later events in our history which paralleled and echoed the troubling saga of Yosef and his ten brothers.
Wishing you a joyous Chanukah. Blessing you with a peaceful Shabbos, brothers and sisters of the Jewish nation. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 9:13 PM
1 Comments:
I appreciate you for posting such a wonderful Blog.The
Mezuzah helps remind each of the children who they are and where they came from every time they enter their homes.
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